Pierre-Montan Berton.” A long genesis account of the opera, plot, and produc-
tion details. Silviewas one of the first operas to be staged with the chorus in
movement, as opposed to the traditional static pose. During the two years that
Silviewas produced, there were also changes in the seating of the orchestra
and place of the conductor; and dancers appeared for the first time without
masks. Silviewas successful, although not in the reform style that was popular
at the time, but simply because it was well composed and staged.- Campardon, Émile. L’Académie Royale de Musique au XVIII siècle: Docu-
ments inédits decouverts aux Archives Nationales. Paris: Berger-Levrault, - 2v. Reprints, Geneva: Minkoff, 1970; New York: Da Capo, 1971. ISBN
(Da Capo) 0-306-70090-5. ML1727.8 .P2 C2.
Covers the 1700s. Unpublished archival documents relating to the theater and
persons associated with it. About 200 biographical notices, with letters, bap-
tismal certificates, and the like. List of roles taken by each performer. In the
appendix, individuals are grouped by occupation or title. Index. - Rushton, Julian Gordon. “Music and Drama at the Académie Royale de
Musique, Paris, 1774–1789.” Ph.D. diss., U. of Oxford, 1969.
Gives particular attention to the Gluck-Piccinni rivalry. - Pendle, Karin, and Stephen Wilkins. “Paradise Found: The Salle le Peletier and
French Grand Opera.” In Opera in Context(#288), 171–207.
A vivid description, with illustrations, of the fourth-largest theater in Europe
and three of its productions: La muette de Portici(1828), La juive(1835), and
Le prophète(1849). Remarkable effects were created, including “an electric
arc instrument used to represent the sun” in Le prophète.With 93 notes. - Cohen, H. Robert. The Original Staging Manuals for Ten Parisian Operatic
Premieres, 1824–1843 = Dix livrets de mise en scène lyrique datant des créa-
tions parisiennes, 1824–1843. Musical Life in 19th-Century France, 6. New
York: Pendragon, 1998. xxii, 218p. ISBN 0-945193-61-0. ML1727.8 .P2
D58.
Cohen, H. Robert. The Original Staging Manuals for Twelve Parisian Oper-
atic Premieres = Douze livrets de mise en scène lyrique datant des créations
parisiennes. Musical Life in 19th-Century France, 3. New York: Pendragon, - xxxiv, 282p. ISBN 0-918728-70-3. ML1727.8 .P2 O7.
These two books by Cohen offer facsimile reprints of the staging books used at
the Paris Opéra. These livrets,in the Bibliothèque Historique de la Ville de
Paris, are a collection of some 1,700 items pertaining to about 600 operas pro-
duced between 1830 and 1930. They are important for descriptions of stage
arrangements and actions, with diagrams and a few sketches and pictures.
Much detail on costumes.
See also #2279.
- Wild, Nicole. Décors et costumes du XIXe siècle. Tome 1: Opéra de Paris.Paris:
Bibliothèque Nationale, 1987. 307p. ISBN 2-7177-1753-6. PN2067 .W54.
430 Opera