53

Le Retour de Virginie

cantate à trois voix

1

A Introduction - 82 bars
B Récitatif (Paul) - 39 bars
C Air (Paul) - 239 bars

2

A Duo (Marguerite, Paul) - 53 bars
B Duo (Marguerite, Paul) - 94 bars

3

A Orage et récitatif (Le Missionnaire) - 79 bars
B Prière (Marguerite, Paul, Le Missionnaire) -
C Reprise de l’orage, scène et trio final (Marguerite, Paul, Le Missionnaire) - 163 bars
  • Paul, jeune créole - premier fort ténor
  • Marguerite, mère de Paul - première chanteuse
  • Le Missionnaire des Pamplemousses – première basse chantante
2 flûtes (petite flûte), 2 hautbois, 2 clarinettes, 2 bassons, 4 cors, 2 trompettes, 3 trombones, ophicléïde, timbales , grosse caisse, cymbales, tamburino, 2 harpes, cordes

Poem: Auguste Rollet, after Bernardin de St Pierre’s novel Paul et Virginie, published in 1787. The poem was set for the Prix de Rome in 1852 in which Saint-Saëns was a competitor at the age of sixteen. The winner was Léonce Cohen, whose cantata is at F-Pn MS 7040 . Ferdinand Poise won 2e Prix.

Living on the Île Bourbon on 24-12-1744, Paul longs for his sister Virginie, who is still in France. His mother enters with a letter to say she is sailing on the St-Géran, due to arrive soon. The Missionary enters to warn of the coming storm. They pray to prevent it. The storm redoubles. A ship’s cannon is heard. A corpse is washed ashore, that of Virginie. ‘Virginie est au ciel !’.

Composition: 1853–57. This cantata, like the fragments of L'Ange et Tobie, Loyse de Montfort, Herminie and Le Chevalier enchanté, were composed as preparatory exercises while Bizet was Halévy’s composition student at the Conservatoire. This is the only one to survive complete. Lacombe tentatively assigns it to 1853.

Autograph score: F-Pn MS 429, gift of Reynaldo Hahn. 26-stave paper, 352 x 275 mm., 51 f. (95 p. of music).
f. 1r:
f. 1v: blank
f. 2r:
f. 2v: blank
f. 3r: 1A. Introduction instrumentale
f. 5v: 1B. Récitatif de Paul
f. 7r: 1C. Air de Paul.
f. 17v: blank
f. 18r:
f. 18v: 2A. Scène et Récitatif
f. 21r: 2B. Duo
f. 26v: blank
f. 27r:
f. 27v:
f. 28r:3A. Orage
f. 35v:3B. Prière
f. 41v-51v:3C. Reprise de l'orage
Printed poem:
Bibliography: