Henri Meilhac (23 February 1830 – 6 July 1897) was a French

dramatist 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 ...

and

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 libre ...

librettist, best known for his collaborations with Ludovic Halévy on

Georges Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, '' Carmen'', which has become ...

's ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the Opér ...

'' and on the works of

Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach (, also , , ; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario of the Romantic period. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera ''T ...

, as well as Jules Massenet's '' Manon''.

Biography

Meilhac was born in the

1st arrondissement of Paris The 1st arrondissement of Paris (''Ier arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is colloquially referred to as ''le premier'' (the first). It is governed locally toge ...

in 1830. As a young man, he began writing fanciful articles for Parisian newspapers and comédies en vaudevilles, in a vivacious boulevardier spirit which brought him to the forefront. About 1860, Meilhac met Ludovic Halévy, and their collaboration for the stage lasted twenty years. Their most famous collaboration is the libretto for

's ''

''. However, Meilhac's work is most closely tied to the music of

, for whom he wrote over a dozen librettos, most of them together with Halévy. The most successful collaborations with Offenbach are '' La belle Hélène'' (1864), '' Barbe-bleue'' (1866), '' La Vie parisienne'' (1866), '' La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein'' (1867), and '' La Périchole'' (1868). Other librettos by Meilhac include Jules Massenet's '' Manon'' (with Philippe Gille) (1884),

Hervé Hervé is a French masculine given name of Breton origin, from the name of the 6th-century Breton Saint Hervé. The common latinization of the name is Herveus (also ''Haerveus''), an early (8th-century) latinization was ''Charivius''. Anglicized ...

's '' Mam'zelle Nitouche'' (1883), and ''Rip'', the French version of Robert Planquette's operetta '' Rip Van Winkle'' (also with Gille). Their vaudeville play ''Le réveillon'' was the basis of the operetta ''

Die Fledermaus ' (, ''The Flittermouse'' or ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874. Background The original li ...

''. In 1888, Meilhac 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 ...

. He died in Paris in 1897. Pepa Bonafé, tombe

Works

*1856: ''La Sarabande du cardinal'', one-act comedy with couplets, created at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 29 May. *1856: ''Satania'', comedy in 2 acts with couplets, Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 10 October. * ''Garde-toi, je me garde'', comédie en vaudeville in 2 acts, Théâtre du Palais-Royal. *1857: ''Le Copiste'', comedy in 1 act and in prose, Théâtre du Gymnase, 3 August. *1858: ''Péché caché, ou A quelque chose malheur est bon'', one-act comedy, Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 11 January. *1858: ''L'Autographe'', one-act comedy, Théâtre du Gymnase, 27 November. *1859: ''Un petit-fils de Mascarille'', comedy in 5 acts and in prose, Théâtre du Gymnase, 8 October. *1859: ''Le Retour de l'Italie'', à-propos (short theatre play) Théâtre du Gymnase, 14 August. *1860: ''Ce qui plaît aux hommes'', comedy in 1 act (with Ludovic Halévy),

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 Mademoisell ...

, 6 October. *1860: ''Une heure avant l'ouverture'',

prologue A prologue or prolog (from Greek πρόλογος ''prólogos'', from πρό ''pró'', "before" and λόγος ''lógos'', "word") is an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier story that ...

in 1 act, with songs, Théâtre du Vaudeville, 31 December. *1860: ''L'Étincelle'', one-act comedy, Théâtre du Vaudeville, 31 December. *1861: ''Le Menuet de Danaë'', comédie en vaudeville in 1 act (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 20 April. *1861: ''La Vertu de Célimène'', comedy in 5 acts, Théâtre du Gymnase, 1 May. *1861: ''L'Attaché d'ambassade'', comedy in 3 acts, Théâtre du Vaudeville in October (this play served as basis for the operetta '' The Merry Widow'', libretto by

Leo Stein Leo Stein (May 11, 1872 – July 29, 1947) was an American art collector and critic. He was born in Allegheny City (now in Pittsburgh), the older brother of Gertrude Stein. He became an influential promoter of 20th-century paintings. Educatio ...

and

Victor Léon The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

, music by

Franz Lehar Franz may refer to: People * Franz (given name) * Franz (surname) Places * Franz (crater), a lunar crater * Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada * Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see ...

). * ''Le Café du roi'',

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 ...

in 1 act, music by

Louis Deffès file:Rue Peyrolières - no 54 - maison natale de Louis Deffès.jpg, Pierre Louis Deffès (25 July 1819 – 28 May 1900) was a 19th-century French composer. He excelled as a composer of both operas and large-scale sacred music. Life Deffès was ...

. *1862: ''L'Échéance'', comédy in 1 act (with Arthur Delavigne), Théâtre du Gymnase, 15 March. *1862: ''Les Moulins à vent'', comedy in 3 acts with couplets (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 22 February. *1862: ''Les Brebis de Panurge'', one-act comedy (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Vaudeville, 24 November. *1862: ''La Clé de Métella'', one-act comedy (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Vaudeville, 24 November. *1861: ''Les Bourguignonnes'', one-act opéra comique, music by Louis Deffès, Opéra-comique, 16 July. *1863: ''Le Brésilien'', one-act comedy (with Ludovic Halévy), music by

, Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 9 May *1863: ''Le Train de minuit'', two-act comedy (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Gymnase, 15 June. *1864: '' La Belle Hélène'', opéra-bouffe in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Jacques Offenbach, Théâtre des Variétés, 17 December. *1864: ''Fiammetta'', ballet-pantomime in 2 acts (with Ludovic Halévy and Arthur Saint-Léon), music by Léon Minkus, Moscou, Ballet de Bolshoi, 12 (24) novembre 1863; entitled ''Néméa, ou l'Amour vengé'' - Paris, Académie impériale de musique, 11 July. *1864: ''Les Curieuses'', one-act comedy (with Arthur Delavigne), Théâtre du Gymnase, 17 October. *1864: ''Le Photographe'', one-act comédie en vaudeville (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 24 December. *1865: ''Fabienne'', comedy in 3 acts, Théâtre du Gymnase, 1 September. *1865: ''Le Singe de Nicolet'', one-act comedy with singing (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 29 January. *1865: ''Les Méprises de Lambinet'', one-act comedy with couplets (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 3 December. *1866: '' Barbe-bleue'', opéra bouffe in 3 acts and 4 tableaux (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Jacques Offenbach, Théâtre des Variétés, 5 February *1866: ''José Maria'', three-act opéra comique (with Eugène Cormon), music by Jules Cohen, Opéra-Comique, 16 July. *1866: '' La Vie parisienne'', opéra bouffe in 5 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Jacques Offenbach, Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 31 October *1867: '' La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein'', opéra bouffe in 3 acts and 4 tableaux (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Jacques Offenbach, Théâtre des Variétés, 12 April *1867: ''Tout pour les dames'', comédie en vaudeville in 1 act (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 8 September *1868: ''L'Élixir du docteur Cornelius'', operetta (with Arthur Delavigne), music by Émile Durand, Fantaisies-Parisiennes, 3 February *1868: ''La Pénitente'', one-act opéra comique (with

William Busnach William Bertrand Busnach (7 March 1832, Paris – 20 January 1907, Paris) was a French dramatist. Biography Busnach was a nephew of the composer Fromental Halévy. His father was associated with David Ben Joseph Coen Bakri, to whom France was ...

), music by Mme de Grandval, Opéra-Comique, 13 March. *1868: ''Le Château à Toto'', opéra bouffe in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Jacques Offenbach, Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 6 May. *1868: ''Garde-toi, je me garde'', comedy in 1 act with songs, revived at the théâtre des Variétés 28 June 1868 (Théâtre du Palais-Royal in 1856). *1868: ''Fanny Lear'', comedy in 5 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Gymnase, 13 August. *1868: '' La Périchole'', opéra bouffe in 2 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Jacques Offenbach, Théâtre des Variétés, 6 October. *1868: ''Suzanne et les deux vieillards'', comedy in 1 act, Théâtre du Gymnase, 10 Octobre. *1868: ''Le Bouquet'', comedy in 1 act (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 23 October. *1869: '' Vert-Vert'', opéra comique in 3 acts (with Charles Nuitter), music by Jacques Offenbach, Opéra-Comique, 10 March. *1869: ''La Diva'', opéra bouffe in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Jacques Offenbach, Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens, 22 March. *1869: ''Frou-Frou'', comedy in 5 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Gymnase, 30 October, published in 1870 by Michel Lévy frère
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*1869: ''L'Homme à la clé'', comedy in 1 act (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 11 August. *1869: '' Les Brigands'', opéra bouffe in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Jacques Offenbach, Théâtre des Variétés, 10 December. *1871: ''Tricoche et Cacolet'', comédie en vaudeville in 5 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 6 December. *1872: ''Madame attend Monsieur'', comedy in 1 act (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 8 February. *1872: ''Le Réveillon'', comedy in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 10 September (this play served as a basis for the operetta ''

'', libretto by

Richard Genée Franz Friedrich Richard Genée (7 February 1823 – 15 June 1895) was a Prussian born Austrian librettist, playwright, and composer. Life Genée was born in Danzig. He died at Baden bei Wien. Works He is most famous for the libretto of ''Die ...

and

Karl Haffner Karl Haffner (pseudonym), real name Karl Schlechter, (8 November 1804 – 29 February 1876) was a German dramaturge. Life and work Born in Königsberg, Haffner attended the Collegium Fridericianum. Already at the age of 16 he joined a travelli ...

, music by

Johann Strauss II Johann Baptist Strauss II (25 October 1825 – 3 June 1899), also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (german: links=no, Sohn), was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed ov ...

). *1872: ''Les Sonnettes'', comedy in 1 act in prose (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 15 November. *1873: ''Le Roi Candaule'', one-act comedy in prose (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 9 April. *1873: ''L’Été de la Saint-Martin'', one-act comedy in prose (with Ludovic Halévy),

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real ...

, 1 July. *1873: ''Toto chez Tata'', one-act comedy (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés 25 August. *1874: ''La Petite Marquise'', three-act comedy (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 13 February. *1874: ''La Mi-carême'', folie-vaudeville in 1 act (with Ludovic Halévy),

, 2 April. *1874: ''L'Ingénue'', one-act comedy (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 24 September. *1874: ''La Veuve'', comedy in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Gymnase, 5 November. *1874: ''La Boule'', comedy in 4 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 24 November. *1875: ''

'',

in four acts (with Ludovic Halévy), music by

, Opéra-Comique, 3 March. *1875: ''Le Passage de Vénus'', "leçon d'astronomie" in 1 act (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 4 May. *1875: ''

La boulangère a des écus LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on Figure 8 ( ...

'', opéra bouffe in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Jacques Offenbach, Théâtre des Variétés, 5 August. *1876: ''Loulou'', folie-vaudeville in 1 act (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 31 March. *1876: ''Le Prince'', comedy in 4 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 25 November. * (year unknown) ''Paturel'', comedy in 1 act. *1877: ''La Cigale'', comedy in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 6 October. *1877: ''Le Fandango'', ballet-pantomime in 1 act (with Ludovic Halévy and Louis Mérante),

Opéra de Paris The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to b ...

, 26 November. *1878: ''Le Petit Duc'', opéra-comique in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Charles Lecocq, Théâtre de la Renaissance, 25 January. *1878: ''La Cigarette'', comedy in 1 act (with

Charles Narrey Charles Narrey (1825 in Becques, Nord – 1892 in Paris) was a 19th-century French writer and playwright from an Irish family arrived in France following James II of England. Narrey made his debut in 1847 with both a novel, ''Deux heures de myst ...

), Gymnase-Dramatique, 20 April. *1879: '' Le Mari de la débutante'', comedy in 4 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 5 February. *1879: ''Le Petit Hôtel'', comedy in 1 act in prose (with Ludovic Halévy), Comédie-Française, 21 February. *1879: ''La Petite Mademoiselle'', opéra comique in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Charles Lecocq, Théâtre de la Renaissance, 12 April. *1879: ''Lolotte'', comedy in 1 act (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Vaudeville, 4 October. *1880: ''La Petite Mère'', comedy in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 6 March. *1880: ''Nina la tueuse'', comedy in 1 act in verse (with Jacques Redelsperg), Théâtre du Gymnase, 2 October. *1881: ''Janot'', opéra-comique in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Charles Lecocq, Théâtre de la Renaissance, 22 January. *1881: '' La Roussotte'', comédie en vaudeville, music by

, Charles Lecocq, and

Marius Boullard Marius may refer to: People *Gaius Marius (157 BC-86 BC), Roman statesman, seven times consul. Arts and entertainment * ''Marius'' (play), a 1929 play by Marcel Pagnol * "Marius" (short story), a 1957 story by Poul Anderson * ''Marius'' (193 ...

, libretto by Ludovic Halévy, Henri Meilhac and Albert Millaud, Théâtre des Variétés, 28 January. *1881: ''Le Mari à Babette'', comedy in 3 acts (with Philippe Gille), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 31 December. *1882: ''Madame le diable'', féerie-opérette in 4 acts and 12 tableaux including a prologue (with Arnold Mortier), music by Gaston Serpette, Théâtre de la Renaissance, 4 April. *1883: '' Mam'zelle Nitouche'', comédie en vaudeville in 3 acts (with Albert Millaud, Théâtre des Variétés, 26 January. *1883 ''Le Nouveau régime'', one-act comedy (with Jules Prével), Théâtre du Gymnase, 11 May. *1883 ''Ma camarade'', five-act play (with Philippe Gille), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 9 October. *1884: '' Manon'', opéra comique in 5 acts and 6 tableaux (with Philippe Gille), music by Jules Massenet, Opéra-comique, 19 January. *1884: ''Le Cosaque'', opéra bouffe (with Albert Millaud and Ernest Blum), music by Hervé, Théâtre des Variétés, 26 January. *1884: ''La Duchesse Martin'', one-act comedy, Comédie-Française, 16 May. *1884: ''Rip'', opéra comique in 3 acts (with Philippe Gille after Henry Brougham Farnie's English-language '' Rip Van Winkle''), music by Robert Planquette, Folies-Dramatiques, 11 November. *1886: ''Les Demoiselles Clochart''. *1886: ''Gotte'', comedy in 4 acts, Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 2 December. * ''La lettre de Toto'',

monologue In theatre, a monologue (from el, μονόλογος, from μόνος ''mónos'', "alone, solitary" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes a ...

in verse. *1888: ''Décoré'', comedy in 3 acts, Théâtre des Variétés, 27 January. *1888: ''Pepa'', comedy in 3 acts (with Louis Ganderax), Comédie-Française, 31 October. * ''Le Train de minuit''. *1890: ''Margot'', comedy in 3 acts, Comédie-Française, 18 January. *1890: ''Ma cousine'', comedy in 3 acts, Théâtre des Variétés, 27 October. * ''M. l'Abbé''. * ''Brevet supérieur''. *1893: ''Kassya'', opera in 5 acts (with Philippe Gille, after Leopold von Sacher-Masoch), music by Léo Delibes, Opéra-Comique, 13 March. *1894: ''Villégiature'', comedy in 1 act, Théâtre du Vaudeville, 15 January.

Filmography

** Films based on ''Carmen'' ** Films based on ''Die Fledermaus'' (The operetta ''Die Fledermaus'' is based on the play ''Le Reveillon'') ** Films based on ''The Merry Widow'' (The operetta ''The Merry Widow'' is based on the play ''L'Attaché d'ambassade'') ** Films based on ''Mam'zelle Nitouche'' *', directed by (1914, based on the play ''Frou-Frou'') *'' A Hungry Heart'', directed by Émile Chautard (1917, based on the play ''Frou-Frou'') *', directed by (Italy, 1918, based on the play ''Frou-Frou'') *''Fanny Lear'', directed by Robert Boudrioz and Jean Manoussi (France, 1919, based on the play ''Fanny Lear'') *''Frou-Frou'', directed by

Otto Rippert Otto Rippert (22 October 1869 – 15 January 1940) was a German film director during the silent film era. Biography Rippert was born in Offenbach am Main, Germany, and began his career as a stage actor, working in theatres in Baden-Baden, For ...

(Germany, 1922, based on the play ''Frou-Frou'') *''Frou-Frou'', directed by Guy du Fresnay (France, 1924, based on the play ''Frou-Frou'') *'' So This Is Paris'', directed by

Ernst Lubitsch Ernst Lubitsch (; January 29, 1892November 30, 1947) was a German-born American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as ...

(1926, based on the play ''Le Reveillon'') *'' La Vie parisienne'', directed by

Robert Siodmak Robert Siodmak (; 8 August 1900 – 10 March 1973) was a German film director who also worked in the United States. He is best remembered as a thriller specialist and for a series of films noirs he made in the 1940s, such as '' The Killers'' (19 ...

(France, 1936, based on the operetta '' La Vie parisienne'') **'' Parisian Life'', directed by

(English version, 1936, based on the operetta '' La Vie parisienne'') *'' The Toy Wife'', directed by

Richard Thorpe Richard Thorpe (born Rollo Smolt Thorpe; February 24, 1896 – May 1, 1991) was an American film director best known for his long career at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Biography Born Rollo Smolt Thorpe in Hutchinson, Kansas, Richard Thorpe began his en ...

(1938, based on the play ''Frou-Frou'') *'' Tricoche and Cacolet'', directed by Pierre Colombier (France, 1938, based on the play ''Tricoche et Cacolet'') *''

Sköna Helena ''Sköna Helena'' ''(Beautiful Helen)'' is a Swedish musical film of 1951 directed by Gustaf Edgren, and based loosely on the story and music of the opéra bouffe ''La belle Hélène''. It was director Gustaf Edgren's last film and stars Max Hans ...

'', directed by Gustaf Edgren (Sweden, 1951, based on the operetta '' La belle Hélène'') *''Die schöne Helena'', directed by Axel von Ambesser (West Germany, 1975, TV film, based on the operetta '' La belle Hélène'') *'' Parisian Life'', directed by

Christian-Jaque Christian-Jaque (byname of Christian Maudet; 4 September 1904 – 8 July 1994) was a French filmmaker. From 1954 to 1959, he was married to actress Martine Carol, who starred in several of his films, including '' Lucrèce Borgia'' (1953), '' ...

(France, 1977, based on the operetta '' La Vie parisienne'')

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Meilhac, Henri 1831 births 1897 deaths Writers from Paris French opera librettists Operetta librettists Members of the Académie Française French musical theatre lyricists 19th-century French dramatists and playwrights Burials at Montmartre Cemetery 19th-century French male writers French male dramatists and playwrights