La Naissance d'Osiris

Originally conceived as a prologue for the ballet “Les Beaux Jours de l'Amour”, the one-act play “La Naissance d'Osiris” was only performed twice, together with revivals of “Pigmalion” and “Les Incas de Pérou” (the second act of the opera-ballet “Les Indes galantes”) in 1754. The occasion was the birth of the Duc de Berry, later Louis XVI. There is no evidence that “La Naissance d'Osiris” was ever revived in the 18th century, probably because it was too closely linked to the occasion of the premiere. However, Rameau reused parts of the music in later works such as “Anacréon”, “Les Paladins” and “Les Boréades”.

For the content, the librettist Louis de Cahusac drew on the myth of the birth of the Egyptian god Osiris, who symbolizes the newborn prince. The approximately one-hour work for four vocal soloists, choir, orchestra and dancers is written predominantly in a pastoral style.