French grand opera
Gluck and Spontini, amongst others, composed the works that heralded the arrival of grand opera in France, and the genre asserted its presence through the works of Auber (La Muette de Portici, 1828), Rossini (Guillaume Tell, 1829), Halévy (La Juive, 1835) and, especially, Meyerbeer (Robert le Diable, 1831; Les Huguenots, 1836). Grand opera fascinated many foreign composers, including Wagner, who revised his Tannhäuser for the Paris performances of 1861, and Verdi, who wrote Les Vêpres siciliennes and Don Carlos for the French capital. In four or five acts, such operas were generally inspired by a historical event that took place in a sufficiently distant past to thwart censorship (often in the Middle Ages or the Renaissance). Contrasts, especially between intimate moments and collective scenes (the obligatory ballet, oath scenes, grand ceremonies), were important. Virtuoso airs, combining Italian-style arias with French declamation, alternated with ‘romances’ and ‘chansons’ stemming from opéra-comique. The staging was lavish and spectacular; archival documents were used to make sure the costumes and décors were as accurate and authentic as possible.
![Le Monde illustré, 1870/03/19 [Robert le Diable]](/sites/default/files/styles/280_x_auto/public/2025-01/mi_1870_03_19_robert_le_diable.jpg?itok=53QzhyS1)
![Le Monde illustré, 1858/02/20 [Le Prophète à l'Opéra]](/sites/default/files/styles/280_x_auto/public/2023-12/1858_02_20_academie_imperiale_de_musique_le_prophete.jpg?itok=LOdsefOh)
![Le Monde illustré, 1867/03/16 [Don Carlos]](/sites/default/files/styles/280_x_auto/public/2024-08/mi_1867_03_16_don_carlos.jpg?itok=bCzRyPOe)
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Related persons
Related works
La Muette de Portici
Daniel-François-Esprit AUBER
/Germain DELAVIGNE Eugène SCRIBE
Guillaume Tell
Gioachino ROSSINI
/Étienne de JOUY Hippolyte BIS
Robert le Diable
Giacomo MEYERBEER
/Eugène SCRIBE Casimir DELAVIGNE
Gustave III ou le Bal masqué
Daniel-François-Esprit AUBER
/Eugène SCRIBE
La Juive
Fromental HALÉVY
/Eugène SCRIBE
Les Huguenots
Giacomo MEYERBEER
/Eugène SCRIBE
Guido et Ginevra ou La Peste de Florence
Fromental HALÉVY
/Eugène SCRIBE
Le Lac des fées
Daniel-François-Esprit AUBER
/MÉLESVILLE Eugène SCRIBE
La Favorite
Gaetano DONIZETTI
/Alphonse ROYER Gustave VAËZ Eugène SCRIBE
Les Martyrs
Gaetano DONIZETTI
/Eugène SCRIBE
La Reine de Chypre
Fromental HALÉVY
/Henri de SAINT-GEORGES
Charles VI
Fromental HALÉVY
/Casimir DELAVIGNE Germain DELAVIGNE
Dom Sébastien, roi du Portugal
Gaetano DONIZETTI
/Eugène SCRIBE
Jérusalem
Giuseppe VERDI
/Alphonse ROYER Gustave VAËZ
Le Prophète
Giacomo MEYERBEER
/Eugène SCRIBE
L' Enfant prodigue
Daniel-François-Esprit AUBER
/Eugène SCRIBE
Herculanum
Félicien DAVID
/Joseph MÉRY Terence HADOT
Scientific publications
Publications
Aspects de l’opéra français de Meyerbeer à Honegger
Publications
Giacomo Meyerbeer. Robert le Diable
Publications
Félicien David. Herculanum
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publication date : 13/08/25
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