Paul (de) Choudens, also known under the pseudonym Paul Bérel (5 June 1850 – 7 October 1925), was a French musician, music publisher,

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

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

Choudens was born in Paris. In 1888, with his brother Antony, he took over the publishing house established by his father Antoine de Choudens in

1845 Events January–March * January 10 – Elizabeth Barrett receives a love letter from the younger poet Robert Browning; on May 20, they meet for the first time in London. She begins writing her ''Sonnets from the Portuguese''. * January 2 ...

and made a fortune in publishing in particular, the music scores of ''

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...

'' by

Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

and '' Carmen'' by

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 o ...

. He was a staunch supporter of Alfred Bruneau,

Paul Vidal Paul Antonin Vidal (16 June 1863 – 9 April 1931) was a French composer, conductor and music teacher mainly active in Paris.Charlton D. Paul Vidal. In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London and New York, 1997. Life and caree ...

and

André Messager André Charles Prosper Messager (; 30 December 1853 – 24 February 1929) was a French composer, organist, pianist and conductor. His compositions include eight ballets and thirty opéra comique, opéras comiques, opérettes and other stage wo ...

. As a librettist, he translated and adapted ''

Der Schauspieldirektor ' (''The Impresario''), K. 486, is a comic ''singspiel'' by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, set to a German libretto by Gottlieb Stephanie, an Austrian ''Schauspieldirektor''. Originally, it was written because of "the imperial command" of the Holy Rom ...

'' by Mozart in collaboration with

Arthur Bernède Arthur Bernède (5 January 1871 – 20 March 1937) was a French writer, poet, opera librettist, and playwright. Bernède was born in Redon, Ille-et-Vilaine department, in Brittany. In 1919, Bernède joined forces with actor René Navarre, who ...

with whom he would write five libretti for the composer Félix Fourdrain.

Libretti

* Henri Hirschmann: ''Lovelace'' (in collaboration with

Jules Barbier Paul Jules Barbier (8 March 182516 January 1901) was a French poet, writer and opera librettist who often wrote in collaboration with Michel Carré. He was a noted Parisian bon vivant and man of letters.Pietro Mascagni Pietro Mascagni (7 December 1863 – 2 August 1945) was an Italian composer primarily known for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece '' Cavalleria rusticana'' caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the ...

: '' Amica'' * Isidore de Lara: ''Sanga'' *

Ruggero Leoncavallo Ruggero (or Ruggiero) Leoncavallo ( , , ; 23 April 18579 August 1919) was an Italian opera composer and librettist. Although he produced numerous operas and other songs throughout his career it is his opera '' Pagliacci'' (1892) that remained h ...

: ''Maïa'' *

Camille Erlanger Camille Erlanger (25 May 186324 April 1919) was a French opera composer. He studied at the Paris Conservatory under Léo Delibes (composition), Georges Mathias (piano), as well as Émile Durand and Antoine Taubon (harmony).Jacobshagen, Arnold: " ...

: ''L'Aube rouge'' * Albert Dupuis: '' La Passion'' * Xavier Leroux: ''La Plus forte'' * Henry Février: ''Oletta, la fille du Corse''

Bibliography

*Anik Devriès &

François Lesure François Lesure (23 May 1923 in Paris – 21 June 2001) was a French librarian and musicologist. Biography François Lesure studied at the Sorbonne, the École nationale des chartes (graduated in 1950), the École pratique des hautes étude ...

: ''Dictionnaire des éditeurs de musique français'', vol. 2 (Geneva: Minkoff, 1988), p. 107–109. *Agnès Chauvin: "L'Hôtel Choudens", in: ''Livraisons d'histoire de l'architecture'', no. 18, 2nd semester 2009. {{DEFAULTSORT:Choudens, Paul 1850 births 1925 deaths Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur French music publishers (people) French opera librettists Writers from Paris 19th-century French writers 19th-century publishers (people) 19th-century French male writers 20th-century French writers 20th-century publishers (people) 20th-century French male writers