Tancrède

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Tancrède is an operatic tragédie en musique in a prologue and five acts by André Campra, The French text was by Antoine Danchet based on Gerusalemme liberata by Torquato Tasso.

The opera contains 23 dances in addition to the singing, but it is famous for the first contralto role in French opera (though in modern terms more of a mezzo-soprano range) written for Julie d'Aubigny, known as 'La Maupin', the most colorful singer of this (or any other) era. It's also notable for the unusual choice of three low-lying voices for the main male parts.

Contents 1 Performance history 2 Roles 3 Sources 4 External sites

[edit] Performance history

Tancrède was first performed at the Paris Opéra on 7 November 1702 under the direction of Marin Marais. It was successful and remained in the repertoire until the 1760s.

[edit] Roles

		Premiere, 7 November 1702 (Conductor: Marin Marais )
Tancrède, a crusader	baritone	Gabriel-Vincent Thévenard
Argante, Saracen leader	bass	Charles Hardouin
Clorinde, Saracen princess	contralto	Julie d'Aubigny (La Maupin)
Herminie, daughter of the king of Antioch	soprano	Marie-Louise-Antoinette Desmatins
Ismenor, Saracen magician	bass	Jean Dun "père"
Peace	soprano	Desmatins
Vengence	tenor

[edit] Sources

• Anthony, James R (1992), 'Tancrède' in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7
• Amadeus Almanac

[edit] External sites

• University of Texas page]