Atys (Piccinni)

Atys is a tragédie lyrique in three acts by Niccolò Piccinni with a French libretto by Jean-François Marmontel. Marmontel's libretto was based upon Philippe Quinault's libretto for Jean-Baptiste Lully's 1676 opera of the same title. Quinault based his rendition on Ovid's Fasti. Marmontel adapted Quinault's libretto and modified it by removing the prologue and divertissements. He also altered the plot; instead of using Ovid's metamorphic ending (which Quinault used), Atys commits suicide. Piccinni's opera was premiered by the Paris Opera at the second Salle du Palais-Royal on 22 February 1780. Musically the opera is admired for its fugal overture, the dream sequence in act 2, the long quartet at the dramatic climax, and the somber dirge with which it ends.

In 1783 there was a second version of the opera produced by Piccinni and Marmontel. In order to satisfy the current trends in opera, they changed the ending to a lieto fine, or happy ending, by rewriting entire sections of the original opera. In this second version Atys was returned to the stage of the Opéra in 1783, 1784, 1791 and 1792. In all, it was mounted at the Opéra on 65 dates before being dropped for good.