Émile Étienne ''Charles'' Gabet (16 May 1821 in Paris – 15 January 1903) was a 19th-century French playwright and

librettist A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major litu ...

Biography

Gabet was the son of the painter Charles Gabet and his wife Françoise Ursine Eugénie Viquesnel. He led parallel careers as a

commissaire de police ''Commissaire de police'' is a rank or group of ranks in the French National Police. It should not be confused with the French appointment of "armed forces commissary" (''commissaire des armées'') which is an administrative military position. O ...

and a dramatist. He was commissaire de police of the Porte-Saint-Martin quartier (that of théâtres of the boulevards Saint-Martin and Strasbourg). As a playwright and librettist, he worked with several major authors of his time: Alexandre Dumas, Clairville and

Adolphe d'Ennery Adolphe Philippe d'Ennery or Dennery (17 June 181125 January 1899) was a French playwright and novelist. Life Born in Paris, his real surname was Philippe. He obtained his first success in collaboration with Charles Desnoyer in ''Émile, ou le ...

. He also parodied

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

with a malicious ''Ruy-Black'', lampooning ''

Ruy Blas ''Ruy Blas'' is a tragic drama by Victor Hugo. It was the first play presented at the Théâtre de la Renaissance and opened on November 8, 1838. Though considered by many to be Hugo’s best drama, the play was initially met with only average ...

''. He died at the age of 81 in 1903 in his home at 89 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Martin in Paris.

Works

*1848: ''Le Socialisme, à-propos burlesque mêlé de couplets'', Spectacle-Concert (24 December) *1853: ''Un pacha dérangé'', one-act vaudeville, in collaboration with

Amédée de Jallais Amédée de Jallais (17 December 1826 – 31 January 1909) was a 19th-century French playwright, operetta librettist and chansonnier. Biography The son of a lieutenant colonel in the guards, he studied at the College Bourbon then entered in ...

Théâtre des Délassements-Comiques Théâtre des Délassements-Comiques is a name that was used for a number of different theatres in Paris from 1785 to 1890. First (boulevard du Temple, 1785–1799) The first Délassements-Comiques was a small theatre on the boulevard du Temple, ...

(25 August) *1854: ''Un système conjugal'', one-act comédie en vaudeville, in collaboration with

*1854: ''Allez-vous-en, gens de la noce'', pochade in 1 act mingled with couplets, in collaboration with A. de Jallais,

Théâtre du Vaudeville The Théâtre du Vaudeville was a theatre company in Paris. It opened on 12 January 1792 on rue de Chartres. Its directors, Piis and Barré, mainly put on "petites pièces mêlées de couplets sur des airs connus", including vaudevilles. Af ...

(14 October) *1855: ''Le Palais de Chrysocale, ou les Exposants et les exposés, contre-exposition de l'Exposition, mêlée de couplets'', in collaboration with Clairville,

Théâtre des Variétés The Théâtre des Variétés is a theatre and "salle de spectacles" at 7–8, boulevard Montmartre, 2nd arrondissement, in Paris. It was declared a monument historique in 1974. History It owes its creation to the theatre director Mademoiselle ...

(23 July) *1857: '' Les Compagnons de Jéhu'', drama in 5 acts and 15 tableaux from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, set in music by Fossey, Théâtre de la Gaîté (2 July). *1858: ''Cœur qui soupire…'', one-act operetta, set in music by Fossey, Théâtre de la Gaîté (12 June) *1858: ''La bouteille à l'encre'', féérie in 3 acts and 20 tableaux, Théâtre des Délassements-Comiques (4 September) *1859: ''La Femme de Valentino'', one-act vaudeville, Théâtre des Délassements-Comiques (22 February) *1859: ''La Conquête de la paix, hymne patriotique'' *1862: ''Le Mérite des femmes'', one-act comédie en vaudeville, Théâtre des Délassements-Comiques (5 November) *1869: ''Une nourrice sur lieu'', one-act comédie en vaudeville, Théâtre de l'Ambigu (15 March) *1872: ''Les Griffes du Diable'', pièce fantastique in 3 acts and 12 tableaux, imitated from Sedaine, in collaboration with Clairville, Théâtre des Menus Plaisirs (18 April) *1872: ''Ruy-Black, ou les Noirceurs de l'amour'', parody in 1 act and 2 tableaux, in verse and in prose, Théâtre des

Folies Bergère The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall, located in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the architect Plumeret. It opened on 2 May 1869 as the Folies Trév ...

(20 April) *1873: ''Coupe de cheveux à 50centimes'', esquisse de la vie parisienne in 1 act,

Théâtre de la Renaissance The name Théâtre de la Renaissance has been used successively for three distinct Parisian theatre companies. The first two companies, which were short-lived enterprises in the 19th century, used the Salle Ventadour, now an office building on t ...

(30 May) *1873: ''Le Pantalon de Casimir'', one-act operetta, set in music by J. de Billemont, Concert de l'Eldorado (31 May) *1873: ''Le Trésor des dames'',

one-act play A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. The 20-40 minute play has emerged as a popular subgenre of the one-act play, especially in wri ...

Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques The Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques was a theatre in Paris in the 19th and 20th centuries. Opened first in 1832 in the site of the old Théâtre de l'Ambigu-Comique on the Boulevard du Temple, under Frédérick Lemaître it became a noted venue f ...

(8 August) *1874: ''Le Nouvel Achille'', one-act play, Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques (25 June) *1876: ''Les Billets doux'', one-act comedy, Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques (26 August) *1877: ''Les Cloches de Corneville'', opéra comique in 3 acts and 4 tableaux and one ballet, in collaboration with Clairville and set in music by

Robert Planquette Jean Robert Planquette (31 July 1848 – 28 January 1903) was a French composer of songs and operettas. Several of Planquette's operettas were extraordinarily successful in Britain, especially '' Les cloches de Corneville'' (1878), the length of ...

, Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques (19 April) *1880: ''L'Avocat des maris'', one-act comedy,

Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens The Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens () is a Parisian theatre founded in 1855 by the composer Jacques Offenbach for the performance of opéra bouffe and operetta. The current theatre is located in the 2nd arrondissement at 4 rue Monsigny with a ...

(12 January) *1895: ''Vendredi 13'' 19th-century French dramatists and playwrights French opera librettists Police officers from Paris 1821 births Writers from Paris 1903 deaths {{France-playwright-stub