Théâtre Feydeau
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The Théâtre Feydeau (), a former Parisian theatre company, was founded in 1789 with the patronage of Monsieur, Comte de Provence (later to become
Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 â€“ 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. Before his reign, he spent 23 y ...
), and was therefore initially named the Théâtre de Monsieur. It began performing in the Salle des Tuileries, located in the north wing of the
Tuileries Palace The Tuileries Palace (, ) was a palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the Seine, directly in the west-front of the Louvre Palace. It was the Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from Henri IV to Napoleon III, until it was b ...
, then moved to the Salle des Variétés at the Foire Saint-Germain, and beginning in 1791, settled into its own custom-built theatre, the Salle Feydeau located on the rue Feydeau. The company was renamed Feydeau after the royal family was arrested during the French Revolution.Johnson 1992. The company first presented
Italian opera Italian opera is both the art of opera in Italy and opera in the Italian language. Opera was in Italy around the year 1600 and Italian opera has continued to play a dominant role in the history of the form until the present day. Many famous ope ...
by composers such as
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Giovanni Battista Draghi (; 4 January 1710 – 16 or 17 March 1736), usually referred to as Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (), was an Italian Baroque composer, violinist, and organist, leading exponent of the Baroque; he is considered one of the g ...
,
Giuseppe Sarti Giuseppe Sarti (also Sardi; baptised 1 December 1729 – 28 July 1802) was an Italian opera composer. Biography He was born at Faenza. His date of birth is not known, but he was baptised on 1 December 1729 and he passed away on 28 July 1802. Som ...
, and
Giovanni Paisiello Giovanni Paisiello (or Paesiello; 9 May 1740 – 5 June 1816) was an Italian composer of the Classical era, and was the most popular opera composer of the late 1700s. His operatic style influenced Mozart and Rossini. Life Paisiello was born i ...
and later
French plays French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), a ...
, vaudevilles, and ''opéras comiques'', as well as
symphonic A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning ...
concerts, and was especially famous for the quality of its orchestra and realistic stagings. The Italian
Luigi Cherubini Maria Luigi Carlo Zenobio Salvatore Cherubini ( ; ; 8 or 14 SeptemberWillis, in Sadie (Ed.), p. 833 1760 – 15 March 1842) was an Italian Classical and Romantic composer. His most significant compositions are operas and sacred music. Beethov ...
was the house composer,Willis 1992, p. 833. but the French composers
Jean-François Le Sueur Jean-François Le Sueur (more commonly Lesueur; ; 15 February 17606 October 1837) was a French composer, best known for his oratorios and operas. Life He was born at Plessiel, a hamlet of Drucat near Abbeville, to a long-established family of P ...
,
François Devienne François Devienne (; 31 January 1759 – 5 September 1803) was a French composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period and professor for flute at the Conservatoire de Paris, Paris Conservatory. Career Devienne was born in Joinvill ...
, and
Pierre Gaveaux Pierre Gaveaux (6 October 1760 – 5 February 1825) was a French operatic tenor and composer, notable for creating the role of Jason in Cherubini's ''Médée'' and for composing ''Léonore, ou L'amour conjugal'', the first operatic version of the ...
were also closely associated with the company. In 1801 the Théâtre Feydeau merged with, and took the name of its chief rival, the
Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...
. Except for a brief period from July 1804 to July 1805, when the merged company performed at the Salle Favart, it continued to perform at the Salle Feydeau until 1829, when it moved to a new theatre, the Salle Ventadour. The Salle Feydeau was demolished shortly thereafter.


History


At the Tuileries

The company was founded on 26 January 1789 by
Marie-Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the wife of Louis XVI. Born Archd ...
's ''coiffeur'' Léonard-Alexis Autier and the violinist and composer
Giovanni Battista Viotti Giovanni Battista Viotti (12 May 1755 – 3 March 1824) was an Italian violinist whose virtuosity was famed and whose work as a composer featured a prominent violin and an appealing lyrical tunefulness. He was also a director of French and Italia ...
and at first used the Salle des Tuileries, which had previously been the Salle des Machines, but had been greatly modified and reduced in size by the architects
Jacques-Germain Soufflot Jacques-Germain Soufflot (, 22 July 1713 – 29 August 1780) was a French architect in the international circle that introduced neoclassicism. His most famous work is the Panthéon in Paris, built from 1755 onwards, originally as a church ded ...
and
Ange-Jacques Gabriel Ange-Jacques Gabriel (; 23 October 1698 – 4 January 1782) was the principal architect of King Louis XV of France. His major works included the Place de la Concorde, the École Militaire, and the Petit Trianon and opera theater at the Palace of ...
for the
Paris Opera 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 be kn ...
in 1763. Since the Théâtre de Monsieur was opened for the King's brother and was at the Tuileries Palace, the King allowed the performers to live at the palace. While most theatres of the time were only permitted to do one kind of drama, the Théâtre de Monsieur performed French drama, opéra comique, vaudeville, and Italian opera buffa.


At the Saint-Germain Fair

On 6 October 1789
Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...
and Marie-Antoinette moved to the
Tuileries Palace The Tuileries Palace (, ) was a palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the Seine, directly in the west-front of the Louvre Palace. It was the Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from Henri IV to Napoleon III, until it was b ...
after being forced to leave
Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of ÃŽle-de-France, ÃŽle-de-France region in Franc ...
for Paris by rioters. It was decided that the Théâtre de Monsieur would have to find new quarters, and that a new theatre would be built, but in the interim, the company would perform in the Salle des Variétés at the
Saint-Germain Fair Saint-Germain, Saint Germain or Saint Germaine may refer to: Places * Boulevard Saint-Germain * List of French communes named Saint-Germain * Saint-Germain, Quebec, Canada * Saint-Germain River, Quebec, Canada * St. Germain, Wisconsin, U.S. ...
. The company's last performance at the Tuileries was on 23 December, and it opened at the Salle des Variétés on 10 January 1790. Piccini's ''
La buona figliuola ''La buona figliuola'' (''The Good-Natured Girl'' or ''The Accomplish'd Maid''), or ''La Cecchina'' (''The Girl from Cecchina'' or ''Fannie''), is an opera buffa in three acts by Niccolò Piccinni. The libretto, by Carlo Goldoni, is based on Samue ...
'' was warmly received on 3 February 1790 with the composer conducting, but Pasquale Anfossi's ''I viaggiatori felici'' was less highly regarded, on account of both its music and its libretto, with the exception of inserted numbers composed by Cherubini, who took a bow at the insistence of the audience. The sixteen-year-old violinist
Pierre Rode Jacques Pierre Joseph Rode (; 16 February 1774 – 25 November 1830) was a French violinist and composer. Life and career Born in Bordeaux, Aquitaine, France, Pierre Rode traveled in 1787 to Paris and soon became a favourite pupil of the great Gi ...
played a concerto by Viotti between the acts of
Giuseppe Sarti Giuseppe Sarti (also Sardi; baptised 1 December 1729 – 28 July 1802) was an Italian opera composer. Biography He was born at Faenza. His date of birth is not known, but he was baptised on 1 December 1729 and he passed away on 28 July 1802. Som ...
's '' Le gelosie villane'' on 18 October. The company continued to perform in the theatre at the Saint-Germain fairground until 31 December 1790.Lister 2009, p. 146.


On the rue Feydeau

For the new theatre, a site just east of the north end of the Tuileries Palace, formerly occupied by the "Stables of Monsieur", was first considered. This location was thought advantageous, even at this late date, because the royal family could reach it without having to go out-of-doors. Several other sites were also considered, but by February 1790, a piece of land on the rue Feydeau was selected. Despite its proximity to the Salle Favart, home of the
Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...
, and objections by
Jean Sylvain Bailly Jean Sylvain Bailly (; 15 September 1736 – 12 November 1793) was a French astronomer, mathematician, freemason, and political leader of the early part of the French Revolution. He presided over the Tennis Court Oath, served as the mayor of ...
, the mayor of Paris, permission was granted in April. The new theatre on the rue Feydeau was built in just over six months in a neoclassical style to the designs by the architects Jacques Legrand and Jacques Molinos and had a capacity of 1700–1900. These designers were not too concerned with the practicality of the theatre space, but more with the splendor of the theatre. It was a rectangular building that was curved on the side of the lobby at the front. On the curved front were seven massive windows that let natural light into the lobby. In between these windows were statues that were the same height as the windows. The architects also included "carriage entrances at ground level that allowed theatre goers to disembark inside a protected vestibule" or entrance hall between an outer door and the main part of the building. These features, along with the statues on the outside of the lobby, were novel and attracted a lot of attention.McClellan 1994, p. 16. The lobby was highly ornate and was where Legrand and Molnios focused a lot of their attention. The theatre was lit by candlelight and by hanging chandeliers. There were seats in the pit as well as lining the sides of the theatre. There were three balconies and two different standing areas. There were also boxed seats next to the stage. Several "design flaws of the original plan would continue to haunt the theatre's administration." The proscenium "extended beyond the stage in such a way that it obstructed the view of the stage for most of the side loges". Bad sight lines were a problem with the original design of the theatre. The audience structure caused poor sound reverberations. There were two different remodeling projects, one in 1798 and one in 1801. The opening there took place on 6 January 1791, when Sarti's 3-act comic opera '' Le nozze di Dorina'' was presented.Sadie 1992, vol. 3, p. 867. Up to 1791 the repertory had consisted primarily of Italian opera, with additional music added by Cherubini, but the exclusive privileges of the royal theatres were revoked on 13 January 1791. The company was now free to present French '' opéras comiques'', competing more directly with the nearby Opéra-Comique company at the Salle Favart. Upon the Royal Family's return to Paris on 24 June 1791, after its unsuccessful
flight Flight or flying is the motion (physics), motion of an Physical object, object through an atmosphere, or through the vacuum of Outer space, space, without contacting any planetary surface. This can be achieved by generating aerodynamic lift ass ...
and arrest in Varennes, the Théâtre de Monsieur was officially renamed Théâtre Français & Italien de la rue Feydeau, but by July this had been shortened to Théâtre de la rue Feydeau, or simply the Théâtre Feydeau. The first important French work was Cherubini's '' Lodoïska'', which was premiered on 18 July 1791. This was followed by more French operas by Cherubini, as well as operas by French composers, including Devienne's ''Les visitandines'' (7 July 1792); Le Sueur's ''
La caverne ''La caverne, ou Le repentir'' (, ''The Cavern, or Repentance'') is an opera in three acts by French composer Jean-François Le Sueur. It was first performed at the Théâtre Feydeau, Paris, on 16 February 1793. The libretto, by Alphonse Franà ...
'' (16 February 1793), ''Paul et Virginie'' (13 January 1794), and ''Télémaque'' (10 May 1796); and Gaveaux's ''
Léonore, ou L'amour conjugal ''Léonore, ou L'Amour conjugal'' (Leonore, or marital love) is an opéra comique in two acts by Pierre Gaveaux after a libretto by Jean-Nicolas Bouilly. It was premiered on 19 February 1798 at the Théâtre Feydeau in Paris. Orchestra The or ...
'' (19 February 1798). The last was the model for Beethoven's ''
Fidelio ''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Opus number, Op. 72, is the sole opera by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of ...
''. In general, opera alternated evenings with spoken drama, presented by a separate company of actors. The theatre became one of the meeting-places for
counter-revolutionaries A counter-revolutionary or an anti-revolutionary is anyone who opposes or resists a revolution, particularly one who acts after a revolution has occurred, in order to try to overturn it or reverse its course, in full or in part. The adjective "c ...
. Like many theatres of the Revolutionary period, it was frequently banned. However, it re-opened for good on 2 April 1796, becoming one of the most appreciated theatres in Paris. Talma produced there from 1798. Sagaret directed the company from 1795 to 1799, but he also took on the management of two other theatres, the Théâtre de la République and the Théâtre de l'Odéon, and becoming overextended closed the Théâtre Feydeau on 12 April 1801. However, the Opéra-Comique, the Feydeau's chief rival, was also forced to close on 20 July 1801, and it was soon decided to merge the two companies under the name Opéra-Comique, which occurred on 16 September 1801. Since the previous Opéra-Comique's Salle Favart needed repairs, the merged company performed at the Salle Feydeau. Except for a short period from 23 July 1804 to 4 July 1805, when it performed at the Salle Favart and the Salle Olympique, it continued using the Salle Feydeau until 12 April 1829, after which the Salle Feydeau was demolished,''The Foreign Quarterly Review'', vol. 15 (March and July 1835), p. 278.
at
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.
and the new Opéra-Comique moved to a newly built theatre, the Salle Ventadour, opening there on 20 April 1829. In ''
La fille de Madame Angot ''La fille de Madame Angot'' (, ''Madame Angot's Daughter'') is an opéra comique in three acts by Charles Lecocq with words by Clairville (Louis-François Nicolaïe), Clairville, Paul Siraudin and Victor Koning. It was premiered in Brussels in ...
'', an
opéra-comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...
by
Charles Lecocq Alexandre Charles Lecocq (; 3 June 183224 October 1918) was a French composer, known for his opérettes and opéra comique, opéras comiques. He became the most prominent successor to Jacques Offenbach in this sphere, and enjoyed considerable su ...
put on on 4 December 1872, the heroine Clairette Angot sings "Didn't you know Mademoiselle Lange, the great actress of the Feydeau?", thus mentioning the Théâtre Feydeau more than forty years after its demolition.


Productions

*A revival of ''
The Barber of Seville ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( ) is an ''opera buffa'' (comic opera) in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's French comedy ' ...
'' by
Beaumarchais Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (; 24 January 1732 – 18 May 1799) was a French playwright and diplomat during the Age of Enlightenment. Best known for his three Figaro plays, at various times in his life he was also a watchmaker, invent ...
(March 1791).


Premieres

*1791: '' Lodoïska'' by Cherubini (18 July 1791) *1793: ''
La caverne ''La caverne, ou Le repentir'' (, ''The Cavern, or Repentance'') is an opera in three acts by French composer Jean-François Le Sueur. It was first performed at the Théâtre Feydeau, Paris, on 16 February 1793. The libretto, by Alphonse Franà ...
'' by
Jean-François Le Sueur Jean-François Le Sueur (more commonly Lesueur; ; 15 February 17606 October 1837) was a French composer, best known for his oratorios and operas. Life He was born at Plessiel, a hamlet of Drucat near Abbeville, to a long-established family of P ...
(16 February 1793) *1794: '' Eliza ou Le voyage aux glaciers du Mont Saint-Bernard'' by Cherubini (13 December 1794) *1797: ''
Médée ''Médée'' is a dramatic tragedy in five acts written in alexandrine verse by Pierre Corneille Pierre Corneille (; ; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great 17th-century Fr ...
'' by Cherubini (13 March 1797) *1798: '' L'hôtellerie portugaise'' by Cherubini (25 July 1798) *1799: ''La punition'' by Cherubini (23 February 1799) *1800: '' Les deux journées, ou Le porteur d'eau'' by Cherubini (16 January 1800)


Media


References


Notes


Cited sources

* Charlton, David (1992). "Paris. 4. 1789–1870. (iii) The Opéra-Comique (Comédie-Italienne)" in Sadie 1992, vol. 3, pp. 868–870. * Di Profio, Alessandro (2003). ''La révolution des Bouffons: L'opera italien au Theatre de Monsieur 1789–1792''. Paris: CNRS Editions. . * Harris-Warrack, Rebecca (1992). "Paris. 3. 1725–89. (i) The public theatres" in Sadie 1992, vol. 3, pp. 860–864. * Johnson, Janet (1992). "The Théâtre Feydeau" in Sadie 1992, vol. 3, p. 870. * Kennedy, Emmet, Marie-Laurence Netter, James McGregor, and Mark Olsen (1996). ''Theatre, Opera, and Audiences in Revolutionary Paris: Analysis and Repertory''. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. . * Lasalle, Albert de (1875). ''Les treize salles de l'Opéra''. Paris: Sartorius
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at
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. * Lister, Warwick (1992). ''Amico: The Life of Giovanni Battista Viotti''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. . * McClellan, Michael Edward (1994). ''Battling Over the Lyric Muse: Expressions of Revolution and Counterrevolution at the Théâtre Feydeau, 1789–1801'' (thesis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). Ann Arbor, Michigan: UMI. . * Mongrédien, Jean (1992). "Le Sueur esueur Jean-François" in Sadie 1992, vol. 2, pp. 1156–1157. * Sadie, Stanley, editor (1992). ''
The New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes. The dictionary was first published in 1992 by Macmillan Reference, L ...
'' (4 volumes). London: Macmillan. . * Wild, Nicole; Charlton, David (2005). ''Théâtre de l'Opéra-Comique Paris: répertoire 1762–1972''. Sprimont, Belgium: Editions Mardaga. . * Willis, Stephen C. (1992). "Cherubini. (Maria) Luigi (Carlo Zanobi Salvadore)" in Sadie 1992, vol. 1, pp. 833–837.


Other sources

* Péricaud, Louis (1908). ''Théâtre de Monsieur'' (in French). Paris: E. Jorel
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.


External links


Productions put on here on the CESAR site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Theatre Feydeau 1789 establishments in France 1829 disestablishments in France Theatres completed in 1789 Buildings and structures demolished in 1829
Feydeau Georges-Léon-Jules-Marie Feydeau (; 8 December 1862 – 5 June 1921) was a French playwright of the Belle Époque era, remembered for his farces, written between 1886 and 1914. Feydeau was born in Paris to middle-class parents and raised in a ...
Buildings and structures in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris Opera houses in Paris 18th century in Paris 19th century in Paris Louis XVIII Defunct opera houses