About the work
Silvain is a one-act opéra comique by André Grétry to a libretto by Jean-François Marmontel, premiered on 19 February 1770 at the Comédie-Italienne in Paris. It was one of Grétry’s earliest major successes, receiving 381 performances at the Opéra-Comique up to 1827.
Plot
The nobleman Silvain was disinherited by his father Dolmon for marrying the commoner Hélène and has since lived as a poor farmer. When the gamekeepers of a new landowner accuse him of poaching, Silvain’s wife and daughters plead for mercy — and Silvain recognises the landowner as his own father. Dolmon reconciles with his son and accepts his family.
Cultural significance
Unlike the pastoral idylls typical of opéra comique, Marmontel’s libretto explicitly champions social equality and defends the rights of rural people against landowners.