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''Comédie-ballet'' is a genre of French drama which mixes a spoken play with interludes containing music and dance.


History

The first example of the genre is considered to be '' Les fâcheux'', with words by
Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...
, performed in honour of
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
at
Vaux-le-Vicomte The Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte () or simply Vaux-le-Vicomte is a Baroque French château located in Maincy, near Melun, southeast of Paris in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department of Île-de-France. Built between 1658 and 1661 ...
, the residence of
Nicolas Fouquet Nicolas Fouquet, marquis de Belle-Île, vicomte de Melun et Vaux (; 27 January 1615 – 23 March 1680) was the Superintendent of Finances in France from 1653 until 1661 under King Louis XIV. He had a glittering career, and acquired enormous weal ...
, in 1661. The music and choreography were by
Pierre Beauchamp Pierre Beauchamp or Beauchamps (; 30 October 1631 – February 1705) was a French choreographer, dancer and composer, and the probable inventor of Beauchamp–Feuillet notation. His grand-father was called Christophe (a musician) and his f ...
, but
Jean-Baptiste Lully Jean-Baptiste Lully ( – 22 March 1687) was a French composer, dancer and instrumentalist of Italian birth, who is considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Best known for his operas, he spent most of his life working in the court o ...
later contributed a sung courante for Act I, scene 3. Molière, Lully and Beauchamp collaborated on several more examples of ''comédie-ballet'', culminating in the masterpiece of the genre, '' Le Bourgeois gentilhomme'', in 1670, and the scenically spectacular ''
Psyché Psyche (''Psyché'' in French) is the Greek term for "soul" ( ψυχή). Psyche or La Psyché may also refer to: Psychology * Psyche (psychology), the totality of the human mind, conscious and unconscious * ''Psyche'', an 1846 book about the unc ...
'' of January 1671, a ''tragicomédie et ballet'' which went well beyond the earlier examples of the genre.Gaines 2002, p. 394. After quarrelling with Lully, Molière retained the services of Beauchamp as choreographer. His one-act prose comedy '' La Comtesse d'Escarbagnas'' premiered in December 1671 at the
Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye The Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a former royal palace in the commune of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the department of Yvelines, about 19 km west of Paris, France. Today, it houses the '' Musée d'Archéologie nationale'' (Nationa ...
as part of a larger entertainment referred to as the "Ballet des Ballets".Gaines 2002, p. 97. The original prose play used in the seven performances at Saint-Germain-en-Laye is now lost. In later Paris performances, it was replaced by another short play. The play recycled musical episodes from several of Molière's earlier ''comédies-ballets'', including ''La pastorale comique'', ''
George Dandin ''George Dandin ou le mari confondu'' (''George Dandin or The Thwarted Husband'') is a French Comédie-ballet in three acts by Molière, with music by Jean-Baptiste Lully, choreography by Pierre Beauchamp, and architecture/staging by Carlo Vigaran ...
'', ''Le Bourgeois gentilhomme'', and ''Psyché''.Powell 2000, pp. 215, 223. It "has sometimes been characterized as little more than a platform for songs and dances." Molière turned to the composer
Marc-Antoine Charpentier Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'' ''H.146, Marche en rondeau''. This theme is st ...
for the music for ''
Le Malade imaginaire ''The Imaginary Invalid'', ''The Hypochondriac'', or ''The Would-Be Invalid'' ( French title ''Le Malade imaginaire'', ) is a three- act ''comédie-ballet'' by the French playwright Molière with dance sequences and musical interludes ( H.495, H ...
'' in 1673. While performing in ''Le malade'', Molière was taken ill on stage and died shortly afterwards. In the 18th century, the ''comédie-ballet'' became almost completely outmoded but it still exercised a long-lasting influence on the use of music in French theatre. A late example of a genuine ''comédie-ballet'' is '' La princesse de Navarre'' by
Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...
, which was performed at
Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...
on 23 February 1745. It consisted of a prologue and three acts, with the addition of an overture and three musical divertissements, one per act, composed by
Jean-Philippe Rameau Jean-Philippe Rameau (; ; – ) was a French composer and music theory, music theorist. Regarded as one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the 18th century, he replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of ...
. The vocal music is particularly difficult to sing and includes a virtuoso duet for hautes-contre.


''Comédie-ballet'' and ''comédie lyrique''

Even though scholars tend to limit the use of the term ''comédie-ballet'' to the form described above, in the 18th century some authors also applied it to other kinds of stage work, particularly a type of comic opera, usually in three or four acts, without spoken dialogue. This differed from ''
opéra-ballet Opéra-ballet (; plural: ''opéras-ballets'') is a genre of French Baroque lyric theatre that was most popular during the 18th century, combining elements of opera and ballet, "that grew out of the '' ballets à entrées'' of the early seventeen ...
'' (another genre mixing opera and dance) in that it contained a continuous plot (rather than a different plot for each act) as well as frequently having comic or satirical elements. It was essentially the same as the ''comédie lyrique''. Examples include ''Le carnaval et la folie'' (1703) by André Cardinal Destouches and ''La vénitienne'' (1768) by
Antoine Dauvergne Antoine Dauvergne (3 October 1713 – 11 February 1797) was a French composer and violinist. Dauvergne was born in Moulins, Allier. He served as master of the ''Chambre du roi'', director of the Concert Spirituel from 1762 to 1771, and direc ...
, a late reworking of the 1705 ballet of the same name by Michel de la Barre. A completely different use of the term ''comédie-lyrique'' as a sort of modern revival of the ''comédie-ballet'' is '' Le piège de Méduse'' (1913) by
Erik Satie Eric Alfred Leslie Satie (born 17 May 18661 July 1925), better known as Erik Satie, was a French composer and pianist. The son of a French father and a British mother, he studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, Paris Conservatoire but was an undi ...
, which is a play in one act with seven short dances originally composed for the piano.


List of comédies-ballets


Comédies-ballets created by Molière-Lully-Beauchamp

* '' Les fâcheux'' (1661) * ''
La pastorale comique LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...
'' (1667) * '' Le Sicilien'' (1667) * ''
L'Amour médecin ''L'Amour médecin'' (Dr. Cupid) is a French comedy written by Molière. It was presented for the first time by order of King Louis XIV at Versailles on September 22, 1665. Molière's foreword to the text states that the play is only a sketch, ...
'' (1665) * ''
George Dandin ''George Dandin ou le mari confondu'' (''George Dandin or The Thwarted Husband'') is a French Comédie-ballet in three acts by Molière, with music by Jean-Baptiste Lully, choreography by Pierre Beauchamp, and architecture/staging by Carlo Vigaran ...
'' (1668) * ''
Monsieur de Pourceaugnac ''Monsieur de Pourceaugnac'' is a three-act ''comédie-ballet''—a ballet interrupted by spoken dialogue—by Molière, first presented on 6 October 1669 before the court of Louis XIV at the Château of Chambord by Molière's troupe of actors. ...
'' (1669) * '' Les amants magnifiques'' (1670) * '' Le Bourgeois gentilhomme'' (1670) * ''
Psyché Psyche (''Psyché'' in French) is the Greek term for "soul" ( ψυχή). Psyche or La Psyché may also refer to: Psychology * Psyche (psychology), the totality of the human mind, conscious and unconscious * ''Psyche'', an 1846 book about the unc ...
'' (1671) * '' La Comtesse d'Escarbagnas'' (1671)


Comédie-ballet created by Molière-Charpentier-Beauchamp

* ''
Le Malade imaginaire ''The Imaginary Invalid'', ''The Hypochondriac'', or ''The Would-Be Invalid'' ( French title ''Le Malade imaginaire'', ) is a three- act ''comédie-ballet'' by the French playwright Molière with dance sequences and musical interludes ( H.495, H ...
'' (1673)


Comédie-ballet created by Voltaire and Rameau

* '' La Princesse de Navarre'' (1745)


References

Notes Sources * Bartlet, M. Elisabeth C., "Comédie lyrique" and "Comédie-ballet", in Stanley, Sadie (ed.), ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' (I, pp. 910–909), Grove (Oxford University Press), New York, 1997 () * Caruselli, Salvatore (ed.), ''Grande enciclopedia della musica lirica'' (III, article: "Lully, Giovanni Battista"), Longanesi & C. Periodici S.p.A., Rome * Gaines, James F., editor (2002). ''The Molière Encyclopedia''. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. .
''Le magazin de l’opéra baroque''
* Powell, John S. (2000). ''Music and Theatre in France 1600–1680''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. . * Sawkins, Lionel, "Haute-contre", in ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' (''cit.'', II, pp. 668–69) ''Portions of this article are a translation of the equivalent page on the Italian Wikipedia'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Comedie-Ballet Theatre of France Theatrical genres