The article is dedicated to the heroic pastoral by Jean-Joseph de Mondonville “Titon et L’Aurore.” The tour of the Italian troupe of Eustachio Bambini, which took place in 1752–1754, provoked a clash between the supporters of Italian opera (the “buffons” or “le coin de la Reine”) and the adherents of French opera (the “anti-buffons” or “coin du Roi”). The aesthetic conflict, developing in parallel in the press and on the theatre stage, was later dubbed the “Querelle des Bouffons.” To defend the interests of the French camp, the l’Opéra turned to the leading court composer, Jean-Joseph de Mondonville, who, in an extremely short time, wrote a work that dealt a crushing blow to the “coin du Roi” and ensured the victory of the “anti-buffons.” Having chosen the ancient and particularly beloved French genre of heroic pastoral, the composer offers a unique interpretation of its canons. This study examines the composition’s history, the challenges of libretto authorship, and the specific features of its figurative content.
Arutyunova, E. A. “The ‘coin du Roi’ strikes. Mondonville’s heroic pastoral ‘Titon et L’Aurore’,” Muzykal’naya akademiya [Music Academy], no. 3, 2026, pp. 16–29, doi:10.34690/630. (In Russ.)
Acknowledgments
the author expresses sincere gratitude to Anna V. Bulycheva, Associate Professor at the General Music History Department at Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory, Сandidate of Art Criticism, for her valuable advice during the writing of this article, the proposed topic, and her wise guidance of the diploma thesis, of which this research is a part.
