Ru
EnM. Agibaeva
Cantata “Apollo, Night and Comus” by N. Bernier in context of “The Great Nights in Sceaux" patronized by Duchess of Maine
The article examines the cantata “Apollo, La Nuit et Comus” by the French composer Nicolas Bernier (1664–1734). It provides brief information on the history of the creation of this work and the place of its performance – the Château de Sceaux, where “The Nights in Sceaux” concerts (“Les Nuits de Sceaux”) were held for almost 50 years, initiated by Anne-Louise Benedicta de Bourbon, Duchess of Maine (1676–1753). According to the researcher, analytical observations regarding N. Bernier’s cantata allow us to concretize general ideas about the thematic originality and genre-stylistic specificity of “The Great Nights in Sceaux” of 1705–1718 as a significant phenomenon of the artistic culture of France at the beginning of the 18th century.
The main objectives of the analysis are determined by the need to identify the typical features of the French secular cantata, as well as its mixture with the genre of theatrical divertissement, which affects the compositional and dramatic plans of the work. This genre mixture is largely due to the dedication of the cantata to the Duchess of Maine, which entailed the introduction of divertissement features at the levels of plot (allegory), composition (combination of vocal and instrumental numbers, including dance), along with the signs of a glorification cantata (praise of “other Minerva”, that is, the Duchess). The material of the cantata is connected with the theatrical nature of the French court divertissement due to the use of soundpictorial devices and dialogic conjugations of the characters on the verbal and musical levels of the text. In general, the heterogeneous genre basis of N. Bernier’s cantata “Apollo, Night and Comus” to a significant extent reflects the brilliance, diversity and variety genre spectrum of the concert programs of “The Great Nights in Sceaux”.
Key words
French secular cantata, Nicolas Bernier, Duchess of Maine, “The Great Nights in Sceaux”, divertissement.
For citation
Agibaeva M. Cantata “Apollo, Night and Comus” by N. Bernier in context of “The Great Nights in Sceaux” patronized by Duchess of Maine. In: South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2025. No. 2. Pp. 114–128.
