Indian Rhythmic Gesture and Tinta in French Operas of the Second Half of the 19th Century and Early 20th Century

Abstract

"As part of a larger study which compresses three layers of analyses — dramatic, visual, and musical — the present article deals with the rhythmic component of the musical phenomenon in French operas within a half century timeframe, 1862–1923. Orientalism and exoticism were represented through melody, rhythm, timbre, and libretti in operas by F. David, G. Bizet, L. Delibes, J. Massenet, and A. Roussel. The melodic dimension, discussed in a previous study, offered perhaps more opportunities for the evocation of an allegedly oriental sound than rhythm and meter deliver within the operas, while the timbre of various instruments proposes the sensuality of the Orient — an accepted Western stereotype regarding the East. To identify certain rhythmic formulae of Indian inspiration and to understand the concept of tāla, several studies and works of Indian musicians and authors have been consulted, among these Sãrngadeva’s Sangītaratnākara, a thirteenth century treatise considered one of the most important Indian musicological texts. Whether invented or extracted directly from its original source, the article aims to identify composers’ rhythmic gestures. The blend of personal musical language with the Indian tinta reflected in rhythmic patterns create a romantic texture cognoscible to the discussed French exotic operas: David’s opéra-comique Lalla-Roukh, Bizet’s Les Pecheurs de perles, Delibes’ Lakmé, Massenet’s five-act grand-opéra Le Roi du Lahore, and Roussel’s opéra-ballet Padmâvatî. Keywords: Hindu rhythm, ethnomusicology, French opera, orientalism, Indian tinta, timbre "