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Primary sourceBookwritten 1762, printed 1771

Pygmalion

Jean-Jacques Rousseau · written 1762, printed 1771

Rousseau's 1762 dramatic work set to music, one of the first melodramas combining spoken text with instrumental music.

Rousseau wrote this pioneering melodrama, blending his interests in theater, music, and philosophy.

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Title page of a book reading 'PYGMALION PAR MONSIEUR J. J. ROUSSEAU, SCENE LYRIQUE', with a decorative floral urn ornament below and 'A GENEVE, 1771' at the bottom. Printed on aged paper.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Pygmalion, scène lyrique. Geneva, 1771 edition.

About this source

What it is

This is the title page of Pygmalion, a "scène lyrique" written by Jean-Jacques Rousseau in 1762, with music composed by Horace Coignet. It was first performed in 1770 at the Hôtel de Ville in Lyon, and this printed edition is dated 1771, Geneva.

Why it matters

Pygmalion is considered one of the first melodramas, a new theatrical form combining spoken word, gesture, and instrumental music, which spread especially in German-speaking Europe. Based on the ancient myth of the sculptor Pygmalion, Rousseau's version was the first to have the statue brought to life without divine help, reflecting his interest in human creativity and imagination rather than religious intervention. The work marked an important turning point, written the same year as his influential political work The Social Contract.

Look closer

  • Why might Rousseau have hesitated to produce this work himself, relying on Coignet for the music?
  • What does removing divine intervention from the Pygmalion myth suggest about Rousseau's own ideas?
  • How might combining spoken word with music change an audience's experience compared to a normal play?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Jean-Jacques Rousseau on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Title page of the 1762 first edition of Emile, ou de l'éducation by J. J. Rousseau, citoyen de Genève. Red and black print; A La Haye, chez Jean Néaulme, Libraire; Tome Premier; MDCCLXII.Book

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