Les Regrets des Beaux-Arts
This cantatille, also entitled D'un peuple ce Héros..., was premiered in March 1748 at Madame de Pompadour’s Théâtre des Petits-Appartement. It alludes to Louis XV’s departure for a military campaign.
For baritone voice (from C#3 to G#4) or for female voice (with octave transpositions and arrangements proposed by the composer), this little cantata opens with a brilliant rondeau overture. Based on a declamatory text by Pierre-Charles Roy, the piece is composed of a narrative by Apollo and two arias. The overture, originally composed for a small opera, Zéphyr et Flore ou Le Retour du Printemps (1737), requires an instrumental ensemble of violins and oboes, plus trumpet, two timpani and bassoon.