La Guirlande RCT 42, Vocal Score [KGA:BA08878-90]

With “La Guirlande”, Jean-Philippe Rameau created a multi-faceted and highly entertaining “Acte de ballet” based on a libretto by Jean-François Marmontel. The story is set in Arcadia and centres on the lovers Zélide and Mirtil. Both are in possession of enchanted floral garlands that will not wither as long as the two lovers remain faithful to one another. The work premiered at the Académie royale de musique in Paris in 1751 and was revived several times during Rameau’s lifetime, including in Paris in 1762 and in Versailles in 1763.

This edition presents the 1763 version as the principal version. Six additions (in the appendix) are taken from the version published in 1751 which may never have been performed in this form.

For this edition, an annotated copy of the first edition was evaluated, documenting the later revisions of 1762 in handwritten additions. Missing intermediate parts were reconstructed using a further score source from the Decroix Collection.

This is a meticulously prepared edition that makes Rameau’s “La Guirlande” equally accessible for performance practice, study and scholarly research.

The keyboard reduction was prepared by François Saint-Yves and is characterised by its excellent playbility, high degree of practicality and a clear uncluttered layout.