Although Proserpine was not immediately the most popular of Lully and Quinault's operatic creations, it lasted in the repertoire a very long time, and came to be much loved by the public. The libretto, by Philippe Quinault, is taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses, and is the story of the abduction of Ceres' daughter Proserpine by the god Pluto. Much of the music is given to the grieving mother. Part of the luke warm reception at first was undoubtedly due to the fact that the central plot does not contain a love interest. The emotional power of the opera comes from Ceres' maternal loss and suffering. The court at Versailles was definitely one that liked love intrigues.

The descriptions of the original scenery are worth noting. Special lighting, eerie caverns, and deep crevices helped create the underworld of Pluto. The various acts contain spectacular events and scenery. At the end of Act I there is an earthquake, and Act III has Mount Aetna spewing flames. And Act IV featured a Claud Lorain style backdrop of the Champs Elysees.

This opera is important due to Lully's dramatic use of the chorus. The opening Prologue features an allegorical argument between antiphonal choruses that is finally resolved in a set piece in the form of a and air for soprano solo. With Mount Aetna spewing ash behind them, the people, in the form of the chorus, search for Proserpine, call to her, and only hear the reverberations of their own voices coming back at them. Written in the form of an echo chorus, one is made to feel their frustration and despair.

Throughout the opera, Ceres' powerful, tragic recitative is interspersed with choruses that act as a dramatic character. It is the chorus that must break the news to Ceres and tell her of her daughter's fate. They empathize with her and mirror her emotional states, as her grief turns to anger and despair. At one point, she has a soliloquy on stage in which the answering chorus remains unseen. It is the voices of the shades in hell, calling up to her.

One of the high points is Proserpine's solo "Ma chere liberte." Poignant and despairing, it is framed by choral sections that take up the refrain in a chant. In a dramatic solo, her emotions move from sadness to revenge. The delicate grace notes that accompany her "credule innocence" change to a dramatic vocal line that culminates in her "juste vengeance."

The duet between Proserpine and Pluto, as he declares his love for her, is perhaps the only "divergent" duet that Lully ever wrote. The vocal lines remain independent in musical argument, in imitation of the two protagonists' divergent emotional states. The opera ends happily, finally, and trumpets and violins introduce the end of opera festivities as all honor Jupiter. After a big symphony and huge choruses, Lully ends with dance music, and all engage in a grand ballet and celebration.

© Rita Laurance, All Music Guide