Mignon (Ambroise Thomas)

Overview

Mignon is an opéra-comique in three acts by Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896) to a libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, drawn from Goethe's novel Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre (1795-96). It was first performed at the Opéra-Comique, Paris, on 17 November 1866 and became one of the most popular French operas of the century (Wikipedia, "Mignon (Thomas)"). Mignon is a girl kidnapped from Italy and held by a troupe of gypsies; she is rescued by Wilhelm and sings of the lost homeland in "Connais-tu le pays où fleurit l'oranger?" (from Goethe's poem "Kennst du das Land"). The title is also the name of the character, and the glossary tag covers both the opera and Mignon the girl as Marie identifies with her.

Marie and this work

Mignon is Marie's favourite opera in 1876 and a personal emblem throughout the diary: the song of an uprooted girl longing for Italy.

• 23 September 1874, Paris. She sees it at the Opéra-Comique: "ce ravissant opéra intéressant depuis le commencement jusqu'à la fin, sans lenteurs, sans vides, mais amusant et émouvant comme une comédie" (024.0071). The next day she quotes "Je suis heureuse, l'air m'enivre".
• 19 June 1875, Nice. She sings Mignon when Barnola walks in (034/1875-06-19).
• 24-26 January 1876, Nice. She declares it "l'opéra le plus adorable comme sujet, comme paroles, comme musique. Je ne puis et ne veux entendre rien d'autre" (053/1876-01-24); she quotes "Connais-tu le pays" in a bitter aside, plays Mignon in front of mirrors and sings the Italian version ("folle divengo di rabbia e di furor") over nearly three octaves (053/1876-01-26).
• 5 and 22 March 1876, Rome. The "romance de Mignon" no longer moves her except as music, as its "associations" are spent (055/1876-03-05); she sings "Connais-tu le pays", "la consolation des âmes affligées", on a day of heartbreak over Audiffret and Torlonia (055/1876-03-22).
• 5 September 1877, Schlangenbad. Photographs by Waléry show her "en costume de Mignon idéale, assise sur des rochers" and as "Mignon regrettant l'Italie" (074/1877-09-05).
• 24 February 1879, Nice. She would like to hear a singer in "Faust", "Aida" or "Mignon" (084.0296).
• 2 February 1884, Paris. Looking back at her first love for Audiffret: "Musique: Mignon" (103.0244; footnote identifies the opera).

Nice and elsewhere, 1874-1877

• 11 December 1874, Nice. Florence Foster sings "Connais-tu le pays" after lunch (027.0227). On 25 December Marie, after Florence has sung it again, produces her own parody of the romance, "Connais-tu le pays trop froid pour l'oranger... C'est là que je voudrais vivre" (028.0020-0026), about England and the palace of the man she loves (a text of her own; see also the glossary entry for her Mignon parody).
• 19 June and 17 July 1875. She sings "Mignon" when Barnola comes in (034.0423) and takes the score to Saëtone singing "Demain, dis-tu" (037.0229).
• 12-16 November 1875, Nice. "Et quando ci darete Mignon ?" (049.0315). On 15 November the Nice Opéra gives "Mignon, le gentil opéra, admirablement chanté": when Mme Pasqua sings "Connais-tu le pays", the romance Marie sang in front of Audiffret "alors que nous étions bien ensemble", she rises to listen standing, Audiffret hears Pasqua "avec une attention incroyable" and does not look at her. "Chaque année a sa romance. L'année dernière c'était 'On revient toujours à ses premières amours', cette année c'est l'air de Mignon." (049.0432-0451). Next day she is told he turned white at "C'est là que je voudrais vivre" (049.0490-0495). See Pasqua.
• 21 November - 31 December 1875, Nice. She copies the song (050.0107), sings it dressed as Mignon in front of Giro and Dina (050.0440), hears the opera again on 7 and 9 December ("Qu'on me donne Mignon dans ma chambre et je m'amuserai tout autant", 050.0554-0581) and on 25 December: "chaque fois je m'imagine que Mignon c'est moi" (050.1278-1297). On 1 January 1876 she sings "Domani, partirò, sono lontana da voi" from the Italian text (051.0284).
• 14 and 19 February 1876, Rome. "Nice et Mignon que j'adore toutes les deux" (054.0099); she suffocates "di rabbia e di furor comme Mignon" (054.0308).
• 6 and 9 April 1876. She sings the "prière de la madone" of Mignon (056.0471) and thinks "cette infâme musique est faite pour me déchirer le cœur" (057.0026).
• 20 April - 19 May 1876. Mignon is the opera, with Faust, that she thought was the whole of music, until La Traviata (059.0065, 060.0581; see La traviata).
• 20 June - 14 July 1876. Her "note soutenue de Mignon" delights General Bihovetz (062.0506); the singing master is astonished by her Mignon (063.0274-0311).
• 5 September 1877. The Waléry photographs at Schlangenbad: "Mignon regrettant l'Italie sur les rochers de Schlangenbad" (074.0231-0236).
• 11 November 1877. "Aïda, Mignon et Faust" (076.0138).

Sources

• Wikipedia, "Mignon (Thomas)").
• IMSLP, Mignon (Thomas, Ambroise)).
• Diary footnotes in the source entries cited above.