Le livret d'oratorio au XVIIIe siècle : quelle sorte de livre?

Abstract

This paper aims at exploring the specificity of the eighteenth-century oratorio libretto, a printed book halfway between a mere concert programme and a literary work. The examination of the paratext of some of the original wordbooks does indeed contain a wealth of information, both on the factual and the interpretative levels. For example, the various prefaces, poems and epigraphs that are part and parcel of the early editions of Handel's oratorio librettos give rise to further consideration on the special relations between words and music, thereby emphasising the reflexive dimension of the verbal text. Curiously enough, the common denominator between most of Handel's oratorio texts is the demonstration of the superiority of music over words, a theory running counter to the major tenets of the theoretical debate prevalent in the eighteenth-century (Harris, Burney, Mason...).