The first staging of act 1 took place at the Neues Königliches Opernhaus in Berlin on 14 January 1899, conducted by Richard Strauss.

[1] The Vichy Festival staged Briséïs in a programme with Béatrice et Bénédict in 1954 with Janette Vivalda in the title role, conducted by Paul Bastide.

The publication of the score in 1897 included a limited edition with a portrait by Desmoulins, tributes by several friends and composers (Bruneau, Charpentier, Chausson, D'Indy, Lamoureux, Messager and Mottl), as well as poems in Chabrier's memory by de Régnier, Saint-Pol-Roux, van Lerberghe and Viélé-Griffin.

[4] Scene 1 Hylas, in love with Briséïs, wishes to find fortune in Syria but pauses at the house where she lives with her sick mother Thanastô.

Briséïs while fearful of the temptations facing Hylas vows to save her mother wracked by sickness and pain.