# Frédéric Barbier (composer)

Frédéric Barbier (15 November 1829 – 12 February 1889) was a 19th-century French composer.

## Biography

Frédéric Barbier was born in Metz, Lorraine, and was the son of Félix Henri Barbier and Adélaide Josephine Rosalie Rousseau. Barbier pursued a career in literary studies at Bourges College, while taking lessons in solfège, piano, harmony and counterpoint with Henry Darondeau, an organist in one of the churches of the city. His father, an engineer officer, wanted to see him join the École Polytechnique, of which he himself had been a pupil. But in 1848, the De Gasperi V Cabinet had created a new school, and the young Barbier preferred to compete for the latter and was admitted. This school was disbanded soon after and he began to study law. But music attracted him more and more.
In 1852, Frédéric Barbier had already written and presented in Bourges a small one-act opéra comique, Le Mariage de Colombine, but considered moving to Paris. Presented by influential figures to Edmond Seveste, then director of the Théâtre Lyrique, he met Adolphe Adam. Thanks to his advice and lessons of the latter, his first work Une Nuit à Séville,a one-act opéra comique, was played at the Théâtre Lyrique on 14 September 1855 and was warmly welcomed. Two months later, on 21 November, Frédéric Barbier gave the same theatre a new one act work entitled Rose et Narcissus, in which was also very successful.
Within 20 years, Barbier had over sixty more or less important works presented in every small opera house of Paris and in cafés-chantant, most of them in one act and approaching more and more the genre of comic operettas. He composed for the Eldorado, the Alcazar, the Ba-ta-clan, the Folies-Belleville, the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, etc., a great many number of operettas, saynètes, pantomimes and ballets.
Besides his opera production, Barbier wrote about 300 duets, romances, vocal mélodies, many dance music pieces, concert marches and orchestral fantasies on opera motifs, choirs for men voice, galops, valses, mazurkas, polkas, etc. In 1867, he was conductor at Théâtre International, and from 1873, he directed the orchestra at l'Alcazar d'Été, a position he shared with Henry Litolff. He collaborated as a critic to some small newspapers such as L'Avenir musical (1853), and L'Indépendance dramatique.

## Main works
### Operettas and opéras comiques

* 1852: Le Mariage de Colombine, one-act opéra comique, Théâtre de Bourges
* 1855: Une Nuit à Séville, one-act opéra comique, libretto by Charles Nuitter and Beaumont, Théâtre-Lyrique, 14 September
* 1855: Rose et Narcisse, one-act opéra comique, libretto by Charles Nuitter and Beaumont, Théâtre-Lyrique, 21 November
* 1858: Le Pacha, one-act operetta, libretto by Charles Nuitter, Folies-Nouvelles, March
* 1858: Francastor, one-act operetta, libretto by Gustave Labottière and Achille Eyraud, Folies-Nouvelles, 22 May
* 1858: Le Page de Madame Malborough, one-act operetta, libretto by E. Vierne (Jules Verne), Folies-Nouvelles, 28 October
* 1858: Le Faux Faust, opérette parodie in 3 acts [composed under the pseudonym Stephan], Folies-Nouvelles, November
* 1859: Le Docteur Tam-Tam, operetta bouffe in 1 act, libretto by Francis Tourte, Folies-Nouvelles, 5 March
* 1859: Monsieur Deschalumeaux, two-act operetta, libretto by Gustave Perée, Théâtre Déjazet, October
* 1861: Panne aux Airs, parody in 1 act, libretto by Clairville, Théâtre Déjazet, 30 March
* 1861: Flamberge au vent, one-act operetta, libretto by Charles Nuitter and Séjour (Victor Marcou)
* 1862: Versez, marquis !, one-act operetta, libretto by Alexis Bouvier and Edouard Prével, Folies-Marigny, 19 April
* 1862: La Cigale et la Fourmi, one-act operetta bouffe, libretto by Achille Eyraud (1821-1882), Folies-Marigny, 28 May
* 1862: Le Loup et l'Agneau, one-act operetta, libretto by Étienne Hippolyte Chol de Clercy and Hippolyte Messant, Théâtre Déjazet, October
* 1863: Madame Pygmalion, one-act operetta bouffe, libretto by Jules Adenis and Francis Tourte, Bouffes-Parisiens, 6 February
* 1863: les Trois Normandes, one-act operetta, libretto by Pol Mercier, Folies-Marigny, 21 March
* 1863: La Gamine du village, opérette en 1 acte, livret d'Alexis Bouvier (Folies-Marigny, 15 juillet 1863)
* 1863: Simon Terre-Neuve, one-act operetta, Théâtre Déjazet
* 1864: Deux permissions de dix heures, one-act operetta, libretto by Pol Mercier and Henry Currat, Théâtre Déjazet, May
* 1864: Achille chez Chiron, one-act operetta, libretto by Amédée de Jallais and Vulpian, Folies-Marigny, 14 October
* 1864: Le Miroir, one-act operetta, libretto by Charles Nuitter, October
* 1864: Un Souper chez Mademoiselle Contat, one-act operetta, libretto by Armand Liorat, Eldorado
* 1865: Un Congrès de modistes, opérette bouffe in 1 act, libretto by Marc Michel and Laurencin, Bouffes-Parisiens, 16 February
* 1865: La Nourrice d'Hercule, one-act operetta, Eldorado
* 1866: Les Oreilles de Midas, one-act opéra comique, libretto by Nérée Desarbres and Charles Nuitter, Fantaisies-Parisiennes, 21 April
* 1866: Don Juan de fantaisie, four-act operetta, Fantaisies-Parisiennes, 9 June
* 1866: Une Femme qui a perdu sa clef, one-act operetta, libretto by Léonce and Alexandre de Bar, Bouffes-Parisiens, 21 October
* 1867: Les Légendes de Gavarni, three-act opéra comique, libretto by Hippolyte Lefebvre, Bouffes-Parisiens, 29 January
* 1867: Gervaise, one-act opéra comique, libretto by Hippolyte Lefebvre and Alexis Bouvier, Théâtre-International, 17 June
* 1867: Le Nez de carton, one-act operetta, Eldorado
* 1867: L'Orchestre des Danoises, operetta, Alcazar
* 1868: Le Soldat malgré lui, two-act opéra comique, libretto by Henri Chivot and Alfred Duru, Théâtre des Fantaisies-Parisiennes, 19 October
* 1868: Le Souper d'Arlequin, one-act opérette bouffe, libretto by Jules Perrin, Eldorado, 28 November
* 1869: Balladine et Casquenfer, one-act opérette bouffe, libretto by Charles Blondelet and Félix Baumaine Eldorado, 15 February
* 1869: Faust et Marguerite, saynète bouffe in 1 act, libretto by Félix Baumaine and Charles Blondelet, Ambassadeurs, 23 July
* 1869: Mam'zelle Pierrot, one-act operetta, libretto by Amédée de Jallais and Henry de Kock, Folies-Bergère, 26 September
* 1869: Don Férocio, saynète bouffe in 1 act, libretto by Charles Blondelet and Félix Baumaine, Eldorado, 23 October
* 1869: Fermé le dimanche, saynète in 1 act, libretto by Étienne Hippolyte Chol de Clercy, Eldorado, 13 December
* 1869: Le Beau Chasseur, one-act operetta, Eldorado
* 1869: Un Mariage au gros sel, one-act operetta, libretto by Armand Liorat, Eldorado, 10 July
* 1869: Millionnaire!, one-act operetta, Eldorado
* 1870: Un Procès en séparation, saynète in 1 act, lyrics by Hippolyte Bedeau, Eldorado, 12 January
* 1870: L'Acteur omnibus, fantaisie lyrique in 1 act, libretto by Jules Perrin and Jules Pacra, Eldorado, 12 March
* 1870: Lucrèce d'Orgeat, parody in 1 act, Eldorado
* 1870: On demande un pitre, one-act operetta, Eldorado
* 1871: Un Lendemain de noces, one-act operetta, Eldorado
* 1872: Les Points jaunes, saynète in 1 act, libretto by Jules Pacra and Fétré, Eldorado, 17 August
* 1872: La Bonne de ma tante, saynète bouffe in 1 act, libretto by Hippolyte Bedeau, Eldorado
* 1872: Une cause célèbre, one-act operetta, Eldorado
* 1873: Le Baromètre parisien, monologue by A. Philibert and Alphonse Siégel, Eldorado
* 1873: Le Coq est mort !, one-act operetta, Eldorado
* 1873: M'ame Nicolas, one-act operetta, libretto by Louis Gaston Villemer, Eldorado
* 1874: Mam'zelle Rose, one-act operetta, libretto by Adrien Decourcelle and Eugène Bercioux, after their comédie en vaudeville, Théâtre des Variétés
* 1874: Monsieur l'Alcade, one-act operetta, Eldorado
* 1875: Pierrot et la Belle enchantée, one-act operetta, Eldorado, 22 May
* 1875: Un Scandale à l'Alcazar, bouffonnerie musicale in 1 act, libretto by M. Duvert, Alcazar d'été, May
* 1875: Les Deux Choristes, one-act operetta, Eldorado, 11 September
* 1875: Le Champagne de ma tante, one-act operetta, libretto by Hippolyte Bedeau, Eldorado
* 1875: La Fermière et son garçon, one-act operetta, libretto by Auguste Jouhaud, Eldorado
* 1875: La Fête de Madame Denis, one-act operetta, libretto by Jules de Rieux and Louis Gaston Villemer, Alcazar d'été
* 1875: Marion de l'Orme, parody, Eldorado
* 1876: Les Cent mille francs du ténor, one-act operetta
* 1877: La Baronne de Haut-Castel, one-act operetta, libretto by Laurencin, Eldorado
* 1877: Le Carnaval des épiciers, three-act opéra comique, Bouffes-du-Nord, 6 April
* 1878: Les Deux Parfaits Notaires, one-act operetta, libretto by Louis Péricaud and Louis Gaston Villemer, Bouffes-Parisiens
* 1879: Le Verrou, one-act operetta, libretto by Louis Battaille, Eldorado, 31 October
* 1880: La Noce à Suzon, one-act operetta, libretto by Jouhaud and Louis Gaston Villemer, Alcazar d'été
* 1880: Atchi!, bouffonnerie musicale in 1 act, libretto by Hermil and Numès, Eldorado
* 1881: Le Supplice de Tantale, one-act operetta, libretto by E. Durafour
* La Chaumière indienne, one-act opéra comique
* Corinne, three-act opéra comique
* Les Incroyables, three-act opéra bouffe
* La Poupée automate, one-act operetta
* La Sainte Catherine, one-act operetta, Eldorado
* La Veuve Omphale, one-act operetta

### Ballets

* 1859: Le Grand roi d'Yvetot, three-act vaudeville-pantomime, libretto by Louis-Émile Vanderburch and Albert Guinon, Théâtre Déjazet, December
* 1875: Les Pifferari, ballet, Alcazar d'été, May
* La Balle enchantée, pantomime (Eldorado)
* Les Cascades de Pierrot, pantomime (Eldorado)
* Le Trésor de Cassandre, pantomime (Eldorado)

### Mélodies

* La Révolte des noirs, lyrics by Francis Tourte
* Le Roi David, lyrics by Francis Tourte
* Toinon, lyrics by Francis Tourte
* Tout ça c'est à moi, lyrics by Francis Tourte