L'ancêtre ("The Ancestor") is a 1905 in 3 acts by Camille Saint-Saëns to a libretto by Lucien Augé de Lassus (1841-1914).Ratner, Sabina Teller. Camille Saint-Saëns, 1835-1921: A Thematic Catalogue of His Complete Works. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 2002. 0198163207
The opera premiered at the on February 24, 1906, and was directed by Raoul Gunsbourg and conducted by Léon Jehin.Saint-Saëns, Camille. L'ancêtre. vocal score title page. Paris: Durand et Fils, 1906. Celebrated soprano Geraldine Farrar created the role of Margarita.Nash, Elizabeth. Geraldine Farrar: Opera's Charismatic Innovator. 2nd. ed. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2012. 9780786470679 The vocal score, published in 1906 by Durand et Fils of Paris has a dedication to Albert I, Prince of Monaco.Saint-Saëns, Camille. L'ancêtre. vocal score title page. Paris: Durand et Fils, 1906.
The plot is set during the First French Empire in Corsica, which composer and librettist visited together, looking for local colour.
Roles (baritone) (tenor) (bass) (soprano) (soprano) (contralto)
Parents, serviteurs des deux familles Piétra Néra et Fabiani ("Parents, servants of the two families: Piétra Néra and Fabiani")
References
See also
Free score of L'ancêtre at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)