Spying on Rousseau: 'Le Devin' at Fontainebleau in 1752

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

When Jean-Jacques Rousseau's 'Le Devin du village' was first given at Fontainebleau, it still lacked its final divertissement and mime-sequence, so a substitute scene (now lost) was arranged, using other musical sources. But in a collection of operatic solo songs designed for domestic consumption, we find hitherto unregarded evidence for one song heard in 'Le Devin' on that occasion. New words had been added, probably by Nicolas Fanton, to a vaudeville melody, 'Nanon et moi'. Notational peculiarities within the same song collection are observable in now-familiar melodies by Rousseau also reported as heard at Fontainebleau, allowing the deduction that someone present had indeed pirated what they had heard, and passed their transcriptions to the publisher.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationNoter, annoter, éditer la musique
Subtitle of host publicationMélanges offerts à Catherine Massip
EditorsCécile Reynaud, Herbert Schneider
Place of PublicationGeneva
PublisherLibrairie Droz
Pages337-50
Number of pages13
ISBN (Print)978-2-600-01368-0
Publication statusPublished - 2012

Publication series

NameEcole pratique des hautes études. Sciences historiques et philologiques
VolumeV
ISSN (Print)0073-0955
NameHautes études médiévales et modernes
Volume103
ISSN (Print)0073-0955

Keywords

  • Rousseau, Le Devin du village, Fontainebleau,

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