from french literature to music. 2015/6/23dr. montoneri2 outline introduction part i. french...

From French Literature to Music

112/04/18 Dr. Montoneri 2

Outline• Introduction• Part I. French Literature and Opera• A. The Marriage of Figaro• B. Carmen• C. Rigoletto• Part II. French Literature and Musical• A. The Phantom of the Opera• B. Notre Dame de Paris• C. Le Petit Prince• Conclusion• References


Introduction

French literature is considered one of the richest and most varied national literatures

French stories has been influential since the Middle Ages

A large number of opera libretti is based on French plays and novels

French novels have found a way to become even more famous in the 20th century as many musicals were based on French novels

Here are some of the most famous operas and musicals inspired by French literature


Part I. French Literature and Opera

As defined in the dictionary, an opera is an art form consisting of a dramatic stage performance set to music

Opera clearly resembles theater; however, the words of the opera, or libretto, are sung rather than spoken

Male singers are classified as bass, bass-baritone, baritone, tenor and countertenor. Female singers are classified, as contralto, mezzo-soprano and soprano

The word opera means simply "works" in Latin; The earliest work considered an opera in the sense the work is usually understood dates from around 1597

The golden age of opera: 17-19 centuries; Even if Italian libretti were the norm, many operas were based on a French story


A. The Marriage of Figaro Novel written by

Beaumarchais (1732-1799)

Le Mariage de Figaro (1784), part II of a trilogy dedicated to the life of Figaro

The story set in Count Almaviva's castle in Seville; The Count has married Rosine and Figaro is about to marry Suzanne (Rosine's maid)

Opera composed by Mozart (1756-1791)

Libretto written by Lorenzo da Ponte (original title Le Nozze di Figaro) Four acts

First performance in Vienna in May 1786

The story is a continuation of The Barber of Seville (Rossini composed an opera in 1816)


A. The Marriage of Figaro Lorenzo da Ponte took this popular play, removed

"political" content that would have offended the Viennese imperial censors (the French Revolution was only a few years away), and faithfully translated the rest into Italian


B. Carmen

Novel written by Prosper Mérimée (1803-1870)

Carmen (1846), story of an unfaithful gypsy girl who is killed by the soldier who loves her

Mérimée met and befriended the Countess of Montijo in Spain in 1830. When her daughter became the Empress Eugenie of France in 1853 he was made a senator

Opera composed by Georges Bizet (1838-1875)

Libretto written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy

Four acts; 1874 First performance in

Paris in March 1875 Influenced by Giuseppe

Verdi, he composed the title role in Carmen for a mezzo-soprano.

http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=2465


B. Carmen

During its time, Carmen was

considered a failure, denounced as

“immoral” and “superficial.” Today it

is often seen as the greatest romantic

opera of the era and one of the most

popular works in operatic history.


C. Rigoletto Victor Hugo’s "Le Roi

s’amuse" Five acts; 1832; Paris The Renaissance; Francis I

represented as an odious character

Rigoletto was not staged in Paris, due to objections from Victor Hugo himself

It took 6 years to convince him to listen to the music

When he finally was persuaded to watch a performance of the opera, Hugo found himself extremely enthusiastic

Opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

Libretto written by Francesco Maria Piave

Three acts; March 1851 The jester of the prince

(Triboulet in Hugo’s work) became Rigoletto (from French rigolo = funny). The name of the work too was changed (it was first called The Malediction).


C. Rigoletto

The play tells the story of a libertine

king. When the opera was written, northern

Italy was under the domination of

Austria. Verdi had to compromise with the Austrian censors; the French King became a fictitious Duke of

Mantua.


Part II. French Literature and Musical

Musical theater (or theatre) is a form of theater combining music, songs, dance, and spoken dialogue

Related to opera, frequently being distinguished by the use of popular music

The musical developed from opera and operetta at the end of the 19th century

Since the beginning of the 20th century, a large number of musicals produced on Broadway in New York and London's West End

The 1980s and 1990s saw the influence of European "mega-musicals" or "pop operas with English and French hits such as Les Misérables, Miss Saigon and The Phantom of the Opera


A. The Phantom of the Opera Andrew Lloyd Webber;

musical in 1986 His second wife was the

soprano who plays Christine in the musical: Sarah Brightman. They were married in 1984 and divorced in 1990.

2004, a movie based on the musical was released

The screenplay was written in the south of France in 1989 by Joel Schumacher and Andrew Lloyd Webber

Gaston Leroux (1868-1927) wrote Le Fantôme de l'opéra in 1910

19th century Paris at the Opera Garnier

The young diva Christine Daaé achieves sudden prominence on the opera stage when she replaces the current prima donna Carlotta

Christine is loved by the handsome Raoul, but also by a ghost that haunts the opera house


A. The Phantom of the Opera


B. Notre Dame de Paris Victor Hugo’s novel 1831 Enormous popularity;

Gothic revival Social justice, the gothic

cathedral; mistreatment of the ugly Quasimodo

The human drama revolves around the gypsy Esmeralda, and which of several suitors she will choose: Frollo the priest, Phoebus the captain or Quasimodo the bell-ringer

Musical composed by Richard Cocciante and Luc Plamandon

In 1997 performed "The Pagan Ave Maria" from Notre Dame de Paris before Pope John Paul II at the Vatican

Hugo himself wrote a libretto for an opera version in 1835, four years after the novel was originally published


B. Notre Dame de Paris

According to the Guinness Book of Records, the Franco-Canadian musical "Notre Dame de Paris" enjoyed the most successful first year of any musical ever


C. Le Petit Prince Saint-Exupéry’s novel,

1943; written near New York in 1942

Profound and idealistic points about life and love in time of war

The writer imagines himself lost in the Sahara desert after a plane crash

He meets a young extra-terrestrial prince

In 1944, Saint-Exupéry’s plane crashed again and disappeared

Musical composed by Richard Cocciante; 2002

Daniel Lavoie, singing Frollo in Notre Dame, is Saint-Exupéry

It is a great success as it respects the text and the spirit of the novel

Jeff, the singer who pays the Little Prince is 13 years old; from Lyon

Costumes designed by Castelbajac, a famous Paris designer


C. Le Petit Prince


Conclusion Because of its long and illustrious history and its

influence on other literatures, French literature occupies a central position since the Middle Ages

French plays and novels have not only influenced opera and musical, but also cinema

A successful French story has a great chance to become a successful opera, musical and (or) movie; there are also many examples of French stories first despised that became worldwide hits (Carmen or Le roi s’amuse)

Among the most appreciated French novels are romantic stories (Cyrano de Bergerac), fairy tales (Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella), adventure (Dumas) and science fiction (Jules Verne)


References

http://www.naxos.com http://en.wikipedia.org http://encarta.msn.com/artcenter_/browse.html http://encarta.msn.com/artcenter_/browse.html http://www.operacolorado.org/images/Rigoletto

%20COMPILED.pdf

http://www.naxos.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/

http://encarta.msn.com/artcenter_/browse.html

http://encarta.msn.com/artcenter_/browse.html

Merci et à bientôt

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