22nd Annual Student Research Conference
Taking the Tragedy out of Tragedies: Quinault's Libretto in Cadmus et Ermione by Jean-Baptiste Lully vs. Ovid's Metamorphoses
Adam M. Yanick♦
Dr. Marc Rice, Faculty Mentor
This paper examines the Tragedies en Musique that were created by Jean-Baptiste Lully and Quinault. Such a prolific invention lent itself to great commendation throughout history. It was truly the development of the opera, and its subject matter was one of mythological beginnings. However, the fashion in which Quinault decided to narrate his librettos were not the fashion the stories were originally told. In the case of Cadmus et Hermione the story comes from Ovid's Metamorphoses, which tells a vastly different story of the two lovers. The push for such an ideal could not have come from anywhere but the Monarchy of King Louis XIV, who influenced the arts in such a way that he was able to have himself portrayed as a god. The libretto created in Cadmus et Hermione is no different, and Quinault distorts the primary source of the story in order to make that a possibility.
Keywords: Quinault, Lully, Ovid, Cadmus et Ermione, Metamorphoses, Louis XIV, France, opera
Topic(s):Music
Classics
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 17-3
Location: OP 2115
Time: 10:15