In 1678, Lully made revisions to Psyché, his tragédie-ballet of 1671, and transformed the work into a tragédie en musique, or opera. A significant amount of material from the original tragédie-ballet was unaffected by the change, as the 1671 version of Psyché was similar to opera in a number of respects. Lully was able to adopt a number of forms from his pre-operatic days in the divertissements of the new tragédies en musique, for example. While some material from the original version may seem redundant or out of place in the 1678 opera, they serve as reminders of and highlight Lully's evolutionary process. Ultimately, the metamorphosis from tragédie-ballet to tragédie en musique is successful, but the operatic Psyché is unable to avoid the shadow of its former self.

Index Classifications: 1600s

Contributed by: David Oliver