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Barbe-bleue (1789) - André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry
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Background
Although the story of Bluebeard was familiar to French readers from Charles Perrault’s 1698 collection of children’s tales, transferring it to the operatic stage was problematic due in large part to the gruesome nature of the plot. Other violent works had appeared in Paris, but in this instance, the drama was to be performed at the Comédie-Italienne, which typically featured lighter plots than that of Raoul and Isaure. A review in the Mercure de France (published 14 March 1789) clearly expressed the lack of propriety in the disparity between subject matter and venue: “Such subjects ought never to be shown on stage, above all the lyric stage….Raoul has been entitled a ‘comedy’ and wrongly….tragedy is forbidden at the Théatre Italien.”
Nevertheless, the opera had a successful run, receiving over a hundred performances in the decade after its premiere. After its initial popularity, Raoul Bluebeard was staged less frequently, but it still made an impression on nineteenth-century composers, particularly Weber. The German composer’s review of Grétry’s opera states, “Grétry’s works have an especial interest in their pure and natural musical language, which is that of an original genius. . . . Indeed Grétry has inaugurated a new musical era in France, and his melodic forms and the treatment of the musical numbers in his works have provided a kind of accepted model for all other composers who have wished to catch the public ear.”[1]
Grétry’s setting of Sedaine’s libretto provides for a more continuous opera than what was conventional at that time, and Weber’s fascination with Raoul Bluebeard certainly resonates with his own compositional style. Sedaine created a text that facilitated this sort of treatment, and, coupled with the serious subject matter, this opera serves as an example of the increasing conflict between generic labels (comedy, due to the spoken dialogue) and other aspects of musical dramaturgy.
[1] Carl Maria von Weber, “Introduction to Grétry’s Raoul Barbe-bleue,” in Dresden Abend-Zeitung No. 118 (17 May 1817), reprinted in Writings on Music, trans. Martin Cooper, ed. John Warrack (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981), 222.
Plot
Although Isaure and the knight Vergy are in love and hope to marry, Act I finds them in a quandary due to their parents’ deteriorating finances. Isaure’s brothers, the Marquis de Carabas and the Vicomte de Carabi, decide that she will marry Raoul de Carmantans (the Bluebeard), a wealthy feudal lord. Raoul brings Isaure expensive gifts when he proposes to her, and Isaure is persuaded by these presents. However, she is still dedicated to Vergy; after they discuss the matter, it is decided that Isaure will go through with her brothers’ plan.
The second act finds Raoul and Isaure living as husband and wife, and Raoul has decided to test Isaure’s ability to follow his orders. Despite his head servant Ofman’s objections, Raoul presents Isaure with a chamber key, insisting that she refrain from using it while he is away. Then Vergy appears, pretending to be Isaure’s departed sister Anne, and Raoul leaves the two alone. Isaure still loves Vergy, but she is bound to Raoul; when Vergy has gone away, she decides to open the room, where she finds Raoul’s dead former wives, who were murdered for unlocking that same door. Vergy returns and also ventures into the mysterious room. Isaure and Vergy try to close the chamber, but the key breaks in the lock, supplying evidence that Raoul’s command has been disobeyed. Although Ofman cannot help remedy the predicament, he is able to send word to Isaure’s brothers. In the meantime, an evening’s entertainment planned by Raoul is underway.
In Act 3, Raoul returns to reclaim his key, and he discovers that the room has been opened. Although Vergy steps up to take the blame for this breach, Raoul is bent on punishing Isaure for her betrayal. Vergy then hides in disguise, but when he reveals himself in order to rescue Isaure, he is captured. Isaure’s brothers and the fathers of the previous wives arrive, freeing Vergy and killing Raoul. Everyone rejoices at this turn of events, and the story ends happily.
Bibliography
Title from title page: BARBE BLEUE / Comédie en Prose, et en Trois Actes
Genre: Comédie
Composer: André-Ernest-Modeste Grétry, 1741-1813
Librettist: Michel-Jean Sedaine, 1719-1797
Libretto based on: Barbe-bleue legend, as told by Charles Perrault
Setting: Raoul Barbe-bleue’s castle
Premiere: Paris, Comédie-Italienne, 2 March 1789
First published: Paris: Auteur, n.d.
Volume in the UNT Collection: Paris: Auteur, n.d.
For further information on Barbe-bleue, see:
Brenet, Michel. Grétry, sa vie et ses œuvres. Paris, 1884.
Charlton, David. Grétry and the Growth of Opéra-comique. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986.
Charlton, David and Elizabeth C. Bartlet. “Grétry, André-Ernest-Modeste.” Grove Music Online, ed. Laura Macy. [Accessed 17 December 2003]. <http://www.grovemusic.com>
Vendrix, Philippe. “Manuscrits d’opéras et d’opéras-comiques: la cas Grétry.” In Chantiers révolutionnaires: science, musique, architecture, ed. Beatrice Didier and Jacques Neefs, 125-43. Saint-Denis: Presses universitaires de Vincennes, 1992.
Vendrix, Philippe, ed. Grétry et l’Europe de l’opéra-comique. Liège: Mardaga, 1992.
Vendrix, Philippe, ed. L’opéra-comique en France au XVIIIe siécle. Liège: Mardaga, 1992.
Weber, Carl Maria von. “Introduction to Grétry’s Raoul Barbe-bleue.” Dresden Abend-Zeitung No. 118 (17 May 1817). Reprinted in Writings on Music. Translated by Martin Cooper. Introduction and edited by John Warrack. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981. 222-25.
Physical
Dimensions: 32.5 x 25 cm.
Collation: [unable to determine formula]; 76 leaves, pp. [2] 1-149 [150].
Conservation: Foxing; bleed-through; stained pages; faded print
Binding: Three-fourths binding with blue paper-covered board that reads “Barbe Bleue / Grétry” and white buckram spine that reads “BARBE BLEUE”; rebound in modern library style.
Comments: Copper-plate engraving (plates measure 26.6 x 20 cm); chant print used inside covers as part of the binding.