Jocelyn

Librettists Victor Capoul (the former tenor), Armand Silvestre, and composer Benjamin Godard had to wait several years before Jocelyn was brought to the stage. In fact, the libretto, adapted from the poem by Alphonse de Lamartine, describing the impossible love between a priest and a young woman during the French Revolution, gave rise to numerous discussions about morality. In the end, it was the director of the La Monnaie theatre in Brussels who took the risk and profited from the success of this opera, which saw the Parisian artistic elite flock to its premiere on 25 February 1888. The four acts, or eight tableaux, faithfully depict the most powerful moments of the poem, although they are not linked by place or time. As a result, what some regarded as a strength of the libretto, a means of varying the mood and staving off boredom, was criticised by others for the overall lack of unity it engendered. The music by Benjamin Godard came in for less criticism because the champions of French music saw in it the “grace”, “elegance” and “distinction” characteristic of the national style. In fact, Jocelyn’s Berceuse from the second act, the only surviving piece that is still heard, reveals a score which, although it takes no risks, is accomplished and particularly moving. The success of this aria can be gauged by the many transcriptions made of it. The names of Pierre-Emile Engel in the role of Jocelyn, Rose Caron in that of Laurence, and Joseph Dupont as conductor contributed to the immediate success of Godard’s opera.