Les Fêtes d'Hébé ou Les Talents Liriques, Ballet, Representé pour la Premiere Fois, par L'Academie Royale de Musique, Au mois de May 1739. Dédié a S.A.S. Madame La Duchesse Douairiere, ... Le Prix, en blanc, 12. liv. & 14. liv. relié. [Condensed score]

  • Paris: Chez l'Auteur, ruë des Bons-Enfans, à l'Hôtel d'Effiat. la Veuve Boivin, ruë S. Honoré, à la Régle d'Or. M. Le Clair, ru?, 1739
By RAMEAU, Jean-Philippe 1683-1764
Paris: Chez l'Auteur, ruë des Bons-Enfans, à l'Hôtel d'Effiat. la Veuve Boivin, ruë S. Honoré, à la Régle d'Or. M. Le Clair, ruë du Roule, à la Croix d'Or. Avec Approbation et Privilege du Roy, 1739. Oblong folio. Full contemporary dark tan calf with raised bands to spine in decorative compartments gilt, titling gilt, marbled endpapers. 1f. (recto title, verso blank), 1f. (recto dedication, verso "Personnages du Ballet" and errata), 181, [i] (blank) pp., 1f. (recto "Coppie[!] du Privilege," verso blank). Title and dedication typeset, music and privilege engraved.

Binding slightly worn, rubbed, bumped; very slightly shaken; several small abrasions; minor loss to head and tail of spine and upper outer corner of lower board. Minor wear; occasional staining, soiling, and foxing, mostly to margins; slightly browned, a bit heavier to pp. 45-48. First Edition, first issue, without the additional entrée found in later issues. Rare. Lesure p. 526. Hirsch II, 767. Sonneck Dramatic Music p. 135. RISM R138 and RR138.

Les Fêtes d'Hébé, an opera-ballet with a libretto by Antoine Gautier de Montdorge, was first performed in Paris at the Palais Royal on 21 May 1739.

The work contains some of Rameau's finest pastoral music. The libretto and scenario were a collaborative effort between the Abbé Pellegrin, Mme. Bercin and Gautier de Montdorge. The first performance was a considerable success (this can be said of only a small number of Rameau's works), and featured Sallé, Jélyotte, and Bourbonnois. Camargo performed the role of Eglé in the revival of 1747; later revivals included Vestris and Sophie Arnould.

The first edition of Rameau's finely-wrought ballet, with iconic dance numbers including the smoldering "Tambourin en Rondeau" (p. 169) in E minor, arranged from the composer's earlier original keyboard piece of 1724 with a frequently-canonic contrepartie.

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