Portrait of Jean-Philippe Rameau - Joseph Aved

''Les fêtes de Ramire'' (''The Celebrations of Ramiro '') 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 ...

in the form of a one-act ''acte de ballet'' 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 Fr ...

with 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 ...

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his ...

, first performed on 22 December 1745 at the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...

. Voltaire wrote a new libretto to make use of music taken from his and Rameau's ''comédie-ballet'' ''

La princesse de Navarre ''La princesse de Navarre'' (''The Princess of Navarre'') is a ''comédie-ballet'' by Voltaire, with music by Jean-Philippe Rameau, first performed on 23 February 1745 at La Grande Ecurie, Versailles. Performance history It was commissioned to c ...

'', which had been performed earlier in 1745. Since both Rameau and Voltaire were busy writing a new opera, '' Le temple de la Gloire'', the Duke of Richelieu entrusted the job of fitting the music to the new libretto and adjusting the verse accordingly to

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...

. Rousseau, who had not yet won his reputation as a major thinker, was an aspiring musician. In his later autobiographical ''Confessions'', Rousseau wrote he had worked hard on the task but Madame de la Pouplinière, Richelieu's mistress and an ardent champion of Rameau, rejected his efforts out of hand and sent the opera back to Rameau to revise. Rousseau claimed he was responsible for the overture and some

recitative Recitative (, also known by its Italian name "''recitativo''" ()) is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repea ...

s, but that Rameau and Voltaire had stolen all the credit. However, according to the musicologist Graham Sadler, only one "undistinguished" monologue "O mort, viens terminer les douleurs de ma vie" has been positively identified as Rousseau's. Nevertheless, the episode sowed the seeds for Rousseau's unrelenting hatred of Rameau, which would lead to the

Querelle des Bouffons The ("Quarrel of the Comic Actors"), also known as the ("War of the Comic Actors"), was the name given to a battle of musical philosophies that took place in Paris between 1752 and 1754. The controversy concerned the relative merits of French a ...

in the 1750s.Girdlestone, p.479

Roles

Synopsis

Scene: ''A prison'' The Spanish king Alphonse has taken Fatime, Princess of Granada, captive after killing her father. In prison, Fatime longs for death (Air: ''O mort viens terminer les douleurs de ma vie'') but her confidante Isbé tries to comfort her with the hope that Alphonse's son Ramire is not as cruel. There is a sound of trumpets and the scene changes to an "agreeable place". Warriors tell Fatime that Cupid is on her side and fortune tellers predict a bright future. Isbé is now convinced that Ramire is in love with Fatime but the latter is still fearful until the prince finally appears in person and pledges his faith to her during another divertissement involving the Graces, Cupids, Pleasures and Games. Fatime is at last won over.

Footnotes

References

*Manuscript score: ''Les Festes de Ramire. Mise en musique par Monsieur Rameau'' (accessible for free a
IMSLP
*Original libretto: ''Les Festes de Ramire, Ballet donné à Versailles, Le 22 Décembre 1745'', Paris, Ballard, 1745 (accessible for free online a
Gallica - B.N.F.
* Girdlestone, Cuthbert, ''Jean-Philippe Rameau: His Life and Work'', New York: Dover, 1969 (paperback edition) *Holden, Amanda (Ed.), ''The New Penguin Opera Guide'', New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. *Sadler, Graham,(Ed.), ''The New Grove French Baroque Masters'' Grove/Macmillan, 1988

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Les fetes de Ramire Fetes de Ramire Fetes de Ramire Fetes de Ramire Fetes de Ramire Fetes de Ramire Ballets by Jean-Philippe Rameau