Diary of Marie Bashkirtseff

Paul et Virginie (Victor Massé)

Also known as: Paul et Virginie de Massé, la musique de Paul et Virginie, opéra de Paul et Virginie

Culture · Theatre FR

Overview

Paul et Virginie is an opera in three acts and six tableaux by Victor Massé (1822-1884) to a libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, after Bernardin de Saint-Pierre's novel of 1788. IMSLP gives the first performance as 15 November 1876 at the Opéra National Lyrique, Paris; the BnF catalogue records the creation at the Théâtre Lyrique de la Gaîté on the same date (not the Opéra-Comique, as some of the diary footnotes say). Victor Capoul created Paul; the score is dedicated to him. It was revived at Covent Garden in 1878 (web sources: IMSLP; BnF; Wikipedia, "Victor Massé").

The novel has its own entry: Paul et Virginie, whose "Massé's opera" section covers the same material in brief.

Marie and this work

  • 20 and 22 November 1876, Paris. She sees "le nouvel opéra de V. Massé, et dont on dit le plus grand bien" with Capoul as Paul. She thinks throughout of Paul de Cassagnac ("J'aurais voulu l'avoir à côté de moi"); two days later she has an "immodéré" desire to see "Paul et Virginie... non: Paul de Cassagnac" (067.1086-1094, 067.1119, 067.1124).
  • 18 December 1876, Nice. She quotes from memory "cette chanson de vieux nègre dans Paul et Virginie" (refrain "L'oiseau s'envole / Là-bas, là-bas / Et ne revient pas") and adds "Je n'ai pas de maison, moi ! Je n'ai pas de nid" (068.0215).
  • 20 October 1877. She goes to hear it in a box with her mother, aunt, Dina, Mme Doubelt and others (075.0361-0362); the city is not stated.
  • 10 October 1880. Saint-Amand "pleure sur Paul et Virginie" while they make music (090.0083): probably the score.
  • 17 February 1881, Paris. "La musique de Paul et Virginie me donne envie de pleurer... Massé a magnifiquement compris le poème" (091.0142, footnote).
  • 2 February 1884, Paris. In her list of loves and the music attached to each: "3 Larderel... violente toquade. Musique: Paul et Virginie de Massé, dix-huit ans" (103.0246).

Not this work

The references to rereading the novel (090.0099, 090.0162, 093.0286, 099.0461), the leaf with the two names (090.0088, 093.0288), the "robe Virginie" (069.0286), the clock with Paul fishing (068.0778), "arrosée de mes larmes comme dans Paul et Virginie" (084.0582) and the book on her shelf (096.0257) belong to the novel or are allusions; 069.0115, 071.0206, 077.0092 and 089.0184 are also the novel or its names.

Sources