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1 - Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 December 2021

David Charlton
Affiliation:
Royal Holloway, University of London (Emeritus)
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Summary

Chapter 1 introduces the book in three ways: (1) by explaining the way French theatre life was organised; (2) by selected cultural overviews; (3) by comparing past and present attitudes to popular opera. After a preamble that defines genre terms used in the book, the institutional context is sketched out with reference to legal frameworks governing the ‘official’ stage, contrasted with the difficulties of popular opera. This was independent and commercial, active during the winter Fair (Saint Germain) and summer Fair (Saint Laurent) in Paris. In ‘Structures, Events and Systems’ popular theatre forms, including parodies, vaudevilles and marionette pieces, are related to legal imperatives. ‘Reflections of Society’ links popular opera to cultural contexts: events in French society; prose fiction; the tableau in theatre; and critical debates in the public sphere. ‘Chamfort’s Overview’ is an account of the most sophisticated generic definition of popular opera as it was understood before the Revolution. ‘Defending Popular Opera’ re-examines Pierre Nougaret’s problematic book De l’art du théâtre. ‘Conceptual Problems’ takes Sedaine and Monsigny’s Le Déserteur, once famous across Europe, as a case study in reception history of opéra-comique. Evidence suggests that understanding is more sought after than satisfied.

Type
Chapter
Information
Popular Opera in Eighteenth-Century France
Music and Entertainment before the Revolution
, pp. 1 - 26
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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  • Introduction
  • David Charlton
  • Book: Popular Opera in Eighteenth-Century France
  • Online publication: 09 December 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009026734.002
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  • Introduction
  • David Charlton
  • Book: Popular Opera in Eighteenth-Century France
  • Online publication: 09 December 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009026734.002
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Introduction
  • David Charlton
  • Book: Popular Opera in Eighteenth-Century France
  • Online publication: 09 December 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009026734.002
Available formats
×