''The Maid of Artois'' is an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

Michael William Balfe Michael William Balfe (15 May 1808 – 20 October 1870) was an Irish composer, best remembered for his operas, especially ''The Bohemian Girl''. After a short career as a violinist, Balfe pursued an operatic singing career, while he began to co ...

, written in 1836 to a

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

Alfred Bunn Alfred Bunn (April 8, 1796 in LondonDecember 20, 1860 in Boulogne-sur-Mer) was an English theatrical manager. He was married to Margaret Agnes (née Somerville) Bunn, a minor actress, in 1819. Biography Bunn was appointed stage manager of D ...

, manager of the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...

in London, who based his work on

Eugène Scribe Augustin Eugène Scribe (; 24 December 179120 February 1861) was a French dramatist and librettist. He is known for writing "well-made plays" ("pièces bien faites"), a mainstay of popular theatre for over 100 years, and as the librettist of man ...

's stage version of

Abbé Prévost Antoine François Prévost d'Exiles ( , , ; 1 April 169725 November 1763), usually known simply as the Abbé Prévost, was a French priest, author, and novelist. Life and works He was born at Hesdin, Artois, and first appears with the full nam ...

's novel ''

Manon Lescaut ''The Story of the Chevalier des Grieux and Manon Lescaut'' ( ) is a novel by Antoine François Prévost. Published in 1731, it is the seventh and final volume of ''Mémoires et aventures d'un homme de qualité'' (''Memoirs and Adventures of a Ma ...

''.

Overview

The opera opened on 27 May 1836, starring

Maria Malibran Maria Felicia Malibran (24 March 1808 – 23 September 1836) was a Spanish singer who commonly sang both contralto and soprano parts, and was one of the best-known opera singers of the 19th century. Malibran was known for her stormy personality ...

as the title character, Isoline. The story concerns a girl in love, who is poached by a rich Marquis. The lovers seem destined to end their days in the wastes of the desert, until an unexpected rescue comes. The opera received good notices, and the overture was much admired. Balfe's music shows the influence of his earlier training in Italy, especially of Bellini and

Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the '' bel canto'' opera style dur ...

, as well as the French works that Balfe had sung (as a

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

) at the

Paris Opéra The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be k ...

, where he and Malibran had appeared together. Balfe wrote ''The Maid of Artois'' partly as a vehicle for her. Malibran was a

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

with a three octave range. She had died in September 1836 before the score was printed, and so Balfe decided to set brighter, higher versions of the coloratura and other music in her role that are more typical of operatic treatments of a youthful character such as Isoline.

Roles

*Isoline

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically b ...

*Jules

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

*Marquis

*Synnelet bass *Coralie *Sans Regret *Martin *Centinnel *Count Saulnier

Musical numbers

;Act 1 ''The grounds of a Parisian Chateau'' *1 Men – Drink, boys *2 Marquis – Recit. The Rosy hours *2a Marquis, Sans R, Chorus – Cavatina Then silly is the heart *3 Andante *4 Jules – Recit. Oh, if at times *4a Jules – Cavatina My soul, in one unbroken *5 Sans R & Jules – Here, take the contents *6 Coralie, Jules, Sans R, Men – Then thus oppress’d *7 Women – The sigh from her heart *8 Isoline – Recit. My thoughts which forth **Isoline – The heart that once hath **Isoline, Women – Oh could I but that peace *9 Isoline, Marquis – Oh! leave me not *9a Isoline, Marquis – Oh, why should I weep *10 Isoline – Yon moon o’er the mountains *11 Jules, Isoline, – Finale: What sounds are those I hear *11a Isoline, Jules, Marquis – Finale: Trio My bosom with hope *12 Marquis, Isoline, Jules – Finale: Ensemble Deceitful woman **Sans Regret, Chorus, Count ;Act 2 ''A fort in British Guiana'' *13 Men, Women and slaves – Here’s to the Soldier Lover *14 Synnelet, Chorus – Was there ever known *15 Ballet *16 Isoline – Oh! what a charm it is *17 Isoline, Jules, Nin, Syn, Chor Quartet & Ch – From shore to shore *18 Indian Dance *19 Isoline & Jules – And do these arms *19a Jules, Isoline – I have strength to bear *19b Martin, Isol, Jules, Nin, Syn Ensemble – Five minutes are expired *20 Chorus, Syn, Cent, Martin – Finale These joyous sounds upon the ear *21 Marquis – Recit. I gaze upon the stranger land *21a Marquis – The light of the other days is faded *22 Chorus, Marquis, Synnelet – Finale Hail to the Chief ;Act 3 ''In the Desert'' *23 Isoline – Recit. The sounds which have pursued *23a Isoline – Oh, beautiful night *24 Isoline, Jules – There’s blood upon his arm *25 March *26 Isoline, Chorus – Finale: The rapture swelling though my breast

References

* (pp. 32–34)

External links

Description of the opera and of the 2005 recording by Victorian Opera Northwest, with links to a list of numbers and cast
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maid of Artois, The Adaptations of works by Antoine François Prévost Operas English-language operas Operas by Michael Balfe Operas based on works by Eugène Scribe