Opera guides
Manon: synopsis, roles, arias and diction notes
Massenet's Manon in one page: librettists, premiere, voice types, act-by-act synopsis, the famous numbers and French diction notes.
Diction Desk editors · Checked 19 October 2026 against 6 sources
Manon is an opéra comique in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille1. It was first performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 19 January 18841. It is based on the Abbé Prévost's 1731 novel about Manon Lescaut and the Chevalier des Grieux1.
- Composer
- Jules Massenet1
- Librettists
- Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille1
- Premiere
- 19 January 1884, Opéra-Comique, Paris1
- Language
- French, with spoken dialogue4
- Acts
- 51
- Setting
- France, reign of Louis XV1
Contents
Massenet’s Manon is a tragic story told in the quick, varied scenes that opéra comique audiences loved. This page gives the facts a singer needs before opening the vocal score. It is one of the guides in the operas section.
At a glance
Manon is an opéra comique in five acts by Jules Massenet (1842 to 1912) to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille1,2. Meilhac lived from 1830 to 1897 and Gille from 1831 to 19015,6. The opera is based on the 1731 novel L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost1. It was first performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 19 January 18841. The setting is France in the reign of Louis XV1.
Manon is tragic, not comic4. Every character has lines to speak at some point, and Manon is the only female lead against five male characters4.
Who’s who
| Role | Voice type | Premiere singer |
|---|---|---|
| Manon Lescaut | Soprano | Marie Heilbron1 |
| Le Chevalier des Grieux | Tenor | Jean-Alexandre Talazac1 |
| Lescaut, Manon’s cousin | Baritone | Émile-Alexandre Taskin1 |
| Le Comte des Grieux, the Chevalier’s father | Bass | Cobalet1 |
| Guillot de Morfontaine | Tenor | Pierre Grivot1 |
| Monsieur de Brétigny | Baritone | Collin1 |
| Poussette, an actress | Soprano | Zoé Molé-Truffier1 |
| Javotte, an actress | Mezzo-soprano | Esther Chevalier1 |
| Innkeeper | Bass | Labis1 |
Sibyl Sanderson was Massenet’s personal favorite Manon1. Sills described the role as “the French Isolde” because of its heavy vocal demands1. Famous des Grieux interpreters include Edmond Clément, Jean de Reszke and Enrico Caruso1.
Synopsis
Act 1
The setting is the courtyard of an inn at Amiens, where the coach from Arras arrives1. De Brétigny, a nobleman, has just arrived with Guillot, an aging rake who is the Minister of Finance, and three actresses1. Manon, a beautiful young woman, arrives at the inn to meet her cousin Lescaut, who will take her to a convent3. She appears somewhat confused1. Des Grieux, traveling home to see his father, catches sight of Manon and instantly falls in love1. Both planned journeys are swiftly abandoned, and they flee together1.
Act 2
The scene is Manon and des Grieux’s apartment in Paris1. Des Grieux writes to his father, imploring permission to marry Manon1. De Brétigny offers Manon his protection and warns her that des Grieux is going to be abducted that evening on the orders of his father1. Going outside to investigate an apparent disturbance, des Grieux is seized and hustled away, leaving Manon to voice her regrets1. His Dream Song, En fermant les yeux, sets out his modest vision of their future1.
Act 3
The first scene is the Cours-la-Reine on a feast-day, where Manon sings Je marche sur tous les chemins1. Guillot tries to win Manon over with the ballet dancers of the Académie Royale de Musique1. Manon learns that des Grieux has entered the seminary of Saint-Sulpice and hurries off to find him1. Des Grieux enters in clerical garb, and his father adds his voice to the chorus of praise, trying to dissuade his son from this new life so that he can perpetuate the family name1.
Act 4
The setting is a gaming salon at the Hôtel de Transylvanie1. The three young actresses are prepared to attach themselves to any winner1. As Manon exults, Guillot accuses des Grieux of cheating1. Guillot denounces des Grieux as a cheat and Manon as dissolute to the police1.
Act 5
The setting is a desolate spot near the road to Le Havre1. Convicted as a woman of ill-fame, Manon has been condemned to be deported1. Lescaut bribes the sergeant so that Manon can stay behind until evening1. In des Grieux’s arms, near delirium, she relives their former happiness, and with the words Et c’est là l’histoire de Manon Lescaut, she dies1.
The famous numbers
| Number (first line) | Role | Act | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Je suis encore tout étourdie | Manon | Act 1 | I am still entirely bewildered1 |
| Adieu, notre petite table | Manon | Act 2 | Adieu to our dear little table1 |
| En fermant les yeux (the Dream Song) | Des Grieux | Act 2 | His modest vision of their future1 |
| Je marche sur tous les chemins | Manon | Act 3 | Sung at the Cours-la-Reine1 |
| Obéissons quand leur voix appelle | Manon (gavotte) | Act 3 | We obey whenever their voice summons1 |
| Ah, fuyez douce image | Des Grieux | Act 3 | Ah, fly away, gentle image1 |
In the original
First lines set out for study. The translation is ours and literal.
| Original | Our translation |
|---|---|
| Je suis encore tout étourdie1 | I am still entirely bewildered |
| Adieu, notre petite table1 | Adieu to our dear little table |
| Obéissons quand leur voix appelle1 | We obey whenever their voice summons |
| Ah, fuyez douce image1 | Ah, fly away, gentle image |
Background and early history
Halévy (a ballet in 1830) and Auber (an opéra comique in 1856) had already set Manon Lescaut for the stage, and the first theatrical adaptation was a comedy in 1772 called The Virtuous Courtesan1. Auber’s version was the first in the genre with a tragic death, foreshadowing Carmen1. Massenet also wrote a one-act sequel, Le portrait de Manon (1894)1.
During 1882 Massenet worked closely with the two librettists, finished the piano score in the latter part of the year, and completed the orchestration by the summer of 18831. The libretto suited him because it allowed him to incorporate the variety of scenes and settings that his audience adored4. The premiere was followed by 77 more performances that year, an unprecedented success4.
Manon is Massenet’s most popular and enduring opera1. Within a year of its Paris premiere it was given its UK premiere in January 1885, in Liverpool1. The Metropolitan Opera gave its first staging on 16 January 18951. The Opéra-Comique reached its 1,000th performance in 1919, its 1,500th in 1931 and its 2,000th in 19521. Anna Netrebko starred in a Laurent Pelly production that was simulcast in HD in 20121.
Language and diction notes
The libretto is French, so prepare the text with French diction for singers before you open the score. Because every character has spoken lines4, the French dialogue needs the same care as the sung text. In the 1980s a piano score was discovered in which Massenet set the spoken dialogue as recitative1.
Start with the first lines in the tables above, such as Obéissons quand leur voix appelle and Adieu, notre petite table, and check each against the French page before you add pitch. To place these roles by voice type, read the Fach system guide.
Where to go next
Massenet’s Werther, which appeared in 1892, is perhaps his masterpiece4. For a second French score, read Faust.