The Journal of Seventeenth-Century Music
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ISSN: 1089-747X
Volume 10 (2004) No. 1
Libretto of Persée by Philippe Quinault
With English Prose Translation by Lois Rosow
Introduction
Title Page
Prologue
Cast List for the Tragedy
Act, scene:
This transcription of the first edition of Philippe Quinault’s libretto is based on two nearly identical exemplars: that in the Rare Book and Special Collections Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Uncat. 65/25), and F-Pn X.1211 (2). In the poetry and stage directions, the transcription preserves original spelling, capitalization, and punctuation, apart from modernized I and J, U and V. In character identifications and cast lists, adjustments are made for consistency. Only the title-page transcription preserves the original use of italic and roman type.
The title page of this libretto gives an incorrect date for the premiere (April 17). A similar libretto, issued by the same printer in the same year, gives the correct date (April 18); see Carl B. Schmidt, The Livrets of Jean-Baptiste Lully’s Tragédies Lyriques: A Catalogue Raisonné (New York: Performers’ Editions, 1995), 280–1 (LLC 9-1.1 and 9-1.2). For a critical edition of the libretto, see Philippe Quinault, Livrets d’opéra, ed. Buford Norman (Toulouse: Société de littératures classiques, 1999), 2:55–104.
PERSÉE, / TRAGEDIE / REPRESENTÉE / PAR L’ACADEMIE ROYALE / DE MUSIQUE. / Le dix-septiéme Avril 1682. / [printer’s mark] / On la vend / A PARIS, / A l’Entrée de la Porte de l’Academie Royale de Musique, / au Palais Royal, ruë Saint Honoré. / Imprimée aux despens de ladite Academie. / Par CHRISTOPHE BALLARD, seul Imprimeur du / Roy pour la Musique. / [rule] / M. DC. LXXXII. / Avec Privilege de Sa Majesté.