Ludovic Halévy

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Ludovic Halévy

Ludovic Halévy (* 1. January 1834 in Paris ; † 7. May 1908 ) was a French playwright , dramatist and librettist .

Life

Halévy was the son of the writer Léon Halévy and his wife Alexandrine Lebas. His parents had converted from Judaism to Christianity even before he was born. He was a nephew of the composer Jacques Fromental Halévy and a cousin of Geneviève Halévy , who married Georges Bizet and who later ran the famous Jeudi de Ludovic literary salon on Rue de Douai with him. Supported and encouraged by his uncle, Halévy's path led from the Lycée Louis-le-Grand to the Théâtre l'Odeon .

Professionally, Halévy made it to the position of State Secretary for Algeria. As a librettist for the composer Jacques Offenbach he worked a. a. often together with Henri Meilhac . When his success at the theater allowed it, he resigned from all his offices and devoted himself only to his literary work. Together with Meilhac, Halévy created the libretto for Georges Bizet's successful opera Carmen . Jacques Offenbach's works also benefited from this duo of authors, from whom the textbooks for the operettas Die Schöne Helena (1864), Pariser Leben (1866), The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein (1867) and La Périchole (1869) come. In addition, Halévy was considered a successful novelist at the end of the 19th century.

In 1868 Halévy married Louise Breguet in Paris and had two sons with her: Élie (* 1870) and Daniel (* 1872).

Halévy took part in the Franco-German War . After the end of the war he returned to Paris and was soon able to build on his old successes. His L'abbé Constantin was celebrated by the public and praised by the official literary criticism, and so he was chosen when the Académie française was looking for a successor to the late politician Joseph d'Haussonville . With effect from December 4, 1884, she elected Halévy as the owner of Fauteuil 22 .

Ludovic Halévy died in Paris on May 7, 1908 at the age of 74 and was buried in the Montmartre cemetery .

reception

On the centenary of his death, Deutschlandfunk dedicated the calendar sheet to Ludovic Halévy under the title From State Officials to Novelists :

Jacques Offenbach's first Parisian theater, the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens , was opened in July 1855 with the musical bouffonerie “The Two Blinds” : an unknown person was responsible for the prologue. Behind his pseudonym hid a man who mistrusted the empire and especially the censorship . When this success was repeated with Ba-ta-clan , Halévy revealed himself.

His greatest successes as a librettist, e.g. B. The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein , Ludovic Halévy shared with Henri Meilhac. As a triumvirate, always with Jacques Offenbach as the composer, they shaped Parisian musical life for two decades through their operatic parodies, farces and satires .

Works (selection)

Plays
Others
L'Abbé Constantin , Paris 1887 (title page)
  • L'invasion . 1872 ( feature pages from Le Temps ).
  • L'Abbé Constantin. Narration . 1882.
  • Criquette. Narration . 1883.
  • Deux Mariages. Narration . 1883.
  • Madame and Monsieur Cardinal . 1873.
  • Les petits cardinal . 1880.

literature

  • Eric C. Hansen: Ludovic Halévy. A study of frivolity and fatalism in nineteenth-century France . University Press of America, Lanham, Md. 1987, ISBN 0-8191-5887-9 .

Web links

Commons : Ludovic Halévy  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Halévy, Ludovic
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French playwright
DATE OF BIRTH January 1, 1834
PLACE OF BIRTH Paris
DATE OF DEATH May 7, 1908
Place of death Paris