I just learned that an important musicological book has been awarded two major prizes.

The book is the second volume in Hervé Lacombe’s Histoire de l’opéra français. The volume focuses on the nineteenth century and bears the subtitle Du consolat aux débuts de la IIIe République. 1258 pages long, richly illustrated, it can be purchased in the US for something like $94 or, as an ebook, $44. A remarkably low price, considering the riches on display!

It contains chapters by 58 contributors from many countries, including such noted names as Olivier Bara, Jean-Christophe Branger, Matthias Brzoska, Mark Everist, Joël-Marie Fauquet, Annegret Fauser, Diana Hallman, Sarah Hibberd, Steven Huebner, Arnold Jacobshagen, Jann Pasler, Emmanuel Reibel, Julian Rushton, Herbert Schneider, Lesley A. Wright, Jean-Claude Yon, and Lacombe himself.

I give the full list below. (I contributed three shortish chapters, wonderfully translated by Dennis Collins.)

The book examines opera through many lenses: institutional (and financial), literary and socio-cultural (libretto conventions), theatrical (sets, costumes, stage direction, the role of dance), repertorial (how operas traveled abroad, even to North America and the French colonies)….

And now (drumroll, please!) the two prizes: the Prix René Dumesnil (from the l\’Académie des Beaux-Arts) and the Grand Prix du Livre France Musique-Claude Samuel (from the French radio system). The Claude Samuel prize was, until recently, known as the Prix des Muses. It got renamed in honor of the renowned administrator at France Musique who died this past summer. The jury consisted of 10 prominent scholars, journalists, broadcasters, and administrators.

Hervé’s project is one of the boldest and most wide-ranging in musicology today. I am delighted that this volume (the first of the three planned volumes to reach publication) has received such prominent recognition, twice over! I encourage libraries and opera lovers to acquire the volume, and I hope some way can be found to get it translated into English and other languages.

Further details on the two prizes at these official sites: https://www.francemusique.fr/musique-classique/prix-du-livre-france-musique-claude-samuel-edition-2021-92437 and https://www.academiedesbeauxarts.fr/annonce-du-palmares-2020 (under the heading Ouvrages d’art).

Complete list of contributors:

Rosalba Agresta

Olivier Bara

Aurélie Barbuscia

Iris Berbain

Guillaume Bordry

Karine Boulanger

Philippe Bourdin

Jean-Christophe Branger

Matthias Brzoska

Matthieu Cailliez

Jean-François Candoni

Maribel Casas

Gérard Condé

Francesc Cortès

Manuel Couvreur

Joann Élart

Marc Everist

Joël-Marie Fauquet

Annegret Fauser

Pierre-Henry Frangne

Céline Frigau Manning

Florence Gétreau

Pauline Girard

Pierre Girod

Vincent Giroud

Mélanie Guérimand

Martin Guerpin

Diana R. Hallman

Sarah Hibberd

Steven Huebner

Arnold Jacobshagen

Julien Labia

Hervé Lacombe

Sylvain Ledda

François Lévy

Ralph P. Locke

Isabelle Moindrot

Sylvain Nicolle

Léa Oberti

Jann Pasler

Romain Piana

Emmanuel Reibel

Christine Rodriguez

Stella Rollet

Julian Rushton

Corinne Schneider

Herbert Schneider

Anastasiia Syreishchikova-Horn

Yannick Simon

Marie-Gabrielle Soret

Helen Kopchick Spencer

Patrick Taïeb

Agnès Terrier

Sabine Teulon-Lardic

Kimberly White

Charlotta Wolf

Lesley A. Wright

Jean-Claude Yon

Congratulations to Hervé Lacombe and to Fayard for taking such an important project on, and carrying it through so magnificently!

Ralph Locke

RLocke@esm.rochester.edu

Ralph P. Locke, Emeritus Professor of Musicology, Eastman School of Music (University of Rochester)