Jean-Philippe Rameau : Les Boréades
Institution:
Paris 4Disciplines:
Directors:
Abstract EN:
Documents discovered at the archives nationales have made it possible for us to throw light on the socio-historical context of the last tragedie lyrique by jean-philippe rameau : les boreades. We are now able to date the work, thanks to the invoice of copyist durand (1763) and to resolve some of the questions concerning the number of musicians involved;we can even understand the method used by the copyists and the way the rehearsals were organised. As to the reason why les boreades was not perfomed in public, we support the hypothesis that this was due to a cabal rather than mere accident. We have attributed the libretto to louis de cahusac; we have also underlined the political aspect of the text and its masonic overtones. An analysis of the formal structure and musical language of the work clearly demonstrates the beginings of a break with baroque tradition. The dramaturgy and the overall structure of les boreades how that the work was definitly conceived as a whole and not as a compilation of short peaces. Rameau's language in his last work, while remaining linked to the baroque, prefigures the new aesthetic with consequences which reach beyond the classical style.
Abstract FR:
La decouverte de documents aux archives nationales nous a permis de restituer le contexte socio-historique de la derniere tragedie lyrique de j. Ph. Rameau : les boreades. Nous pouvons proposer actullement une datation de l'oeuvre grace a l'etat des copies de durand (1763) et enfin comprendre le systeme du travail des copistes et l'organisation materielle des repetitions. Concernant la non representation des boreades nous defendons l'hypothese d'une cabale et non d'une fatalite. Apres avoir attribue a louis de cahusac la paternite du livret, nous avons insiste sur l'aspect subversif du texte en regard de la politique et sur la presence d'elements francs-maconniques. L'analyse du fond et de la forme de l'oeuvre a demontre un debut de rupture avec la tradition baroque. La dramaturgie et la macro-structure de l'oeuvre prouvent une conception de l'"ensemble dramatique" en tant que tout et non d'une compilation d'episodes musicaux. Le langage de rameau dans les boreades, s'il reste lie au baroque, annonce une nouvelle esthetique dont les prolongements iront au-dela du classicisme.