Book 18

With this volume, Pendragon Press resumes publication of the series French Opera in the 17th and 18th Centuries with Claire Brook as General Editor. The introduction to Tancrède includes a biography of the composer and of the librettist, extensive discussions of the Tancrède libretto and score, and overviews of the opera's performance history and dramatic parodies. The full orchestral score reproduced in facsimile dates from 1738 and reflectsCampra?s revision from a five-part to a four-part string texture. To provide scholars and performers with complete access to the original work, an appendix to the edition offers a transcription of the original fifth part (the quinte de violon) as well as several other sections of the original, which Danchet and Campra subsequently revised. The volume also includes a glossed list of over 120 prompt notes related to the 1748 production by Mme. Pompadour?s troupe at Versailles.