Paul Bilhaud (31 December 1854 – 8 January 1933) 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 ...

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 ...

. An old friend of the author

Alphonse Allais Alphonse Allais (20 October 1854 – 28 October 1905) was a French writer, journalist and humorist. Life Allais was born in Honfleur, Calvados (department), Calvados. He died in Paris. Work He is the author of many collections of whimsical writ ...

, he is remembered along his friend as a forerunner of

minimalism In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Don ...

with his painting ''Combat de nègres pendant la nuit'' ("(Battle of negroes during the night"), displayed for the first time in 1882, more than thirty years before the « ''

Black Square Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have ...

'' » by

Kazimir Malevich Kazimir Severinovich Malevich ; german: Kasimir Malewitsch; pl, Kazimierz Malewicz; russian: Казими́р Севери́нович Мале́вич ; uk, Казимир Северинович Малевич, translit=Kazymyr Severynovych ...

. Missing since 1882, this painting was found by expert Johann Naldi in 2017–2018 in a private collection. It has been classified as a National Treasure by the French state. However, Bilhaud was not the first to create an all-black artwork: for example,

Robert Fludd Robert Fludd, also known as Robertus de Fluctibus (17 January 1574 – 8 September 1637), was a prominent English Paracelsian physician with both scientific and occult interests. He is remembered as an astrologer, mathematician, cosmologis ...

published an image of "Darkness" in his 1617 book on the origin and structure of the cosmos; and

Bertall Charles Albert d'Arnoux (Charles Constant Albert Nicolas, Vicomte d'Arnoux, Count of Limoges-Saint-Saëns), known as ''Bertall'' (or Bertal, an anagram of Albert) or Tortu-Goth (December 18, 1820 in Paris – March 24, 1882 in Soyons) was a Fre ...

published his black ''Vue de La Hogue (effet de nuit)'' in 1843.) Inspired by Bilhaud,

proposed other monochrome paintings, published in his '' Album primo-avrilesque'' in 1897.

Works

Theatre

*''La Première Querelle'', domestic scene, éditions Barbré, 1881, a play created at the Théâtre du Gymnase, 1 September 1881. *''La Soirée du seize'', comedy de salon in one act, éditions Librairie théâtrale, 1884. *''Première ivresse'' (in collaboration with Julien Berr de Turique) créée à l’Odéon, 22 September 1885. *''Bigame'', comedy in three acts (in collaboration with Albert Barré), éditions Librairie théâtrale, 1886. *''La Courtisane de Corinthe'' (in collaboration with

Michel Carré Michel Carré (20 October 1821, Besançon – 27 June 1872, Argenteuil) was a prolific French librettist. He went to Paris in 1840 intending to become a painter but took up writing instead. He wrote verse and plays before turning to writing libre ...

). *''Ma Bru !'' (in collaboration with Michel Carré), performed at the Théâtre de l'Odéon in 1898. *''Le Gant'', comedy in one act (in collaboration with

Maurice Hennequin Maurice Hennequin (10 December 1863 – 3 September 1926) was a French-naturalized Belgian playwright. Biography A great-grandson of the painter Philippe-Auguste Hennequin, Maurice Hennequin was the son of Alfred Hennequin (1842–1887), him ...

), éditions P.-V. Stock, 1905. *''L’Âme des héros'', (in collaboration with Michel Carré)

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 writi ...

in verses, created 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 ...

, 6 June 1907. *''L'École des bavards ou Parler'', scene in three periods, éditions Georges Ondet, 1919. *''La Douche'', comedy de salon, played by Coquelin cadet and Melle Scellier, éditions Librairie Théâtrale, 1884. *''Gustave !'', comedy de salon in one act *''Heureuse !'', comedy in three acts (in collaboration with

) Read on line
/ref> *''La Famille Boléro'', play in three acts *''Les Espérances'', comedy in one act, in prose, Paris,

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 ...

, 2 September 1885 *''J’attends Ernest'', comedy in one act, in prose, Paris,

Théâtre du Palais-Royal The Théâtre du Palais-Royal () is a 750-seat Parisian theatre at 38 rue de Montpensier, located at the northwest corner of the Palais-Royal in the Galerie de Montpensier at its intersection with the Galerie de Beaujolais. Brief history ...

, 11 April 1885 *''Le Papillon'', comedy in one act, in verses

Librettos

* ''La Soubrette'',

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 one act, with Quénéhen and Rambaud (Asnières, 6 July 1891) * ''Un mariage à bout portant'', operetta in one act, with Remy, music by Cieutat (Scala, 16 February 1892) * ''Toto'', operetta in three acts, with Albert Barré, music by Antoine Banès ( Théâtre des Menus-Plaisirs, 10 June 1892) * ''Madame Rose'', opera-comique in one act, with Albert Barré, music by Antoine Banès (

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief rival, the Comédie-Italienne ...

, 25 September 1893) * ''Nos bons chasseurs'',

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

in three acts, with Michel Carré fils, music by

Charles Lecocq Alexandre Charles Lecocq (3 June 183224 October 1918) was a French composer, known for his opérettes and opéras comiques. He became the most prominent successor to Jacques Offenbach in this sphere, and enjoyed considerable success in the 1870 ...

(Nouveau Théâtre, 10 April 1894) * ''Le Roi Frelon'', operetta in three acts, with Albert Barré, music by d'Antoine Banès (Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques, 11 April 1895) * ''La Tourte'', operetta in one act, music by Gaston Serpette (Asnières, 8 February 1895) * ''La Jarretière'', operetta in one act, with Albert Barré, music by Antoine Banès (Eldorado, 29 April 1897) * ''La Fiancée du trombone à coulisse'', fairly joyous symphonologue, music by

Émile Pessard Émile Louis Fortuné Pessard (29 May 1843 – 10 February 1917) was a French composer. Pessard was born and died in Paris. He studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he won 1st prize in Harmony. In 1866 he won the Grand Prix de Rome with h ...

Tableaux

*1882 : "''Combat de nègres dans un tunnel''"

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Read on line
on Gallica {{DEFAULTSORT:Bilhaud, Paul 19th-century French dramatists and playwrights French librettists People from Cher (department) 1854 births 1933 deaths