Benoît Dratwicki, artistic director of the CMBV and a specialist in the art of French singing, takes us on a journey to the heart of vocal and theatrical practice at the Royal Academy of Music, “l'Opéra de Paris”, under the Ancien Régime. Four thematic lectures address both general and more specialized topics.
The first lecture sums up a “short history of French singing (1630-1800)”, introducing the general historical context and setting milestones in terms of practice, teaching, repertoire and stylistic evolution, and presenting key personalities, composers, performers and theoreticians. The second lecture delves into the mysteries of “a singer's career at the Opéra in the 17th and 18th centuries”: apprenticeship, debut, entry into the troupe, assignment of roles, career development, salary, pension, posterity: behind the figure of the star, a professional career and a way of life are analyzed and commented on. The third lecture, “The voices of French Baroque opera”, details the different types of tessitura and the characteristics of the voices employed in the troupe of the Royal Academy of Music. The fourth lecture, “Les emplois scéniques dans l'opéra baroque français”, explores the French theatrical universe of the lyrical marvel, and analyzes the types of roles used, their specificities and their assignment to the singers of the troupe.
The lectures, in French with English subtitles, are illustrated by a wealth of archive documents, splendid iconography, period quotations and musical extracts, bringing the subject to life in a permanent movement between past and present, between sources and performance practice. They are aimed at both specialists and amateurs keen to discover the backstage world of French opera, the evolution of the art of singing, and the very special lives of the stars of the time.
1. A short history of French song (1630-1800)
2. A career as an opera singer in the 17th and 18th centuries
3. The voices of French Baroque opera