A Double Feature:
Lully’s “Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme” and Rameau’s “Les Indes Galantes”

The Enlightenment, a philosophy under which many of the beliefs forming the basis of the United States Constitution developed, encouraged many among the 18th-century intelligentsia. But the expressions of the French thinkers known as philosophes also manifested themselves throughout the arts.  As philosophe Jean-Jacques Rousseau once wrote, when” the art of writing is joined with the art of thinking on commença à sentir le principal avantage du commerce des Muses [one can begin to understand the principal advantage of interactions between the muses].” 

One important premise of the philosophes was the issue of tolerance. In fact, according to François-Marie Arouet, more widely known as Voltaire, clearly stated “A fair, just, and productive society absolutely depends on religious tolerance.  This means not merely tolerance of varying Christian sects, but tolerance of non-Christian religions as well.” 

Rameau and librettist Louis Fuzelier address the issue of intercultural tolerance in their 1735 opèra-ballet “Les Indes Galantes.”  Using love as an intertwining motif, Fuzelier has Hebe, goddess of youth, sharing concerns with Amour, the god of love.  Both deities toured the world trying to find young people who had not been seduced by Bellone, the god of war but, instead, were faithful to the ideals of true love.  Meanwhile, Rameau uses musical themes and instruments he associates with the cultures to enhance the story lines.  The love Rameau and partner portray is not just romantic love, but a more platonic selfless love as well. By granting members of these varied cultures equal status through the common connection of love, Rameau and Fuzelier demonstrate their enlightenment credentials.

On the road, Amour and Hebe note four examples of true love. The Turk leader Osman frees Emilie, the captive woman he loves, so that she can to go to her true love Valère. For this story, the composer requires the percussion instruments associated with Turkish Janissary bands, a fierce military fighting group.  Peruvian princess Phani is loved obsessively by Incan high priest Huascar, but just as he has used his great powers to cause a volcanic eruption, Phani’s true love Don Carlos rescues her. Rameau’s music exudes the nobility appropriate for serious religious rites. Although some criticized this scene as too bizarre in its harmonies – perhaps the result of the outer edges of the composer’s harmonic theories –Voltaire praised it.

Moving to ancient Persia, the two gods encounter a case of mismatched love afairs.  Tacmas, a sultan, loves his friend Ali’s slave, Zaïde.  Meanwhile, Fatima, the sultana loves Ali.  The last entrée brings Europe back into the mix.  Remember that Hebe and Amour had left the war-obsessed youth of Europe to travel the world in search of love.  In North America, Native American Zima could choose from three suitors.  She finds Damon, the French officer, too flighty and Alvar, the Spanish officer, too obsessive.  Eventually she chooses Adario, the chief of a local people, because he understands the connection to nature her people feel, a topic Rousseau would have honored.

Rousseau’s writings dealt with issues of class struggle.  Believing that people were born inherently equal, but that false social structures undermined this equality, leading to fundamental and ongoing societal problems.  As he said, “Man is born free, but everywhere he is in shackles.” Turning this theme to comic effect, which is sometimes the most effective way to address serious issues, Molière’s “Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme” lampoons both the uppity and the upwardly mobile.  In a comédie-ballet version, Jean-Baptiste Lully collaborated with the leading choreographer (Pierre Beauchamp), set designer (Carlo Vigarani), and costumier (Chevalier d’Arvieux), and the finest actors of the day, not to mention the playwright himself.

As one writer succintly puts it, Molière “satirizes attempts at social climbing, poking fun both at the vulgar pretentious middle class and the vain, snobbish aristocracy.” Not accepting the fact that one could only be a member of the French nobility through birth, the rich but foolish merchant, M. Jourdain, strives to buy his way into noble society through education in courtesies, philosophy, and the arts aided and abetted by work-shy, yet arrogant nobleman Dorante.

Although set in Paris, “Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme” reflects its era’s fascination with the grandeur of the Ottoman Empire. Cléonte, middle-class suitor of Jourdain’s middle-class daughter Lucille, is only able to obtain consent to marry his beloved when he disguises himself as the son of a Turkish sultan. The star-struck, status-crazed “gentleman” is convinced of his luck by a false promise to grant him noble status as father of the faux sultana. All’s well that ends well.

Rousseau once wrote, “The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless.” Welcome to the boundless imagination of two middle-aged masters of adventurous travel through music.

Dr. Yvonne Kendall

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