Théophile Marion Dumersan (4 January 1780, Plou, Cher – 13 April 1849, Paris) was a French writer of plays,

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

s, poetry, novels,

chanson A (, ; , ) is generally any Lyrics, lyric-driven French song. The term is most commonly used in English to refer either to the secular polyphonic French songs of late medieval music, medieval and Renaissance music or to a specific style of ...

collections,

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

s, and novels, as well as a

numismatist A numismatist is a specialist, researcher, and/or well-informed collector of numismatics, numismatics/coins ("of coins"; from Late Latin , genitive of ). Numismatists can include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholar-researchers who use coi ...

and

curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

attached to the Cabinet des médailles et antiques of the Bibliothèque royale.

Life

The family's real surname was Marion but – to distinguish himself from his brothers – Théophile's brother altered his surname to "du Mersan", after the name of one of its lands. The young Théophile had already found a taste for the theatre by 1795 by learning to read Racine and

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

. In that year, aged 16, whilst his family was distressed by the

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the French First Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and Capital punishment in France, nu ...

, Théophile found work under

Aubin-Louis Millin de Grandmaison Aubin-Louis Millin de Grandmaison (19 July 1759 (Paris) – 14 August 1818 Paris) was an antiquary and naturalist erudite in various domains, who succeeded Jean-Jacques Barthélemy as curator of the Cabinet des médailles et antiques of the forme ...

, curator of the Cabinet des médailles et antiques de la Bibliothèque royale. With his colleague Théodore-Edme Mionnet, future member of the , he perfected a new system for classifying medals into geographical and chronological order, and protected the collection from dispersal by the allies after Napoleon's defeat. He then published at his own expense a history of the collection and description, as newly rearranged according to historical principles, in 1838Théophile Marion Dumersan, ''Histoire de Cabinet des Médailles, antiques et pierres gravées, avec une notice sur la Bibliothèque Royale et une description des objets exposés dans cet établissement.'' Paris, chez l'auteur, 1838.. His earlier ''Notice des monuments exposés dans le cabinet des médailles et antiques de la bibliothèque du Roi'' in several editions, concentrated on the antiquities and

engraved gems An engraved gem, frequently referred to as an intaglio, is a small and usually semi-precious gemstone that has been carved, in the Western tradition normally with images or inscriptions only on one face. The engraving of gemstones was a major lux ...

. All this led to his being named curator of the Cabinet in 1842. At the age of 18, he put on his first play, titled ''Arlequin perruquier, ou Les Têtes

à la Titus A Titus cut or ''coiffure à la Titus'' was a hairstyle for men and women popular at the end of the 18th century in France and England. The style consisted of a short layered cut, typically with curls. It was supposedly popularized in 1791 by the ...

'', a critique of the fashions and

mores Mores (, sometimes ; , plural form of singular , meaning "manner, custom, usage, or habit") are social norms that are widely observed within a particular society or culture. Mores determine what is considered morally acceptable or unacceptable ...

of the day, and soon began supplying the '' théâtres de boulevard''. In two years, he wrote no less than 18 plays, including ''L'Ange et le diable'' in 1799 (a 5-act drama which was produced more than 5 times, a remarkable number for that era). In total, he produced 238 pieces, more than 50 of which he wrote without a collaborator. The others were the result of a collaboration with better Parisian vaudevillistes, including

Jean-Nicolas Bouilly Jean-Nicolas Bouilly (24 January 1763 – 14 April 1842) was a French playwright, Libretto, librettist, Children's literature, children's writer, and politician of the French Revolution. He is best known for writing a libretto, supposedly based ...

Nicolas Brazier Nicolas Brazier (17 February 1783, Paris – 18 February 1838) was a French chansonnier and vaudevillist. Life Although his father was a boarding school master and the author of multiple school manuals, Brazier's education was however strongly ...

, Pierre-Frédéric-Adolphe Carmouche,

Marc-Antoine Désaugiers Marc-Antoine Désaugiers (1742 – 10 September 1793) was a French composer of numerous operas as well as a cantata on the storming of the Bastille and several pieces of sacred music. He was born in Fréjus. He studied music there but was largely ...

Mélesville Baron Anne-Honoré-Joseph Duveyrier, pen-name Mélesville (13 December 1787 in Paris – 7 November 1865 in Marly-le-Roi) was a French dramatist. The playwright Mélesville fils was his son. Life The son of Honoré-Nicolas-Marie Duveyrier, M ...

and

Eugène Scribe Augustin Eugène Scribe (; 24 December 179120 February 1861) was a French dramatist and librettist. He is known for writing "well-made plays" ("pièces bien faites"), a mainstay of popular theatre for over 100 years, and as the librettist of man ...

. His greatest success was ''Les Saltimbanques'', written with

Charles Varin Charles Voirin, called Varin, (20 January 1798 (1er pluviôse an VI) – 24 April 1869) was a 19th-century French playwright. He also wrote under the pen names V. Warin and Victor. Biography Destined by his father to the profession of nota ...

, a "

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical comedy, physical humor; the use of delibe ...

désopilante" according to the ''Grand Dictionnaire universel du XIXe siècle'', put on at the

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 The theatre owed its creation to Mademoiselle Montans ...

in 1838. Amidst all these productions, Dumersan also found time to write works on

numismatics Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...

and the history of the theatre, including the ''Manuel des coulisses'', a lexicon of theatrical expressions and actors' slang. Towards the end of his life, he published several collections of

s, notably the ''Chansons nationales et populaires de France'', published in two volumes in 1866.

Selected works

;Théâtre *''Le Nécessaire et le superflu'', comédie-vaudeville in 1 act, with

Armand d'Artois Armand d'Artois (3 October 1788 – 28 March 1867) was a 19th-century French playwright and librettist A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque ...

, 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, Pierre-Antoine-Augustin de Piis, Piis and Yves Barré, Barré, mainly put on "petites pièces mêlées de couplets s ...

, 10 July 181
Online text
*''Les Cochers'', tableau grivois, mêlé de vaudevilles, in 1 act, with

Gabriel de Lurieu Gabriel de Lurieu (real name Gabriel-Zéphirin Gonyn de Lurieu; Paris, 28 October 1799 (7 brumaire year VIII) – Paris, 5 February 1889 ) was a French author and playwright. His brother Jules-Joseph-Gabriel de Lurieu (1792–1869), with whom he ...

and

, Paris, Théâtre du Vaudeville, 10 October 182
Online text
*''La Chambre de Suzon'', comédie in 1 act, mix of couplets, with Pierre-Frédéric-Adolphe Carmouche and Charles-Augustin de Bassompierre Sewrin, Paris,

, 15 December 182
Online text
*''Les Paysans, ou L'Ambition au village'', comédie in 1 act, mix of couplets, with Nicolas Brazier and Mélesville, Paris, Théâtre des Variétés, 28 February 182
Online text
*''L'Auvergnate, ou La Principale Locataire'', vaudeville in 1 act, with Nicolas Brazier and Gabriel de Lurieu, Paris, Théâtre du Vaudeville, 26 April 182
Online text
*''Les Écoliers en promenade'', comédie-vaudeville in 1 act, with Nicolas Brazier and Gabriel de Lurieu, Paris, Théâtre des Variétés, 5 July 182
Online text
*''Les Petites Biographies'', comédie-vaudeville in 1 act, with Nicolas Brazier and Gabriel de Lurieu, Paris, Théâtre des Variétés, 29 August 182
Online text
*''Les Passages et les rues, ou La Guerre déclarée'', vaudeville in 1 act, with Nicolas Brazier and Gabriel de Lurieu, Paris, Théâtre des Variétés, 7 March 182
Online text
*''Les Saltimbanques'', comédie-parade in 3 acts, mixed-couplets, with Charles Voirin, Paris, Théâtre des Variétés, 23 January 183
Online text
;Chansons *''Chants et chansons populaires de la France'' (3 volumes, 1843–1844) *''Chansons et rondes enfantines, recueillies et accompagnées de contes, notices, historiettes et dialogues, par Du Mersan, enrichies de la musique en regard par Gustave Jeane-Julien'' (1846) *''Chansons sentimentales et romances d'amour, avec notices historiques et littéraires'' (1846) *''Chansons bachiques, grivoises et épicuriennes, avec notices historiques et littéraires'' (1846) *''Chansons nationales et républicaines, de 1789 à 1848, avec des notices historiques'' (1848) *''Chansons nationales et populaires de France, accompagnées de notes historiques et littéraires'', avec Noël Ségur (2 volumes, 1866
Online text 12
;Numismatique *''Notice des monuments exposés dans le Cabinet des médailles et antiques de la Bibliothèque du roi, suivie d'une description des objets les plus curieux que renferme cet établissement, de notes historiques sur fondation, ses accroissements et d'un catalogue d'empreintes de pierres gravées'' (1819) *''Description des médailles antiques du cabinet de feu M. Allier de Hauteroche'' (1829) *''Éléments de numismatique, ou Introduction à la connaissance des médailles antiques, suivis de quelques détails sur la manière de supputer les monnaies anciennes et sur leur valeur'' (1833) *''Histoire du cabinet des médailles, antiques et pierres gravées, avec une notice sur la Bibliothèque royale, et une description des objets exposés dans cet établissement'' (1838) ;Other *''Poésies diverses'' (1822) *''Le Soldat laboureur'', philosophical novel (3 volumes, 1822) *''L'Homme à deux têtes, histoire de Fernand-Carlos de Vargas'', novel (2 volumes, 1825) *''Manuel des coulisses, ou Guide de l'amateur'' (1826) *''Histoire du théâtre de l'Odéon'' (1841) *''Mémoires de Mlle Flore'' orvée ''artiste du théâtre des Variétés'' (collaboration, 3 volumes, 1845)

Popular French chansons

Image:Théophile Marion Dumersan - Chansons nationales et populaires de France.jpg, Frontispice Image:Théophile Marion Dumersan - Les Chansonniers 1.jpg, The chansonniers (1)
Centre : Béranger.
Top left : Dumersan.
Bottom left :

Brazier A brazier () is a container used to burn charcoal or other solid fuel for cooking, heating or rituals. It often takes the form of a metal box or bowl with feet, but in some places it is made of terracotta. Its elevation helps circulate air, feed ...

.
Bottom right : Favart. Image:Théophile Marion Dumersan - Les Chansonniers 2.jpg, The chansonniers (2)
Centre :

Rouget de Lisle Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle (; 10 May 1760 – 26 June 1836) was a French army officer of the French Revolutionary Wars. Lisle is known for writing the words and music of the , which would later be known as and become the French national anthe ...

.
Left : Delavigne. Image:Théophile Marion Dumersan - Les Chansonniers 2.jpg, The chansonniers (3)
Top : Désaugiers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dumersan, Theophile Marion 1780 births 1849 deaths People from Cher (department) French numismatists 19th-century French dramatists and playwrights French male songwriters French songwriters French curators French opera librettists 19th-century French novelists 19th-century French poets French male novelists French male poets 19th-century French male writers