Claude-Henri de Fusée de Voisenon - Versailles MV 2998

Claude-Henri de Fusée, abbé de Voisenon (8 July 1708 – 22 November 1775) was a French playwright and writer.

Life

Born at the château de

Voisenon Voisenon () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department, in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Little village, located 39 kilometres south-east from the center of Paris, Voisenon was mainly known for its 12th century abbey, and ...

near

Melun Melun () is a Communes of France, commune in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region, north-central France. It is located on the southeastern outskirts of Paris, about from the kilome ...

, he was only ten when he addressed an epistle in verse to

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his ...

, who asked the boy to visit him. They remained friends for fifty years. Voisenon made his début as a dramatist with ''L'Heureuse resemblance'' in 1728, followed in 1739 by a three-act comedy ''L'École du monde'' at the Théâtre Français. This was preceded by a verse prologue, ''L'Ombre de

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

'', and a month later Voisenon produced a criticism of his own piece in ''Le Retour de l'ombre de Molière''. A

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

provoked by Voisenon inspired him with remorse, and he entered a seminary; he was soon promoted to the post of secretary to his relative, the Bishop of Boulogne. He became closely attached to Madame du Châtelet, the mistress of Voltaire, and was intimate with the

comte de Caylus Anne Claude de Tubières-Grimoard de Pestels de Lévis, ''comte de Caylus'', marquis d'Esternay, baron de Bransac (Anne Claude Philippe; 31 October, 16925 September 1765), was a French antiquarian, proto-archaeologist and man of letters. Born in ...

and Mademoiselle

Jeanne Quinault Jeanne Quinault (baptized 13 October 1699 – 18 January 1783)Judith Curtis, ''"Divine Thalie": the career of Jeanne Quinault'', ''SVEC'' 2007:08, pp. 10–11. was a French actress, playwright and salon hostess. She was usually called Mlle. Quina ...

. He made witty but by no means edifying contributions to the ''Étrennes de Saint-Jean'', the ''Bals de Bois'', etc. In 1744 he produced the ''Ménages assortis'' and in 1746 his masterpiece, the ''Coquette fixée''. He was a close friend of

Charles Simon Favart Charles Simon Favart (13 November 1710 – 12 May 1792) was a French playwright and theatre director. The Salle Favart in Paris is named after him. Biography Born in Paris, the son of a pastry-cook, he was educated at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand, a ...

and his wife. His pen was always at the service of any of his friends, and it was generally supposed that he had a considerable share in Favart's most successful

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

s. Voisenon had scruples all his life about the incongruity between his way of living and his profession, but he continued to write indecent stories for private circulation, and wrote verses in honor of

Madame du Barry Jeanne Bécu, Comtesse du Barry (19 August 1743 – 8 December 1793) was the last ''maîtresse-en-titre'' of King Louis XV of France. She was executed, by guillotine, during the French Revolution due to accounts of treason—particularly being ...

, as he had done for

Madame de Pompadour Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (, ; 29 December 1721 – 15 April 1764), commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, was a member of the French court. She was the official chief mistress of King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and rema ...

. He was elected to the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

in 1762. On the disgrace of his patron, the duc de Choiseul, he lost his pensions and honours, but soon recovered his position. He was intimate with the chancellor Maupeou, and was suspected of writing on his behalf in defence of the abolition of the ''

parlement A ''parlement'' (), under the French Ancien Régime, was a provincial appellate court of the Kingdom of France. In 1789, France had 13 parlements, the oldest and most important of which was the Parlement of Paris. While both the modern Fre ...

''. This and some other incidents brought him into general disgrace. Early in 1775 he retired to the château de Voisenon, where he died.

Works

His ''Œuvres complètes'' were published by his executrix, :fr:Constance de Lowendal, 5 vol. in-8°. in 1781.

Theatre

*1738: ''L'Heureuse Ressemblance'', comedy in 1 act and in verse *1739: ''L'École du monde'', comedy in 3 acts and in verse, presented at the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

14 October *1739: ''Le Retour de l'ombre de Molière'', comedy in 1 act and in verse, presented at the Comédie-Française 21 November *1744: ''Les Mariages assortis'', comedy in 3 acts and in verse, premiered by the

Italian comedians Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

ordinaires du Roi 10 February (printed in 1746, in-8) *1746: ''La Coquette fixée'', comedy in 3 acts and in verse, with Charles-Antoine Leclerc de La Bruère and the Duke of Nivernais, premiered by the Comédiens italiens ordinaires du Roi 10 March *1749: ''La Fausse Prévention'', comedy in 3 acts and in verse, premiered by the Comédiens italiens ordinaires du Roi 29 December *1750: ''Le Réveil de Thalie'', comedy, premiered by the Comédiens italiens ordinaires du Roi 19 June *1753: ''Titon et l'Aurore'', pastorale héroïque, music by

Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville Jean-Joseph de Mondonville (, 25 December 1711 (baptised) – 8 October 1772), also known as Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville, was a French violinist and composer. He was a younger contemporary of Jean-Philippe Rameau and enjoyed great suc ...

, premiered at the Académie royale de musique 9 January *1756: ''Les Magots'', parody of ''L'Orphelin de la Chine'' by Voltaire, in 1 act and in vers, premiered by the Comédiens italiens ordinaires du Roi 19 March *1757: ''La Petite Iphigénie, parodie de la Grande'', premiered by the Comédiens italiens ordinaires du Roi July *1758: ''L'Amour et Psyché'', ballet héroïque, premiered by the Académie Royale de musique 9 May *1759:
La parodie au Parnasse
', one-act

opéra comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular '' opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Fair Theatres of St Germain and St Laurent (and to a l ...

, premiered at the Théâtre de l'Opéra comique de la foire saint Germain 20 March (also attributed to

Charles-Simon Favart Charles Simon Favart (13 November 1710 – 12 May 1792) was a French playwright and theatre director. The Salle Favart in Paris is named after him. Biography Born in Paris, the son of a pastry-cook, he was educated at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand, a ...

) *1762: ''La Jeune Grecque'', comedy in 3 acts and in free verse (printed in 1762) *1763: ''Hilas et Zélie'', pastorale in 1 act, music by

Bernard de Bury Bernard de Bury or Buri (20 August 1720 – 19 November 1785) was a French musician and court composer of the late Baroque era. Biography Bernard de Bury was born at Versailles, a member of a family of musicians, many of whom had appointments to t ...

, presented at

Versailles Palace The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

12 January *1765: ''La Fée Urgèle ou Ce qui plaît aux dames'', four-act- comedy miongked with ariettes, given at

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau (; ) is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the ''arrondissement ...

26 October *1770: ''L'Amant déguisé, ou le Jardinier supposé'', one-act comedy mingled with ariettes, music by

François-André Danican Philidor François-André Danican Philidor (7 September 1726 – 31 August 1795), often referred to as André Danican Philidor during his lifetime, was a French composer and chess player. He contributed to the early development of the ''opéra comique''. ...

, premiered by the Comédiens italiens ordinaires du Roi 2 September *1770: '' L'Amitié à l'épreuve'', comedy in 2 acts and in verse mingled with ariettes, music by

André Grétry André Ernest Modeste Grétry (; baptised 11 February 1741; died 24 September 1813) was a composer from the Prince-Bishopric of Liège (present-day Belgium), who worked from 1767 onwards in France and took French nationality. He is most famous ...

, presented at Fontainebleau 13 November *1776: ''Fleur d'Épine'', opéra comique in 2 acts and in prose, set in music by Marie Emmanuelle Bayon Louis, mingled with ariettes, from Hamilton, premiered by the Comédiens italiens ordinaires du Roi 22 August.

Novels and tales

*1745: ''Zulmis et Zelmaïde'', conte licencieux *1745: ''Turlubleu, histoire grecque tirée du manuscrit gris-de-lin, trouvé dans les cendres de Troye'' *1746:
Le Sultan Misapouf et la princesse Grisemine
', novel, London, 2 vol. in-12 *1747: ''Les Fêtes roulantes et les Regrets des petites rues'' *1751:
Histoire de la Félicité
' *1760: ''Tant mieux pour elle, conte plaisant'' *1767: ''Romans et Contes'', 2 vol. - reed.: 1775, 1798, 1818 *1885:
Contes légers suivis des Anecdotes littéraires
', Paris, E. Dentu, Bibliothèque choisie des chefs-d'œuvre français et étrangers, (complete text on Gallica)

Varia

*1739: ''Le Code des Amants'', poème héroïque en trois chants *1758:
Les Israélites à la montagne d'Oreb
', poème biblique for the

Concert Spirituel The Concert Spirituel ( en, Spiritual Concert) was one of the first public concert series in existence. The concerts began in Paris in 1725 and ended in 1790. Later, concerts or series of concerts of the same name occurred in Paris, Vienna, Londo ...

, set in music by Mondonville *1759: ''Les Fureurs de Saül'', poème biblique for the

, set in music by Mondonville

Bibliography

* Allem, Maurice, ''Anthologie poétique française, XVIIIe'', Paris, Garnier Frères, 1919 * ''Anonyme'', ''La Vie authentique de M. l'abbé de Voisenon, mémoires inédits d'un contemporain'', publiés par Ad. Van Bever et Charles Martyne, Paris, 1916 * Comoy, Jean, ''Un abbé de cour sous Louis XV. Monsieur de Voisenon'', Préface de Wladimir d'Ormesson, Paris, la Science historique, 1959 * Grente, Georges Cardinal (dir.), ''Dictionnaire des lettres françaises. Le XVIIIe'', nlle. édition revue et mise à jour sous la direction de :fr:François Moureau, Paris, Fayard, 1995 * Krakowski, Patrick, "Un académicien dans son temps", l'abbé de Voisenon (correspondences, chroniques, biographie) Lys Éditions Ammatéis, 2007, * * Vapereau, Gustave, « Claude-Henri de Fusée de Voisenon », in Dictionnaire universel des littératures'', Paris, Hachette, 1876, 2 volumes * Viguerie, Jean de ''Histoire et dictionnaire du temps des Lumières. 1715-1789'', Paris, Robert Laffont, coll. Bouquins, 2003 -

External links

Fiche biographique de l'Académie française

Ses pièces et leurs représentations
sur le sit
CÉSAR

References

Attribution: * {{DEFAULTSORT:Voisenon, Claude-Henri de Fusee 1708 births 1775 deaths Fusee de Voisenon, Claude-Henri de Counts of Voisenon 18th-century French writers 18th-century French male writers French erotica writers French ballet librettists Voisenon, Claude-Henri de Fusee de French abbots