Daphnis et Eglé

Daphnis et Eglé is an opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau, first performed on 30 October 1753 at Fontainebleau. It takes the form of a pastorale héroïque in one act. The librettist was Charles Collé, and this was the only artistic collaboration between Collé and Rameau. Paul F. Rice has commented that this collaboration was an unhappy one, and speculated that this was due to Rameau's demands that Collé edit his libretto. This caused Collé to harbor resentment towards Rameau, even after the composer's death.^[1]

The opera was the first which Rameau composed after the outbreak of the Querelle des Bouffons and some of the music shows Italian influence. The score contains 23 dance airs.^[1]

Roles

Synopsis

The opera tells the story of a shepherd, Daphnis, and a shepherdess, Eglé, who believe they are merely friends until Cupid reveals they are really in love with each other.

References

Notes

Sources

• 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. ISBN 0-140-29312-4
• Sadler, Graham, (Ed.), The New Grove French Baroque Masters Grove/Macmillan, 1988