CAMPRA, Andre 1660-1744

Tancrede, Tragedie ... Représentée pour la premiere fois par l'Academie Royale de Musique le septiéme jour de Novembre 1702. [Short score]

Paris: Chez Christophe Ballard, seul lmprimeur du Roy pour la Musique, ruë Saint Jean de Beauvais, au Mont-Parnasse ... Avec Privilege de Sa Majesté, 1702.

Large oblong octavo. Contemporary dark brown mottled calf with raised bands on spine in decorative compartments gilt. 1f. (recto title, verso blank), [iii] ("Table"), [i] ("Airs a jouer"), [i] ("Airs a chanter"), [i] ("Memoire des oeuvres de Monsieur Campra"), [i] (blank), [i] (a second, more extensive "Memoire des oeuvres de Monsieur Campra"), xlix (prologue), l ("Cet air se chante aprés le Sarabande du Troisiéme Acte page 166"), 291, [i] (privilege), 4 (an alternate section to be performed at the end of Act V) pp.

With attractive decorative woodcut headpieces to head of each act.

Binding worn, rubbed, and bumped; title label lacking; free endpapers lacking, pastedowns worn and stained. Occasional soiling and staining, primarily to margins; several small edge tears; some signatures partially detached; minor loss to lower margin of p. 251 affecting clef of lowermost staff but with all music intact; early paper restoration to upper outer corner of pp. 282/283 and 284/285.

Quite a good copy overall, with strong impression.

First Edition. Lesure p. 97. BUC p. 158. RISM C745.

Tancrede, in five acts and a prologue to a libretto by Antoine Danchet after Torquato Tasso's Gerusalemme Liberate, was first performed in Paris at the Académie Royale de Musique at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal under the direction of Marin Marais on 7 November 1702.

Considered a 'chef-d'oeuvre' by Rameau, the work, Campra's best-known lyric tragedy, was performed regularly until 1764. It marks the first appearance of a contralto on the French lyric stage.

Item #39784

Price: $2,200.00  other currencies