| Tom Jones | |
|---|---|
| Opéra comique by François-André Danican Philidor | |
&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:Andr%C3%A9_Philidor.jpg) Portrait of Philidor, London, 1777 | |
| Librettist |
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| Language | French |
| Based on | Henry Fielding's The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling |
| Premiere | 27 February 1765 Comédie-Italienne, Paris |
Tom Jones is a comédie mêlée d'ariettes, a kind of opéra comique, by the French composer and chess champion François-André Danican Philidor which first appeared at the Comédie-Italienne, Paris, on 27 February 1765. Its French libretto, by Antoine-Alexandre-Henri Poisenet and Bertin Davesne, is loosely based on the 1749 novel by Henry Fielding.
The opera was initially a failure but Philidor had the libretto revised by Michel-Jean Sedaine and this new version, first performed on 30 January 1766, proved one of the most popular opéras comiques of the late 18th century. It was produced in a number of other countries, and translated into German, Swedish and Russian.