Henri Marie Gabriel Blondeau (5 August 1841 – 4 May 1925) was a French

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

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 ...

and

chansonnier A chansonnier ( ca, cançoner, oc, cançonièr, Galician and pt, cancioneiro, it, canzoniere or ''canzoniéro'', es, cancionero) is a manuscript or printed book which contains a collection of chansons, or polyphonic and monophonic settings o ...

, famous for his song '' Frou-frou''.

Biography

A clerk by a stockbroker, he became known in the early 1860s by his ditties in the cafés-concerts. With his friend Hector Monréal, they would collaborate during 40 years on the stages. His

plays Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

were presented on the most significant Parisian stages of the 19th century including the

Théâtre de l'Ambigu-Comique The Théâtre de l’Ambigu-Comique (, literally, Theatre of the Comic-Ambiguity), a former Parisian theatre, was founded in 1769 on the boulevard du Temple immediately adjacent to the Théâtre de Nicolet. It was rebuilt in 1770 and 1786, but in ...

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 ...

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 ...

, Théâtre du Château d'Eau. In 1870, during the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...

, and in association with Monréal, he ran a satirical newspaper called the ''Fils du Père Duchêne illustré''.

Works

* ''Ah ! J'aime bien mieux ça !'', chansonnette, music by Ernest Martin, 1863 * ''L'Embarras du choix !'', chansonnette, music by Martin, 1863 * ''Victoire et félicité !'', duo comique, music by Auguste Girin, 1863 * ''Avez-vous vu Lambert ?'', scie parisienne, 1864 * ''Chacun a sa monomanie !'', chansonnette, music by Henri Chulliot de Ploosen, 1864 * ''Comme on change en vieillissant !'', chansonnette de genre, 1864 * ''Impossible de s'en passer !'', chansonnette, music by Martin, 1864 * ''Locataire et portier !'', duo comique, music by Martin, 1864 * ''La Belle Ziguezon'', ronde historiette, lyrics and music by Blondeau and Monréal, 1865 * ''Mr de Richenerac basconnade'', chansonnette, with Monréal, 1865 * ''Ça n'coûte que deux sous ! grrrrande revue du moment déroulée tous les soirs par Heudebert au Café-concert du boulevard du Temple'', 1865 * ''Le Pion amoureux'',

pochade A pochade (from French ''poche'', pocket) is a type of sketch used in painting. As opposed to a croquis, which is line art, a pochade captures the colors and atmosphere of a scene. Generally, pochades use a small, portable format. Robert Henri a ...

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...

, mingled with couplets, 1866 * ''Tapez-moi là-d'ssus !'',

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...

in 4 acts and 8 tableaux, including 1 prologue, with Monréal, 1867 * ''Ah ! qu'c'est bête'', ronde burlesque et populaire, music by Léopold Bougnol, 1868 * ''Les Hannetons de l'année'', revue in 3 acts and 8 tableaux, including a prologue, with Monréal, 1868 * ''Dagobert et son vélocipède'', opérette bouffe in 1 act, 1869 * ''V'là les bêtises qui recommencent'', revue in 4 acts and 8 tableaux, with Monréal, 1869 * ''Qui veut voir la lune ?'', revue fantaisie in 3 acts and 8 tableaux, with Monréal, 1871 * ''Paris dans l'eau'', vaudeville aquatique in 4 acts, with Monréal, 1872 * ''Une poignée de bêtises'', revue in 2 acts and 3 tableaux, with Monréal, 1872 * ''La Veuve Malbrough'',

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

in 1 act, with Monréal, 1872 * ''La Nuit des noces de la Fille Angot'', vaudeville in 1 act, with Monréal, 1873 * ''Les Pommes d'or'', operetta

féerie ''Féerie'', sometimes translated as "fairy play", was a French theatrical genre known for fantasy plots and spectacular visuals, including lavish scenery and mechanically worked stage effects. ''Féeries'' blended music, dancing, pantomime, and ...

in 3 acts and 12 tableaux, with Chivot,

Alfred Duru Henri Alfred Duru (22 November 1829 – 28 December 1889) was a 19th-century French playwright and operetta librettist who collaborated on more than 40 librettos for the leading French composers of operetta:Alfred Duru. In: ''The New Grove Diction ...

and Monréal, 1873 * ''La Comète à Paris'', revue in 3 acts and 10 tableaux, with Hector Monréal, 1874 * ''Ah ! C'est donc toi Mme la Revue !'', revue in 3 acts and 10 tableaux, with Monréal, 1874 * ''Pif-Paf'', féerie in 5 acts, including 1 prologue and 20 tableaux, with Clairville and Monréal, 1875 * ''La Revue à la vapeur'', actualité parisienne in 1 act and 3 tableaux, with

Paul Siraudin Pierre-Paul-Désiré Siraudin (18 December 1812 – 8 September 1883) was a French playwright and librettist. He also used the pen names Paul de Siraudin de Sancy, Paul Siraudin de Sancy and M. Malperché. Biography He wrote many plays, mai ...

Charles Blondelet Charles Blondelet, full name Désiré Jacques François Blondelet, (4 November 1820 – 2 December 1888.Archives des Hauts de Seine, commune de Courbevoie, acte de décès n°374, year 1888 (accessdate 29 April 2015)) was a 19th-century French ac ...

and Monréal, 1875 * ''L'Ami Fritz-Poulet'', parodie à la fourchette, mêlée de chansons à boire et à manger, en deux services, deux entremets et un dessert, with Monréal, 1876 * ''A treize ! tout à treize !'', chansonnette, 1876 * ''Les Environs de Paris'', voyage d'agrément in 4 acts and 8 tableaux, with Monréal, 1877 * ''Un Hanneton dans la coupole'', fantaisie Charentonesque, music by Marc Chautagne, 1877 * ''Le Pays des chimères. Dalloz'', song, music by Chautagne, 1877 * ''Une Nuit de noces'', folie-vaudeville in 1 act, with Monréal, 1883 * ''Carnot'', military drame in 5 acts and 8 tableaux, with Léon Jonathan, 1884 * ''Au Clair de la lune'', revue in 4 acts and 8 tableaux, with Monréal and Georges Grisier, 1884 * ''Pêle-mêle gazette'', revue in 4 acts and 7 tableaux, with Grisier et Monréal, 1885 * ''La Serinette de Jeannot'', vaudeville in 1 act, with Monréal, 1885 * ''Les Terreurs de Jarnicoton'', vaudeville-pantomime in 1 act, with Monréal, 1885 * ''Les Victimes du devoir !'', chanson dramatique, music by Félicien Vargues, 1885 * ''Paris en général'', revue in 4 acts and 10 tableaux, with Grisier and Monréal, 1886 * ''Mam'zelle Clochette'', vaudeville in 1 act, with Monréal, 1887 * ''La Petite Francillon'', little parody in 1 small prologue, 3 small acts and 2 short intermissions, with Alphonse Lemonnier and Monréal, 1887 * ''Paris-cancans'', revue in 3 acts and 8 tableaux, with Monréal, 1888 * ''Paris Exposition'', revue in 3 acts, 9 tableaux, with Monréal, 1889 * ''Paris-boulevard'', revue in 3 acts, 8 tableaux, with Monréal, 1889 * ''Paris port de mer'', revue in 3 acts, 7 tableaux, with Monréal, 1891 * ''Les Variétés de l'année'', revue in 3 acts and 9 tableaux, with Monréal, 1892 * ''Les Bicyclistes en voyage'', play in 3 acts and 7 tableaux, with

Henri Chivot Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry. People with this given name ; French noblemen :'' See the ' List of rulers named Henry' for Kings of France named Henri.'' * Henri I de Mont ...

, 1893 * ''Les Rouengaines de l'année'', revue in 3 acts, 7 tableaux including a prologue, with Monréal, 1893 * ''Tout Paris en revue'', revue in 3 acts and 3 tableaux, with Monréal, 1894 * ''La Revue sans gêne'', revue in 3 acts, 9 tableaux, with Monréal and Alfred Delilia, 1894 * ''Vive Robinson !'', duo, with Monréal and Delilia, music by Lucien Collin, 1894 * ''Une semaine à Paris'', revue in 3 acts, 11 tableaux, with Monréal, 1896 * ''Paris qui marche'', revue in 3 acts, 10 tableaux, with Monréal, 1897 * ''Paris sur scène'', revue in 3 acts, 8 tableaux, with Monréal, 1897 * ''Folies-Revue'', revue in 3 acts, 9 tableaux, with Monréal, 1898 * ''Frou-frou'', song, with Monréal, 1898 * ''Madame Méphisto'',

extravaganza An extravaganza is a literary or musical work (often musical theatre) usually containing elements of burlesque, pantomime, music hall and parody in a spectacular production and characterized by freedom of style and structure. It sometimes also ha ...

play, in 2 acts and 5 tableaux, with Monréal, 1900 * ''Paris-joujoux'', revue in 2 acts and 6 tableaux, with Monréal, 1901 * ''Olympia-Revue'', in 4 tableaux, with Monréal, 1903 * ''On demande une étoile'', scènes de la vie de théâtre, with Monréal, 1904 * ''Le Paradis de Mahomet'', operetta in 3 acts, 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 ...

, 1906 * ''Guignol s'en va-t-en guerre'',

in 3 tableaux and one prologue, with Victor Buteaux, 1915 * ''Gaspard à Paris'', revue d'un permissionnaire in 2 acts and 6 tableaux, with René Pourrière, 1917 * ''Monsieur Bouchenlarge'', fantaisie, undated * ''Pour les distraire'', dittie, undated

Bibliography

Pierre Larousse Pierre Athanase Larousse (23 October 18173 January 1875) was a French grammarian, lexicographer and encyclopaedist. He published many of the outstanding educational and reference works of 19th-century France, including the 15-volume ''Grand dict ...

, ''Nouveau Larousse illustré'', supplément 1898 et 1906, (p. 81) * Jean Bergeaud, ''Je choisis ... mon théâtre: Encyclopédie du théâtre'', 1956, (p. 104)

External links

Voir sa fiche sur ''Artlyriquefr.fr''

La chanson ''Frou-frou'' on Youtube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blondeau, Henri 19th-century French dramatists and playwrights French librettists French chansonniers Writers from Paris 1841 births 1925 deaths