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Ludovic Halévy

January 07, 2023

Ludovic Halévy (1 January 1834 – 7 May 1908) was a French author and playwright, best known for his collaborations with Henri Meilhac on Georges Bizet's Carmen and on the works of Jacques Offenbach.

Ludovic Halévy
Ludovic Halévy early in his career
Born(1837-01-01)1 January 1837
Paris, France
Died7 May 1908(1908-05-07) (aged 74)
Paris, France
OccupationAuthor
ChildrenÉlie and Daniel
ParentsLéon Halévy
Alexandrine Lebas
RelativesLucien-Anatole Prévost-Paradol (half-brother)
Élie Halévy (paternal grandfather)
Louis-Hippolyte Lebas (maternal grandfather)
Fromental Halévy (paternal uncle)
Signature

Biography

Ludovic Halévy was born in Paris. His father, Léon Halévy (1802–1883), was a civil servant and a clever and versatile writer, who tried almost every branch of literature—prose and verse, vaudeville, drama, history—without, however, achieving decisive success in any. His uncle, Fromental Halévy, was a noted composer of opera; hence the double and early connection of Ludovic Halévy with the Parisian stage. His father had converted from Judaism to Christianity prior to his marriage with Alexandrine Lebas, daughter of a Christian architect.

At the age of six, Halévy might have been seen playing in that Foyer de la danse with which he was to make his readers so familiar, and, when a boy of twelve, he would often, on a Sunday night, on his way back to the Collège Louis le Grand, look in at the Odéon, where he had free admittance, and see the first act of the new play. At eighteen he joined the ranks of the French administration and occupied various posts, the last being that of secrétaire-rédacteur to the Corps Législatif. In that capacity, he enjoyed the special favour and friendship of the famous duke of Morny, then president of that assembly.

 
Playbill for a revival of Orphée aux enfers

In 1865, Ludovic Halévy's increasing popularity as an author enabled him to retire from the public service. Ten years earlier, he had become acquainted with the musician Offenbach, who was about to start a small theatre of his own in the Champs-Élysées, and he wrote a sort of prologue, Entrez, messieurs, mesdames, for the opening night. Other little productions followed, Ba-ta-clan being the most noticeable among them. They were produced under the pseudonym of Jules Servières. The name of Ludovic Halévy appeared for the first time on the bills on 1 January 1856. Soon afterwards, the unprecedented run of Orphée aux enfers, a musical parody, written in collaboration with Hector Crémieux, made his name famous. In the spring of 1860, he was commissioned to write a play for the manager of the Variétés in conjunction with another vaudevillist, Lambert-Thiboust.

The latter having abruptly retired from the collaboration, Halévy was at a loss how to carry out the contract, when on the steps of the theatre he met Henri Meilhac (1831–1897), then comparatively a stranger to him. He proposed to Meilhac the task rejected by Lambert Thiboust, and the proposal was immediately accepted. Thus began a connection which was to last over twenty years, and which proved most fruitful both for the reputation of the two authors and the prosperity of the minor Paris theatres. Their joint works may be divided into three classes: the operettas, the farces, the comedies. The opérettes afforded excellent opportunities to a gifted musician for the display of his peculiar humour. They were broad and lively libels against the society of the time, but savoured strongly of the vices and follies they were supposed to satirize. Amongst the most celebrated works of the joint authors were La belle Hélène (1864), Barbe-bleue (1866), La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein (1867), La Périchole (1868), and Le Réveillon, which became one of the sources of Johann Strauss's operetta Die Fledermaus.

After 1870, the vogue of parody rapidly declined. The decadence became still more apparent when Offenbach was no longer at hand to assist the two authors with his quaint musical irony, and when they had to deal with interpreters almost destitute of singing powers. They wrote farces of the old type, consisting of complicated intrigues, with which they cleverly interwove the representation of contemporary whims and social oddities. They generally failed when they attempted comedies of a more serious character and tried to introduce a higher sort of emotion. A solitary exception must be made in the case of Froufrou (1869), which, owing perhaps to the admirable talent of Aimée Desclée, remains their unique Succès de larmes. During this period, they wrote the libretto to Carmen but it was a sideshow to their other work.

 
Halévy later in his career.

Meilhac and Halévy will be found at their best in light sketches of Parisian life, Les Sonnettes, Madame attend Monsieur, Toto chez Tata and Le Roi Candaule (the title of the last is derived from the Classical Greek account of the semi-legendary King Candaules). In that intimate association between the two men who had met so opportunely on the perron des variétés, it was often asked who was the leading partner. The question was not answered until the connection was finally severed and they stood before the public, each to answer for his own work. It was then apparent that they had many gifts in common. Both had wit, humour, observation of character. Meilhac had a ready imagination, a rich and whimsical fancy; Halévy had taste, refinement and pathos of a certain kind. Not less clever than his brilliant comrade, he was more human.

Of this he gave evidence in two delightful books, Monsieur et Madame Cardinal (1873) and Les Petites Cardinal, in which the lowest orders of the Parisian middle class are faithfully described. The pompous, pedantic, venomous Monsieur Cardinal will long survive as the true image of sententious and self-glorifying immorality. M. Halévy's peculiar qualities are even more visible in the simple and striking scenes of the Invasion, published soon after the conclusion of the Franco-German War, in Criquette (1883) and The Abbot Constantine (1882), two novels, the latter of which went through innumerable editions. Émile Zola had presented to the public an almost exclusive combination of bad men and women; in L'Abbé Constantin all are kind and good, and the change was eagerly welcomed by the public. Some enthusiasts robustly maintain that the Abbé will rank permanently in literature by the side of the equally chimerical Vicar of Wakefield. At any rate, it opened for M. Ludovic Halévy the doors of the Académie française, to which he was elected in 1884.

Halévy remained an assiduous frequenter of the Academy, the Conservatoire, the Comédie Française, and the Society of Dramatic Authors, but, when he died in Paris on 7 May 1908, he had produced practically nothing new for many years.

His last romance, Kari Kari, appeared in 1892. His diary was published in book form in 1935 as well as serially in the pages of the Revue des Deux Mondes in 1937–38.

Filmography

References

  •   This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Halévy, Ludovic". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  • The Théâtre of MM. Meilhac and Halévy was published in 8 vols. (1900–1902).

External links

January 07, 2023
ludovic, halévy, this, article, includes, list, references, related, reading, external, links, sources, remain, unclear, because, lacks, inline, citations, please, help, improve, this, article, introducing, more, precise, citations, december, 2020, learn, when. This article includes a list of references related reading or external links but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations December 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Ludovic Halevy 1 January 1834 7 May 1908 was a French author and playwright best known for his collaborations with Henri Meilhac on Georges Bizet s Carmen and on the works of Jacques Offenbach Ludovic HalevyLudovic Halevy early in his careerBorn 1837 01 01 1 January 1837Paris FranceDied7 May 1908 1908 05 07 aged 74 Paris FranceOccupationAuthorChildrenElie and DanielParentsLeon HalevyAlexandrine LebasRelativesLucien Anatole Prevost Paradol half brother Elie Halevy paternal grandfather Louis Hippolyte Lebas maternal grandfather Fromental Halevy paternal uncle Signature Contents 1 Biography 2 Filmography 3 References 4 External linksBiography EditLudovic Halevy was born in Paris His father Leon Halevy 1802 1883 was a civil servant and a clever and versatile writer who tried almost every branch of literature prose and verse vaudeville drama history without however achieving decisive success in any His uncle Fromental Halevy was a noted composer of opera hence the double and early connection of Ludovic Halevy with the Parisian stage His father had converted from Judaism to Christianity prior to his marriage with Alexandrine Lebas daughter of a Christian architect At the age of six Halevy might have been seen playing in that Foyer de la danse with which he was to make his readers so familiar and when a boy of twelve he would often on a Sunday night on his way back to the College Louis le Grand look in at the Odeon where he had free admittance and see the first act of the new play At eighteen he joined the ranks of the French administration and occupied various posts the last being that of secretaire redacteur to the Corps Legislatif In that capacity he enjoyed the special favour and friendship of the famous duke of Morny then president of that assembly Playbill for a revival of Orphee aux enfers In 1865 Ludovic Halevy s increasing popularity as an author enabled him to retire from the public service Ten years earlier he had become acquainted with the musician Offenbach who was about to start a small theatre of his own in the Champs Elysees and he wrote a sort of prologue Entrez messieurs mesdames for the opening night Other little productions followed Ba ta clan being the most noticeable among them They were produced under the pseudonym of Jules Servieres The name of Ludovic Halevy appeared for the first time on the bills on 1 January 1856 Soon afterwards the unprecedented run of Orphee aux enfers a musical parody written in collaboration with Hector Cremieux made his name famous In the spring of 1860 he was commissioned to write a play for the manager of the Varietes in conjunction with another vaudevillist Lambert Thiboust The latter having abruptly retired from the collaboration Halevy was at a loss how to carry out the contract when on the steps of the theatre he met Henri Meilhac 1831 1897 then comparatively a stranger to him He proposed to Meilhac the task rejected by Lambert Thiboust and the proposal was immediately accepted Thus began a connection which was to last over twenty years and which proved most fruitful both for the reputation of the two authors and the prosperity of the minor Paris theatres Their joint works may be divided into three classes the operettas the farces the comedies The operettes afforded excellent opportunities to a gifted musician for the display of his peculiar humour They were broad and lively libels against the society of the time but savoured strongly of the vices and follies they were supposed to satirize Amongst the most celebrated works of the joint authors were La belle Helene 1864 Barbe bleue 1866 La Grande Duchesse de Gerolstein 1867 La Perichole 1868 and Le Reveillon which became one of the sources of Johann Strauss s operetta Die Fledermaus After 1870 the vogue of parody rapidly declined The decadence became still more apparent when Offenbach was no longer at hand to assist the two authors with his quaint musical irony and when they had to deal with interpreters almost destitute of singing powers They wrote farces of the old type consisting of complicated intrigues with which they cleverly interwove the representation of contemporary whims and social oddities They generally failed when they attempted comedies of a more serious character and tried to introduce a higher sort of emotion A solitary exception must be made in the case of Froufrou 1869 which owing perhaps to the admirable talent of Aimee Desclee remains their unique Succes de larmes During this period they wrote the libretto to Carmen but it was a sideshow to their other work Halevy later in his career Meilhac and Halevy will be found at their best in light sketches of Parisian life Les Sonnettes Madame attend Monsieur Toto chez Tata and Le Roi Candaule the title of the last is derived from the Classical Greek account of the semi legendary King Candaules In that intimate association between the two men who had met so opportunely on the perron des varietes it was often asked who was the leading partner The question was not answered until the connection was finally severed and they stood before the public each to answer for his own work It was then apparent that they had many gifts in common Both had wit humour observation of character Meilhac had a ready imagination a rich and whimsical fancy Halevy had taste refinement and pathos of a certain kind Not less clever than his brilliant comrade he was more human Of this he gave evidence in two delightful books Monsieur et Madame Cardinal 1873 and Les Petites Cardinal in which the lowest orders of the Parisian middle class are faithfully described The pompous pedantic venomous Monsieur Cardinal will long survive as the true image of sententious and self glorifying immorality M Halevy s peculiar qualities are even more visible in the simple and striking scenes of the Invasion published soon after the conclusion of the Franco German War in Criquette 1883 and The Abbot Constantine 1882 two novels the latter of which went through innumerable editions Emile Zola had presented to the public an almost exclusive combination of bad men and women in L Abbe Constantin all are kind and good and the change was eagerly welcomed by the public Some enthusiasts robustly maintain that the Abbe will rank permanently in literature by the side of the equally chimerical Vicar of Wakefield At any rate it opened for M Ludovic Halevy the doors of the Academie francaise to which he was elected in 1884 Halevy remained an assiduous frequenter of the Academy the Conservatoire the Comedie Francaise and the Society of Dramatic Authors but when he died in Paris on 7 May 1908 he had produced practically nothing new for many years His last romance Kari Kari appeared in 1892 His diary was published in book form in 1935 as well as serially in the pages of the Revue des Deux Mondes in 1937 38 Filmography EditFilms based on Die Fledermaus The operetta Die Fledermaus is based on the play Le Reveillon Frou Frou it directed by Eugene Moore it 1914 based on the play Frou Frou Bettina Loved a Soldier directed by Rupert Julian 1916 based on the novel The Abbot Constantine A Hungry Heart directed by Emile Chautard 1917 based on the play Frou Frou Frou Frou it directed by Alfredo De Antoni it Italy 1918 based on the play Frou Frou Fanny Lear directed by Robert Boudrioz and Jean Manoussi France 1919 based on the play Fanny Lear Frou Frou directed by Otto Rippert Germany 1922 based on the play Frou Frou Frou Frou directed by Guy du Fresnay France 1924 based on the play Frou Frou The Abbot Constantine directed by Julien Duvivier France 1925 based on the novel The Abbot Constantine So This Is Paris directed by Ernst Lubitsch 1926 based on the play Le Reveillon The Abbot Constantine directed by Jean Paul Paulin France 1933 based on the novel The Abbot Constantine La Vie parisienne directed by Robert Siodmak France 1936 based on the operetta La Vie parisienne Parisian Life directed by Robert Siodmak English version 1936 based on the operetta La Vie parisienne The Toy Wife directed by Richard Thorpe 1938 based on the play Frou Frou Tricoche and Cacolet directed by Pierre Colombier France 1938 based on the play Tricoche et Cacolet La Goualeuse fr directed by Fernand Rivers France 1938 based on the play La Goualeuse Les Petites Cardinal fr directed by Gilles Grangier France 1951 based on the novel Les Petites Cardinal Skona Helena directed by Gustaf Edgren Sweden 1951 based on the operetta La belle Helene Die schone Helena directed by Axel von Ambesser West Germany 1975 TV film based on the operetta La belle Helene Parisian Life directed by Christian Jaque France 1977 based on the operetta La Vie parisienne References Edit This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Halevy Ludovic Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 12 11th ed Cambridge University Press The Theatre of MM Meilhac and Halevy was published in 8 vols 1900 1902 External links Edit Works by or about Ludovic Halevy at Wikisource Works by Ludovic Halevy at Project Gutenberg Works by or about Ludovic Halevy at Internet Archive Works by Ludovic Halevy at LibriVox public domain audiobooks JewishEncyclopedia Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ludovic Halevy amp oldid 1128545222, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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