Rameau's 'Les Fêtes de l'Hymen et de l'Amour was long considered second-rate because its première was associated with a political event. Yet this ballet abounds in novel dramaturgical effects that foreshadow his later operas, such as 'Zaïs , 'Zoroastre and 'Les Boréades . Working together with his librettist Cahusac, Rameau sought to weave the dance numbers, choruses and stage machinery more tightly into the main plot. He also experimented with stylistic devices unique to this work, the most famous being unquestionably the scene in which the Nile overflows its banks (an impressive ten-voice double chorus with solo voices and orchestra) and the sextet from 'Aruéris , a scoring found nowhere else in his oeuvre.For the first time, this scholarly-critical edition of 'Les Fêtes de l'Hymen et de l'Amour presents a reference version of the work that is based on all the major sources for both the libretto and the music, including two recent musical discoveries. As most of the performance material for the première has vanished, our edition is based on the version prepared for the Académie Royale de Musique in 1748.- Milestone of French Baroque opera in performance practice orientated vocal score- With a brief foreword (Fr/Eng) containing salient information on the genesis of the work, the synopsis and the edition / Orchestre
SKU: BA.BA07569
ISBN 9790006523375. 32.9 x 23.9 cm inches. Text Language: French/German. Preface: Soury, Thomas. Louis de Cahusac.
Rameau's “Les Fêtes de l'Hymen et de l'Amour†was long considered second-rate because its première was associated with a political event. Yet this ballet abounds in novel dramaturgical effects that foreshadow his later operas, such as “Zaïsâ€, “Zoroastre†and “Les Boradesâ€. Working together with his librettist Cahusac, Rameau sought to weave the dance numbers, choruses and stage machinery more tightly into the main plot. He also experimented with stylistic devices unique to this work, the most famous being unquestionably the scene in which the Nile overflows its banks (an impressive ten-voice double chorus with solo voices and orchestra) and the sextet from “Arurisâ€, a scoring found nowhere else in his uvre.For the first time, this scholarly-critical edition of “Les Fêtes de l'Hymen et de l'Amour†presents a reference version of the work that is based on all the major sources for both the libretto and the music, including two recent musical discoveries. As most of the performance material for the première has vanished, our edition is based on the version prepared for the Acadmie Royale de Musique in 1748.
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MUSICOLOGICALLY SOUND - A reliable musical text based on all available sources - A description of the sources - Information on the genesis and history of the work - Valuable notes on performance practice - Includes an introduction with critical commentary explaining source discrepancies and editorial decisions ... AND PRACTICAL - Page-turns, fold-out pages, and cues where you need them - A well-presented layout and a user-friendly format - Excellent print quality - Superior paper and binding
