The Struggle for Spectacle on the Paris stage, 1669–1680

Abstract

The second half of the French seventeenth century is generally viewed as the age of Classicism, when rigorously pared-down plays were performed against the neutral decor of the palais a volonte. However, what is less wellknown is that the theatre-going public was equally if not more avid for music and spectacle, as can be seen in Donneau de Vise's comment of 1672: 'Nous sommes dans un siecle ou la musique et les ballets ont des charmes pour tout le monde, et que les spectacles qui en sont remplis sont beaucoup plus suivis que les autres' ('We live in a century in which music and ballet charm everyone and shows that contain them are much more popular than others').1 Music was, though, not only an attraction in its own right, it was also essential to cover the noise of stage machinery, and spectacle without music was considered well-nigh impossible. It was the desire to satisfy this public craving for the combination of music and spectacle that led to the creation of genres such as Moliere's comedie-ballet, the machine play and French opera, in each of which the component elements of music, dance, elaborate scenery, stage machinery and special effects were combined in subtly different ways. Seventeenth-century Parisian theatre was a cut-throat world where a small number of companies (between three and five) competed to attract a limited audience,2 and one of the key ways in which this competition manifested itself was as a battle over the exploitation of stage music and, thereby, spectacle.3Two men who played a defining role in the development of French opera and machine play were the marquis de Sourdeac and his associate, the sieur de Champeron, who not only designed and built the first Paris Opera but were amongst the first professional stage machinists. Their contribution has never been in doubt, but Sourdeac, in particular, has attracted attention more for his disordered private life than his artistic and technical capabilities,4 and, even as far as theatre history is concerned, the two associates have tended to appear primarily in walk-on roles in the stories of other men - notably the two founding-fathers of French opera: Pierre Perrin and Jean-Baptiste Lully. One consequence of this treatment is that the various documents relating to them have never been examined as a whole and in chronological order. In this article, therefore, I will bring Sourdeac and Champeron centre stage for the first time in order fully to explore the part they played in the struggle to obtain sole control of music and spectacle on the Paris stage.The seventeenth century has been characterised as an era of increasing specialisation, as Louis XIV and Colbert sought to marshal the creative arts 'in the service of the King'.5 At the same time, creative artists competed for pre-eminence in their respective domains. Their motivation was commercial as well as artistic - if Lully sought to be at the top of the musical tree it was because of the money to be made there - and the number of people able to get on in any given field was limited. I will, therefore, be tracking the agreements and disagreements, allegiances, contracts, ruptures and rivalries between a comparatively small group of men. A final introductory point is that an examination of the existing literature on these events reveals previous commentators to have been remarkably partial, coming down emphatically on one side or another. This is an aspect of the topic that deserves closer examination than I am able to give here, although the most striking examples will be noted.On 28 June 1669, Pierre Perrin was awarded letters patent by the King authorising him to give musical performances in French verse, and banning anyone else from giving such performances for twelve years without his permission.6 Perrin's associate was the composer Robert Cambert, although the exact terms of their agreement are not known. They were preparing to put on their first opera, Ariane, when, in December 1669, they met two distinctly louche characters: the (real) marquis de Sourdeac and the (false) sieur de Champeron. …