Pierre-Barthélemy Gheusi, also known by the pseudonym Norbert Lorédan, (21 November 1865 – 30 January 1943) was a French theatre director,

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 ...

, journalist and writer. He was born in

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and fr ...

and died in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

Biography

A son of a banker and distant cousin of Gambetta, Pierre-Barthélemy Gheusi studied at the college in

Castres Castres (; ''Castras'' in the Languedocian dialect of Occitan) is the sole subprefecture of the Tarn department in the Occitanie region in Southern France. It lies in the former province of Languedoc, although not in the former region of Lan ...

, where he met

Jean Jaurès Auguste Marie Joseph Jean Léon Jaurès (3 September 185931 July 1914), commonly referred to as Jean Jaurès (; oc, Joan Jaurés ), was a French Socialist leader. Initially a Moderate Republican, he later became one of the first social dem ...

, who was at that time a tutor there, and became a friend of the doctor and scholar François de Vesian. He went to study law in Toulouse. In 1887–1888, at the instigation of

Laurent Tailhade Laurent Tailhade (; 1854–1919) was a French satirical poet, anarchist polemicist, essayist, and translator, active in Paris in the 1890s and early 1900s. Works *''Au pays du mufle'' 1891. *''Poèmes élégiaques'' Vitraux. Vanier, 1891. *''A ...

, Gheusi worked on the revue ''Le Décadent'', but his literary career struggled to take off, despite the recommendations of

Émile Zola Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, also , ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of naturalism, and an important contributor to the development of ...

and

Catulle Mendès Catulle Mendès (22 May 1841 – 8 February 1909) was a French poet and man of letters. Early life and career Of Portuguese Jewish extraction, Mendès was born in Bordeaux. After childhood and adolescence in Toulouse, he arrived in Paris in 185 ...

. Gheusi was involved in republican politics and joined the electoral campaign of Jaurès in the legislative elections of 1889 in Castres. In the following years, the government called on his services from time to time. In 1897,

Ernest Constans Jean Antoine Ernest Constans (3 May 1833 – 7 April 1913) was a French politician and colonial administrator. Biography Born in Béziers, Hérault, he began his career as professor of law. In 1876 he was elected deputy for Toulouse to the F ...

sent him on an inspection tour of Christian schools in Palestine. After a short period at the Ministère des Colonies in 1906, beside

Georges Leygues Georges Leygues (; 29 October 1856 – 2 September 1933) was a French politician of the Third Republic. During his time as Minister of Marine he worked with the navy's chief of staff Henri Salaun in unsuccessful attempts to gain naval re-arm ...

(also from south west France), he was charged by Jean Cruppi, then minister of Foreign Affairs, to work in 1911 for the restoration of diplomatic relations between France and Venezuela. In 1894, he married Adrienne Willems, nièce of the painter Florent Willems and frequented, alongside many free-thinkers and free-masons, the Luscrambo, an association which grouped the Toulousains of Paris, founded by the singer and future director of the Opéra Pedro Gailhard. His novel ''Gaucher Myrian'', written in collaboration with the Bordeaux intellectual and musicologist

Anatole Loquin Anatole Loquin (1834 in Orléans – 1903) was a French writer, comptroller of Customs and musicologist. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Paul Lavigne, Louis Sévin et Ubalde. Author of numerous theoretical works of music, Loquin defended with g ...

was published in 1893, and attests to his interest in

catharism Catharism (; from the grc, καθαροί, katharoi, "the pure ones") was a Christian dualist or Gnostic movement between the 12th and 14th centuries which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France. F ...

. In 1906, he became a member of the Eglise gnostique catholique, alongside Léonce-Eugène Fabre des Essarts and

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (; 12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers ...

. In 1897, Arthur Meyer entrusted him with the direction of the illustrated literary supplement of the ''Gaulois'' which had just been created with the title ''Le Gaulois du dimanche''. In 1899, he bought the ''Nouvelle Revue'' from Juliette Adam. Under his direction, this periodical enjoyed a particularly brilliant period. In 1911, he acquired the castle of the Baron, Albert de L'Espée, at Ilbarritz, by

Biarritz Biarritz ( , , , ; Basque also ; oc, Biàrritz ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spa ...

at auction, and envisaged making a golf course; the 1914 war stopped the works and he transformed the house into a hospital for repatriated injured soldiers during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. He himself served as subalterne/officier d'ordonnance of

Gallieni Joseph Simon Gallieni (24 April 1849 – 27 May 1916) was a French soldier, active for most of his career as a military commander and administrator in the French colonies. Gallieni is infamous in Madagascar as the French military leader who e ...

. Pedro Gailhard had called him to serve in the direction of the

Paris Opéra 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 k ...

in 1906 and in 1914, he became director of the l'Opéra Comique, alongside Émile and

Vincent Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer''). People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor *Vincent van Gogh ...

Isola. He was suddenly removed in 1918 by his sworn enemy Clemenceau. After a short time running the Théâtre Lyrique du Vaudeville (1919–1920), he became editor of '' Figaro'' and soon was promoted to administrative director. He was especially entrusted by the new proprietor,

François Coty François Coty (born Joseph Marie François Spoturno in Corsica ; 3 May 1874 – 25 July 1934) was a French perfumer, businessman, newspaper publisher, politician and patron of the arts. He was the founder of the Coty perfume company, today a m ...

, with organizing the merger with '' Le Gaulois'' in 1929, before leaving in 1932. In that year Anatole de Monzie, Minister of Public Instruction and Beaux-Arts, nominated him again Director of the Opéra-Comique which was in a financial crisis. Gheusi used his own funds to assist the theatre, but he was forced to resign at the time of the strikes of 1936.Wolff S. ''Un demi-siècle d'Opéra-Comique (1900–1950).'' André Bonne, Paris, 1953. He died in Paris on 30 January 1943. His memoirs, ''Cinquante Ans de Paris'', are a document on the political life under the Third Républic.

Works of Pierre-Barthélemy Gheusi

;Stage and opera * ''La Fée aux roses'', (saynète) by Norbert Lorédan, 1888 * ''La Veillée de Jeanne d'Arc'', Scène lyrique for soprano, men's chorus and orchestra, with Ernest Lefèvre, (around 1890) * ''Rayon d'onyx'', Poème for the stage, 1890 * ''Le Carillon'', opéra in 3 acts, in collaboration with J. Méry, music by J. Ulrich,

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille ...

, 15 September 1895 * ''Damayanti'', légende lyrique in 1 act, music by Lucien Fontayne, Grand-Théâtre de Marseille, 7 May 1895 * ''Ermessinde'', opéra in 2 acts and 3 tableaux * ''Guernica'', drame lyrique in 3 acts, with Pedro Gailhard, music by

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 ...

, Opéra-comique, 5 June 1895 * ''Carloman'', drame lyrique in 3 acts, 1896 * ''Kermaria'', idylle d'Armorique in 3 acts with a prologue, Paris Opéra-comique, 1897 * ''Faublas'', opéra, music by

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: " ...

, 1897 * ''La Cloche du Rhin'', drame lyrique in 3 acts, with Georges Montorgueil, music by Samuel Rousseau, Opéra de Paris, May 1898 * ''Le Comte Roger'', drame in 4 acts, with Édouard Noël, l'Athénée, Paris, 28 June 1900 * ''Le Juif Polonais'', opéra 3 acts and 6 tableaux, in collaboration with Henri Cain after

Erckmann-Chatrian Erckmann-Chatrian was the name used by French authors Émile Erckmann (1822–1899) and Alexandre Chatrian (1826–1890), nearly all of whose works were jointly written.Mary Ellen Snodgrass, ''Encyclopedia of Gothic Literature''. New York, Facts ...

, music by

, Opéra-Comique, 11 April 1900 * ''Les Barbares'', tragédie lyrique in 3 acts and a prologue, with

Victorien Sardou Victorien Sardou ( , ; 5 September 18318 November 1908) was a French dramatist. He is best remembered today for his development, along with Eugène Scribe, of the well-made play. He also wrote several plays that were made into popular 19th-centur ...

, music by

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (; 9 October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano C ...

, Opéra de Paris, 23 October 1901 * ''Orsola'', drame lyrique in 3 acts, music by Paul and Lucien Hillemacher, Opéra de Paris, 14 May 1902 * ''Trilby'', féerie in one act, with Charles Lomon,

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 ...

, 1904 * ''Çanta'', tragédie lyrique in 3 acts and 4 tableaux, after the

Brahmana The Brahmanas (; Sanskrit: , ''Brāhmaṇam'') are Vedic śruti works attached to the Samhitas (hymns and mantras) of the Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva Vedas. They are a secondary layer or classification of Sanskrit texts embedded within ...

and the

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages ...

, with J. Fonville, music by Pierre Kunc, Paris music competition. 1900–1903 * ''Fiorella'', comédie lyrique in 1 act, with Victorien Sardou, 1905 * ''Chacun sa vie'', comédie in 3 acts, with Gustave Guiches, Comédie-Française, 10 September 1907 * ''Le Miracle'', drame lyrique in 5 acts, with André Mérane, music by Georges-Adolphe Hué, Opéra de Paris, 1 December 1910 * ''Perkain'', drame lyrique in 3 acts, Basque legend after Pierre Harispe, music by

Jean Poueigh Jean Marie Octave Géraud Poueigh (24 February 1876 in Toulouse – 14 October 1958 in Olivet) was a French composer, musicologist, music critic, and folklorist. He wrote music criticism under the pseudonym Octave Séré. Poueigh is known for suin ...

, 1931 ;Novels * ''Gaucher Myrian, vie aventureuse d'un escholier féodal. Salamanque, Toulouse et Paris au XIIIe siècle'', with Paul Lavigne, 1893 * ''L'Âme de Jeanne Darc, roman épisodique de la guerre de cent ans'', 1895 * ''Le Serpent de mer, roman à clés'', 1899 * ''Montsalvat'' 1890–1910 * ''La Mamelouke, roman d'un officier de Bonaparte en Égypte et en Syrie'', 1905 * ''Biarritz-des-Goélands'', 1905 * ''Le Puits des âmes'', 1906 * ''L'Opéra romanesque'', 1910 * ''Les Pirates de l'Opéra'', 1911 * ''Le Mascaret rouge'', 1931 * ''Les Amours de Faublas'', novel in 7 chapters after Louvet de Couvray, 1938 * ''La Fille de Monte-Cristo'', 1948 ;Historical * Gambetta, par Gambetta, lettres intimes et souvenirs de famille publiés par P.-B. Gheusi, 1909 * Gallieni 1849–1916, 1922 * La Gloire de Gallieni. Comment Paris fut sauvé. Le Testament d'un soldat, 1928 * Gallieni et Madagascar, Paris ; 1931 * La Vie et la Mort singulières de Gambetta, 1932 * Le Roman de Gambetta, 1938 * La Vie prodigieuse du maréchal Gallieni, 1939 ;Other * Quelques pages d'un vieil album, 1889 * Le Blason héraldique, manuel nouveau de l'art héraldique, de la science du blason et de la polychromie féodale, d'après les règles du moyen âge, 1892 * Simplement, poèmes, 1895 * Midi. Silhouettes : E. Barbey, Constans, Gailhard, Gallieni, Mgr Gazaniol, Jean Jaurès, Georges Leygues, Verdi, Paul Vidal, Emma Calvé, Aïno Ackté, etc. Théâtre, paysages et légendes, de l'Opéra à la mosquée d'Omar, 1900 * Sous le volcan, 1903 * Les Atlantes, aventures de temps légendaires, with Charles Lomon, 1905 * Les Chefs, études politiques et de théâtre, 1914 * Guerre et théâtre, 1914–1918. Mémoires d'un officier du général Gallieni et journal parisien du directeur du théâtre national de l'Opéra-Comique pendant la guerre, 1919 * L'Opéra-Comique pendant la guerre, 1919 * L'Affaire de l'Opéra-Comique et l'Opéra-Comique de Lafferre, 1923 * Les Tueurs de rois, 1926 * Jeanne Myrtale.

Jean Mouliérat Jean Mouliérat (13 November 1853 – 20 April 1932) was a French tenor. He spent most of his career at the Opéra comique in Paris. Origins Born in Vers, near Cahors, Mouliérat was the son of an hotelier. The paternal hotel-restaurant, ''La ...

, with Thomas Salignac, 1933 * L'Opéra-Comique sous la haine, Paris, 1937 * Cinquante ans de Paris, mémoires d'un témoin, 1889–1938, 1939, 4 volumes * La Femme nue du Montcalm, 1945.

References

* Christophe Luraschi, ''Pierre-Barthélemy Gheusi'', Editions Atlantica, 2001
Biographie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gheusi, Pierre-Barthelemy 1865 births 1943 deaths French opera librettists Opera managers Writers from Toulouse French male dramatists and playwrights