Editing Manon

{{Short description|1884 opera by Jules Massenet}}
{{About|the opera by Massenet}}
{{use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox opera 
| name              = Manon
| composer          = [[Jules Massenet]]
| image             = FarrarAsManon.jpg
| caption           = [[Geraldine Farrar]] in the title role
| librettist        = {{plainlist|
* [[Henri Meilhac]]
* [[Philippe Gille]]
}}
| language          = French
| based_on          = {{based on|''[[Manon Lescaut]]''|[[Abbé Prévost]]}}
| premiere_date     = {{Start date|1884|01|19|df=y}}
| premiere_location = [[Opéra-Comique]], Paris
}}
'''''Manon''''' ({{IPA|fr|manɔ̃}}) is an ''[[opéra comique]]'' in five acts by [[Jules Massenet]] to a French [[libretto]] by [[Henri Meilhac]] and [[Philippe Gille]], based on the 1731 novel ''[[Manon Lescaut|L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut]]'' by the [[Abbé Prévost]]. It was first performed at the [[Opéra-Comique]] in Paris on 19 January 1884, with sets designed by [[Eugène Louis Carpezat|Eugène Carpezat]] (act 1), [[Auguste Alfred Rubé]] and [[Philippe Chaperon]] (acts 2 and 3), and [[Jean-Baptiste Lavastre]] (act 4).

Prior to Massenet's work, [[Fromental Halévy|Halévy]] (''Manon Lescaut'', ballet, 1830) and [[Daniel Auber|Auber]] (''[[Manon Lescaut (Auber)|Manon Lescaut]]'', opéra comique, 1856) had used the subject for musical stage works. Massenet also wrote a one-act sequel to ''Manon'', ''[[Le portrait de Manon]]'' (1894), involving the Chevalier des Grieux as an older man.{{sfn|Harding|1970|p=116}}

''Manon'' is Massenet's most popular and enduring opera and, having "quickly conquered the world's stages",<ref name=Macdonald544>{{harvnb|Macdonald|2001|p=544}}</ref> it has maintained an important place in the repertory since its creation. It is the quintessential example of the charm and vitality of the music and culture of the Parisian [[Belle Époque]]. In 1893 an opera by [[Giacomo Puccini]] entitled ''[[Manon Lescaut (Puccini)|Manon Lescaut]]'', and based on the same novel was premiered and has also become popular.

==Background==
The first [[theatrical adaptation]] of ''Manon Lescaut'' was in 1772,{{Sfn|Sgard|1995|p=187}} a comedy entitled ''The Virtuous Courtesan'' ({{Langx|fr|La Courtisane vertueuse}}).{{Sfn|Sgard|1995|p=178}} The first operatic adaptation, in 1836, was not a success,{{Sfn|Sgard|1995|p=191}} but after 1853, six operas based on ''Manon Lescaut'' were produced.{{Sfn|Sgard|1995|p=192}} Auber's opéra-comique version ''Manon Lescaut'' of 1856 was the first in the genre with a tragic death, foreshadowing ''[[Carmen]]''.<ref>Schneider, Herbert. Manon Lescaut (i). ''[[The New Grove Dictionary of Opera]]'', Macmillan, London and New York, 1997, Vol.3 p.190.</ref>

According to chapter XV of Massenet's ''Souvenirs'', visiting the librettist Henri Meilhac at his house at 30 rue Druout in the autumn of 1881, sitting in the library full of rare and valuable books, while Meilhac was writing Massenet spotted a book in the library and exclaimed "Manon", pointing to it <<...Manon, m'ecrai-je, en montrant du doigt le livre à Meilhac. >> Meilhac replied "you want Manon Lescaut" to which Massenet responded "No, Manon, just Manon" << Non, Manon, Manon tout court... >> Early drafts came within a few days.<ref>Catherine Massip. Manon et l'influence musicale du XVIIIe siecle. In: ''Massenet et l'Opéra-Comique.'' Publications de l'Université de Saint-Etienne, 2015, p.49.</ref> The composer worked at the score of ''Manon'' at his country home outside Paris and also at a house at [[The Hague]] once occupied by Prévost himself.{{sfn|Harding|1970|pp=75–76}} During 1882, Massenet worked closely with the two librettists Gille and Meilhac, and finished the piano score in the latter part of the year, with orchestration complete by the summer of 1883.<ref>[[Rodney Milnes|Milnes, Rodney]]. Manon. ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'', Macmillan, London and New York, 1997, Vol.3 p.188.</ref>

==Performance history==
[[File:Autour d'une partition - Charles Baude after Albert Aublet.jpg|thumb|right|"Gathering around a score" by Charles Baude (1853–1935) shows Massenet rehearsing ''Manon'' with Sibyl Sanderson in Pierre Loti's drawing room. It was used as the cover of ''Le Théâtre'' in July 1889.]]
The opera was a mainstay of the Opéra-Comique in Paris, reaching its 1,000th performance there in 1919, its 1,500th in 1931 and 2,000th in 1952.{{sfn|Wolff|1953|pp=113–114}}

The first Manon was [[Marie Heilbron]]; other noted interpreters include [[Sibyl Sanderson]] (Massenet's personal favorite), [[Fanny Heldy]], [[Lucrezia Bori]], [[Amelita Galli-Curci]], [[Bidu Sayão]], [[Victoria de los Ángeles]], [[Anna Moffo]], [[Beverly Sills]], [[Edita Gruberová]], [[Renée Fleming]], [[Anna Netrebko]], and [[Natalie Dessay]]. Due to its heavy vocal demands, the role of Manon was described by Sills as "the French [[Tristan und Isolde|Isolde]]". As famous interpreters of Des Grieux, {{harvp|Kobbé|1976}} lists [[Edmond Clément]], [[Enrico Caruso]], [[Beniamino Gigli]], [[Tito Schipa]] and [[Ferruccio Tagliavini]]; {{harvp|Wolff|1953}} also lists Gaston Micheletti, [[Adolphe Maréchal]], Charles Fontaine and [[Libero de Luca]].

Within a year of its Paris premiere, ''Manon'' was given its UK premiere in January 1885, in Liverpool; in the US, the [[Academy of Music (New York City)|Academy of Music]] in New York presented the opera later the same year, on 23 December.<ref name=Macdonald544 /> At the [[Royal Opera House]] in London it was first presented 19 May 1891.<ref>[http://www.rohcollections.org.uk/work.aspx?work=658&row=4&letter=M&genre=Opera& Royal Opera House archive data base]</ref> The [[Metropolitan Opera]] gave its first staging on 16 January 1895, and ''Manon'' has subsequently often been performed there. [[Anna Netrebko]] starred in a new production directed by [[Laurent Pelly]], a co-production with the [[Royal Opera House]], which was simulcast in [[Metropolitan Opera Live in HD|HD]] on 7 April 2012.<ref>[http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/gisrch31.r?Term=Manon%3A%20&limit=5000&xBranch=ALL&xmtype=&xsdate=&xedate=&theterm=Manon%3A%20&xhome=http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/bibpro.htm&xhomepath=http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/&x=0 ''Manon''] at the [http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/frame.htm Met Opera Archive].</ref> The [[San Francisco Opera]] gave the opera many stagings beginning on 29 September 1924.<ref>[http://archive.sfopera.com/qry5webshowtimelist.asp?psearchall=on&psearch=Manon&psearchtype=&pageno=&dpr=100&Submit=GO&pageno= San Francisco opera's online database]</ref>

In the 1980s a piano score was discovered where spoken dialogue was set as recitative by Massenet, possibly for the Italian premiere; this version was performed at the {{ill|Opéra de Saint-Etienne|fr}} as part of the 2009 [[Massenet Festival]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Laurent Bury|url=https://www.forumopera.com/jean-louis-pichon-je-pense-avoir-fait-evoluer-le-regard-des-gens-sur-massenet/|title=Jean-Louis Pichon: 'Je pense avoir fait évoluer le regard des gens sur Massenet'|type=interview with [[Jean-Louis Pichon]]|orig-date=9 November 2011|date=13 August 2012|website=Forum Opéra|language=fr|access-date=14 March 2025}}</ref>

Today, ''Manon'' is frequently performed.<ref>[https://www.operabase.com/works/manon-4037/en|List of performances of ''Manon''"], [[Operabase]]</ref>

The ballet ''[[L'histoire de Manon]]'' by [[Kenneth MacMillan]], although using music entirely written by Massenet, does not include any from ''Manon''.{{sfn|Bland|1981|p={{Page needed|date=April 2012}}}}

== Roles ==
[[File:Dmitri Smirnov by Alexander Golovin.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Dmitri Smirnov (tenor)|Dmitri Smirnov]] as Le Chevalier des Grieux (1909, by [[Aleksandr Golovin (artist)|Aleksandr Golovin]])]]
{| class="wikitable"
|+{{sronly|Roles, voie types, premiere cast}}
!Role
![[Voice type]]
!Premiere cast, 19 January 1884<br />Conductor: [[Jules Danbé]]
|-
|Manon Lescaut
|[[soprano]]
|[[Marie Heilbron]]
|-
|Le Chevalier des Grieux
|[[tenor]]
| [[Jean-Alexandre Talazac]]
|-
|Lescaut, ''Manon's cousin''
|[[baritone]]
|[[Émile-Alexandre Taskin]]
|-
|Le Comte des Grieux, ''the Chevalier's father''
|[[Bass (voice type)|bass]]
|Cobalet
|-
|Guillot de Morfontaine
|tenor
|[[Pierre Grivot]]
|-
|Monsieur de Brétigny
|baritone
|Collin
|-
|Poussette, ''an actress''
|soprano
|Zoé Molé-Truffier
|-
|Javotte, ''an actress''
|[[mezzo-soprano]]
|[[Esther Chevalier]]
|-
|Rosette, ''an actress''
|mezzo-soprano
|Remy
|-
|Innkeeper
|bass
|Labis
|-
|A porter
|tenor
|Legrand
|-
|A sergeant
|baritone
|[[Étienne Troy]]
|-
|colspan="3"|Guardsmen, townsfolk, travellers,<br />hawkers, congregation, gamblers, soldiers
|-
|}

==Synopsis==
:Place: France
:Time: the reign of [[Louis XV]]

===Act 1===
''The courtyard of an inn at [[Amiens]]''

De Brétigny, a nobleman, has just arrived, in the company of Guillot, an aging rake who is the Minister of Finance, along with three flirtatious young actresses. While the innkeeper is serving dinner to the party, the townspeople collect to witness the arrival of the coach from [[Arras]]. Among them is Lescaut, a guardsman, who tells his comrades that he plans to meet a kinswoman. The coach appears, and among the crowd Lescaut quickly identifies his fragile young cousin, Manon, who appears to be somewhat confused ("''Je suis encor tout étourdie''") since this is her first journey, one which is taking her to the convent.

Manon is accosted by the opportunistic Guillot, who tells her that he has a carriage waiting, in which they can leave together. His heavy-handed seduction is undermined by the return of Lescaut, who then lectures the young woman ("''Regardez-moi bien dans les yeux''") on proper behavior. He leaves her unattended once more and she admires the three fashionably-dressed actresses, but reproaches herself ("''Voyons, Manon''"), unconvincingly vowing to rid herself of all worldly visions.

Des Grieux, traveling home to see his father, catches sight of Manon, and instantly falls in love. When he approaches, she is charmed by his chivalrous address ("''Et je sais votre nom''"), and their exchange rapidly becomes a mutual avowal of love. Both their planned journeys, hers to the convent and des Grieux's to his home, are swiftly abandoned, as they decide to flee together ("''Nous vivrons à Paris''"). But there are hints of incompatible aspirations: while he returns, over and again, to "tous les deux" (together), the phrase she fondly repeats is, "à Paris". Making good use of the carriage provided by the disappointed Guillot, the lovers escape.

===Act 2===
''Manon and des Grieux's apartment in Paris''
{{Listen|type=music
|filename=Enrico Caruso - Geraldine Farrar - Jules Massenet - Manon - On L'appelle Manon.ogg
|title=Manon! avez-vous peur...On l'appelle Manon
|description=From act 2, performed by [[Enrico Caruso]] and [[Geraldine Farrar]] in 1912}}
With little hope, des Grieux writes to his father, imploring permission to marry Manon. Lescaut enters intent on creating a scene and accompanied by de Brétigny, who is masquerading as a fellow-guardsman. But his concern for offended family honor is only camouflage for his alliance with his friend. Trying to prove his honorable intentions, des Grieux shows Lescaut the letter to his father. Meanwhile, de Brétigny warns Manon that des Grieux is going to be abducted that evening, on the orders of his father, and offers her his protection and wealth, trying to persuade her to move on to a better future.

After the two visitors depart, Manon appears to vacillate between accepting de Brétigny's offer and warning des Grieux. When her lover goes out to post his letter, her farewell to the humble domesticity she has shared ("''Adieu, notre petite table''") makes clear she has decided to go with de Brétigny. Unaware of her change of heart, des Grieux returns and conveys his more modest vision of their future happiness ("''En fermant les yeux''", the "Dream Song"). Going outside to investigate an apparent disturbance, he is seized and hustled away, leaving Manon to voice her regrets.

===Act 3===
''Scene 1: Paris, the promenade of the [[Cours-la-Reine]] on a feast-day''

Among the throng of holiday-makers and vendors of all kinds are Lescaut and Guillot, the latter still flirting with the young actresses, while Lescaut expresses the joys of gambling ("''À quoi bon l'économie?''"). De Brétigny arrives, soon joined by Manon, now sumptuously dressed and with a retinue of admirers. She sings about her new situation ("''Je marche sur tous les chemins''"), following it with a gavotte ("''Obéissons quand leur voix appelle''") on the joys of love and youth.

Des Grieux's father, the Comte, greets de Brétigny and Manon overhears that her former lover is ''Chevalier'' no longer, but ''Abbé'', having entered the seminary of Saint-Sulpice. Approaching the Comte, Manon tries to discover whether his son still loves her. Guillot then attempts to win Manon over by bringing the ballet dancers of the Académie Royale de Musique, which she had expressed a desire to see. However Manon is seized by the desire to see des Grieux once more, and admits, to Guillot's annoyance when asked, that she paid no attention to the dancers. She hurries off to Saint-Sulpice.

''Scene 2: Saint-Sulpice''
{{Listen|type=music
|filename=Jules_Massenet_-_Manon_-_Ah!_fuyez,_douce_image.ogg
|title=Ah! fuyez, douce image (sung in Italian)
|description=Recorded in 1910 by [[Aristodemo Giorgini]] for [[Edison Records]]}}
From the chapel, the congregation is leaving, enthusiastic over the sermon of the new abbé ("''Quelle éloquence!''"). Des Grieux enters, in clerical garb, and his father adds his voice to the chorus of praise, but tries to dissuade his son from this new life, so that he can perpetuate the family name ("''Epouse quelque brave fille''").

He leaves, having failed to shake his son's resolve and, alone, des Grieux relives memories of Manon ("''Ah! Fuyez, douce image''"). As he prays, Manon herself appears, to implore his forgiveness for her faithlessness. Furiously, he attempts to reject her, but when (in "''N'est-ce plus ma main?''") she recalls their past intimacies, his resistance is overcome, and their voices join in an impassioned avowal of love.

[[File:Sibyl_Sanderson_as_Manon.jpg|thumb|left|American soprano Sibyl Sanderson as Manon in 1888]]

===Act 4===
''A gaming salon at the Hôtel de Transylvanie''

Lescaut and Guillot are among the gamblers, and the three young actresses are prepared to attach themselves to any winner. Manon arrives with des Grieux who declares his total love: ("''Manon! Manon! Sphinx étonnant''"). He is persuaded to gamble, in hopes of gaining the wealth she craves. He plays at cards with Guillot and continually wins, as Guillot doubles and redoubles the wager. As Manon exults, Guillot accuses des Grieux of cheating. Des Grieux denies the charge and Guillot leaves, returning shortly with the police, to whom he denounces des Grieux as a cheat and Manon as dissolute.

The elder des Grieux enters, and tells his son that, while he will intercede on his behalf, he will do nothing to save Manon. In a big ensemble, with Guillot exulting over his revenge, Manon lamenting the end of all joy, des Grieux swearing to defend her, and the rest expressing consternation and horror, the arrested pair are led away.

===Act 5===
:[Act 4, scene 2 in the original version]

''A desolate spot near the road to [[Le Havre]]''

Convicted as a woman of ill-fame, Manon has been condemned to be deported. Des Grieux, freed by his father's intervention, and a penitent Lescaut, now his ally, wait to waylay the convoy in which Manon is being marched to the port. A detachment of soldiers arrives with their prisoners. The would-be rescuers recognize the hopelessness of attacking so strong an escort, but Lescaut succeeds in bribing their sergeant to allow Manon to stay behind till evening. The convoy moves on, and a sick and exhausted Manon falls to the ground at des Grieux's feet.

In his arms, near delirium, she relives their former happiness. Des Grieux tells her the past can exist again but Manon, now calm, knows that it is too late. With the words "''Et c'est là l'histoire de Manon Lescaut''", she dies.

==Noted arias==
*Act 1 – Manon: "Je suis encore tout étourdie" ("I am still completely dazed")
*Act 2 – des Grieux: "En fermant les yeux" ("Closing my eyes")
*Act 2 – Manon: "Adieu, notre petite table" ("Goodbye, our little table")
*Act 3 – Manon: "Obéissons quand leur voix appelle" ("Let us obey when their voice calls us")
*Act 3 – des Grieux: "Ah, fuyez douce image" ("Ah, flee, sweet image")

==Recordings==
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!|Cast: Manon,<br />des Grieux,<br>Lescaut,<br>Comte des Grieux
!Conductor,<br>Opera house and orchestra
!Label<ref>[http://www.operadis-opera-discography.org.uk/CLMAMANO.HTM Recordings of ''Manon'' on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk]</ref>
|-
| 1923 || [[Fanny Heldy]], <br> Jean Marny, <br> {{ill|Léon Ponzio|ca}}, <br> Pierre Dupré || [[Henri Büsser]] <br> [[Opéra-Comique|Orchestra and Chorus of the Opéra-Comique]] ||CD: Malibran Music<br>Cat: MR 558<br />CD: Marston<ref>According to James Camner in ''[[Fanfare (magazine)|Fanfare]]'' [http://www.fanfarearchive.com/articles/atop/21_3/2131090.az_MASSENET_Manon_Henri.html vol. 21, no. 3 (January/February 1998)]:{{subscription}} "Due to an earlier, imprecise transfer of this 1923 recording to LP, Fanny Heldy's performance as Manon has been called shrill, but through the corrective, uncannily accurate work of Ward Marston, we now hear why the beautiful Belgian soprano was the idol of Paris."</ref> {{Nowrap|52003-2}}
|-
| 1928–29 || {{ill|Germaine Féraldy|qid=Q110040894}}, <br> [[Joseph Rogatchewsky]], <br> Georges Villier, <br> {{ill|Louis Guénot|qid=Q125739630}} || [[Élie Cohen (conductor)|Élie Cohen]] <br> [[Opéra-Comique|Orchestra and Chorus of the Opéra-Comique]] ||CD: Naxos «Historical»<br>Cat: 8.110203-04
|-
| 1937 || [[Bidu Sayão]], <br/> [[Sydney Rayner]], <br/> [[Richard Bonelli]], <br /> {{ill|Chase Baromeo|qid=Q110136162}} || [[Maurice Abravanel]] <br />Metropolitan Opera Orchestra || CD: Naxos «Historical» <br/> Cat: 8.110003-5
|-
| 1951 || [[Janine Micheau]], <br> [[Libero de Luca]], <br> [[Roger Bourdin]], <br> Julien Giovanetti || [[Albert Wolff (conductor)|Albert Wolff]] <br> [[Opéra-Comique|Orchestra and Chorus of the Opéra-Comique]] ||CD: [[Preiser Records]]<br>Cat: 20013
|-
| 1955 || [[Victoria de los Ángeles]], <br> [[Henri Legay]], <br> [[Michel Dens]], <br> [[René Hérent]] <br> [[Jean Borthayre]] || [[Pierre Monteux]] <br> [[Opéra-Comique|Orchestra and Chorus of the Opéra-Comique]] ||CD: EMI<br>Cat: 63549<br />Naxos «Historical»<br>Cat: 8.111268-70
|-
| 1969 || [[Mirella Freni]], <br> [[Luciano Pavarotti]], <br> [[Rolando Panerai]], <br> {{ill|Antonio Zerbini|it}} || [[Peter Maag]] <br> [[Teatro alla Scala di Milano]] <br> (live performance) ||CD: Opera d'Oro<br>Cat: OPD-1270
|-
| 1970 || [[Beverly Sills]], <br> [[Nicolai Gedda]], <br> [[Gérard Souzay]], <br> [[Gabriel Bacquier]] || [[Julius Rudel]] <br> [[Ambrosian Opera Chorus]]<br>[[Philharmonia Orchestra|New Philharmonia Orchestra]] ||CD: DG<br>Cat: 474 950-2
|-
| 1982 || [[Ileana Cotrubaș]], <br> [[Alfredo Kraus]], <br> [[Gino Quilico]], <br> [[José van Dam]] || [[Michel Plasson]] <br> [[Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse|Chorus and Orchestra of the Capitole de Toulouse]]||CD: Angel<br>Cat: 49610
|-
| 1999|| [[Angela Gheorghiu]], <br> [[Roberto Alagna]], <br> {{ill|Earle Patriarco|qid=Q52833585}}, <br> [[José van Dam]] || [[Antonio Pappano]] <br> [[La Monnaie|Chorus and Orchestra of the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie]]||CD: [[EMI]]<br>Cat: 81842
|-
| 2001 || [[Renée Fleming]],<br> [[Marcelo Álvarez]], <br> [[Jean-Luc Chaignaud]], <br> {{ill|Alain Vernhes|qid=Q112562295}} || [[Jesús López Cobos]] <br> Chorus and Orchestra of the [[Paris Opera]]<br>(Audio and video recordings of performances at the Opéra Bastille, June/July)
||CD: Sony<br>S3K 90458<br>DVD (Video): TDK Mediactive<br>Cat: DVOPMANON
|-
|2007 || [[Anna Netrebko]],<br> [[Rolando Villazón]], <br> {{ill|Alfredo Daza|de}}, <br> {{ill|Christof Fischesser|qid=Q52822609}} || [[Daniel Barenboim]] <br> [[Staatskapelle Berlin]] and [[Berlin State Opera|Berlin State Opera Chorus]]||DVD: [[Deutsche Grammophon]]<br>Cat: 073 4431
|-
|2007 || [[Natalie Dessay]],<br> [[Rolando Villazón]], <br> {{ill|Manuel Lanza|ca}}, <br> [[Samuel Ramey]] || [[Víctor Pablo Pérez]] <br> Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the [[Gran Teatre del Liceu]], Barcelona||DVD: [[Virgin Records|Virgin Classics]]<br>Cat: 5050689 7
|-
|}

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{reflist}}

'''Sources'''
* {{cite book|last=Bland|first=Alexander|year=1981|title=The Royal Ballet: The First 50 Years|location=London|publisher=Threshold Books|isbn=978-0-901366-11-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Harding|first=James|author-link=James Harding (music writer)|year=1970|title=Massenet|location=London|publisher=Dent|isbn=978-0-460-03928-4}}
* {{cite book|editor-last=Holden|editor-first=Amanda|editor-link=Amanda Holden (writer)|year=2001|title=The New Penguin Opera Guide|location=New York|publisher=Penguin Putnam|isbn=0-14-029312-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Kobbé|first=Gustav|author-link=Gustav Kobbé|year=1976|title=[[The Complete Opera Book]]|location=New York|publisher=G. P. Putnam's Sons|pages=858–864|isbn=978-0-399-14332-8}}
* {{harvc|last=Macdonald|first=Hugh|author-link=Hugh Macdonald (musicologist)|in=Holden|year=2001|chapter=Jules Massenet|pages=542–554}}
* {{Cite book |last=Sgard |first=Jean |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MqEyEfwtjEEC |title=Vingt études sur Prévost d'Exiles |date=1995 |publisher=ELLUG |isbn=978-2-902709-96-0 |language=fr}}
* {{cite book|last=Wolff|first=Stéphane|year=1953|title=Un demi-siècle d'Opéra-Comique (1900–1950)|language=fr|location=Paris|publisher=André Bonne|oclc=903310825}}

==Further reading==
* [[Milton Cross|Cross, Milton]] (1955). ''The New Milton Cross' Complete Stories of the Great Operas''. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, pp. 353–361. [http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=kw%3Adoubleday+ti%3Aoperas+au%3Amilton+cross&fq=yr%3A1955..1955+%3E&qt=advanced&dblist=638 Listings] at [[WorldCat]].
* Huebner, Steven (2006). ''French Opera at the Fin de Siècle''. New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 45–72. {{ISBN|978-0-19-518954-4}}.
* [[George Putnam Upton|Upton, George P.]]; [[Felix Borowski|Borowski, Felix]] (1928). ''The Standard Opera Guide''. New York: Blue Ribbon Books, pp. 179–181. {{OCLC|921222}}.
* [[John Warrack|Warrack, John]]; West, Ewan (1992). ''The Oxford Dictionary of Opera''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 438. {{ISBN|0-19-869164-5}}.

==External links==
{{Commons category|2=''Manon'' (Massenet)|italic=no}}
* {{IMSLP|work=Manon (Massenet, Jules)|cname=''Manon''}}
*[http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/variations/scores/akn9800/large/index.html Full orchestral score] at indiana.edu
*Visual documentation of the [http://gallica.bnf.fr/services/engine/search/sru?operation=searchRetrieve&version=1.2&startRecord=0&maximumRecords=15&page=1&query=%28gallica%20all%20%22manon%201884%22%29&filter=dc.type%20all%20%22image%22 premiere] on [[Gallica]]
* [https://opera-inside.com/manon-by-jules-massenet-the-opera-guide/ Free Online opera guide on Massenet’s ''Manon''], An opera portrait with synopsis, commentary, music analysis, anecdotes
* [https://archive.org/details/manonopracomique00pvms ''Manon'', opéra comique, 5 acts], 1895 publication, digitized by [[Brigham Young University|BYU]] on archive.org
* [https://www.operabase.com/works/manon-4037/en ''Manon''] on [[Operabase]]

{{Jules Massenet|state=collapsed}}
{{Manon Lescaut}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Portal bar|Opera}}

[[Category:Adaptations of works by Antoine François Prévost]]
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