Henri Meilhac

Henri Meilhac (23 February 1830 – 6 July 1897) was a French dramatist and opera librettist, best known for his collaborations with Ludovic Halévy on Georges Bizet's Carmen and on the works of Jacques Offenbach, as well as Jules Massenet's Manon.
Biography
Meilhac was born in the 1st arrondissement of Paris in 1830. As a young man, he began writing fanciful articles for Parisian newspapers and comédies en vaudevilles, in a vivacious boulevardier spirit which brought him to the forefront. About 1860, Meilhac met Ludovic Halévy, and their collaboration for the stage lasted twenty years.
Their most famous collaboration is the libretto for Georges Bizet's Carmen. However, Meilhac's work is most closely tied to the music of Jacques Offenbach, for whom he wrote over a dozen librettos, most of them together with Halévy. The most successful collaborations with Offenbach are La belle Hélène (1864), Barbe-bleue (1866), La Vie parisienne (1866), La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein (1867), and La Périchole (1868).
Other librettos by Meilhac include Jules Massenet's Manon (with Philippe Gille) (1884), Hervé's Mam'zelle Nitouche (1883), and Rip, the French version of Robert Planquette's operetta Rip Van Winkle (also with Gille). Their vaudeville play Le réveillon was the basis of the operetta Die Fledermaus.
In 1888, Meilhac was elected to the Académie française. He died in Paris in 1897.
Works
1856: La Sarabande du cardinal, one-act comedy with couplets, created at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 29 May
1856: Satania, comedy in 2 acts with couplets, Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 10 October
1856: Garde-toi, je me garde, comédie en vaudeville in 2 acts, Théâtre du Palais-Royal
1857: Le Copiste, comedy in 1 act and in prose, Théâtre du Gymnase, 3 August
1858: Péché caché, ou A quelque chose malheur est bon, one-act comedy, Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 11 January
1858: L'Autographe, one-act comedy, Théâtre du Gymnase, 27 November
1859: Un petit-fils de Mascarille, comedy in 5 acts and in prose, Théâtre du Gymnase, 8 October
1859: Le Retour de l'Italie, à-propos (short theatre play) Théâtre du Gymnase, 14 August
1860: Ce qui plaît aux hommes, comedy in 1 act (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 6 October
1860: Une heure avant l'ouverture, prologue in 1 act, with songs, Théâtre du Vaudeville, 31 December
1860: L'Étincelle, one-act comedy, Théâtre du Vaudeville, 31 December
1861: Le Menuet de Danaë, comédie en vaudeville in 1 act (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 20 April
1861: La Vertu de Célimène, comedy in 5 acts, Théâtre du Gymnase, 1 May
1861: L'Attaché d'ambassade, comedy in 3 acts, Théâtre du Vaudeville in October (this play served as basis for the operetta The Merry Widow, libretto by Leo Stein and Victor Léon, music by Franz Lehar)
1861: Le Café du roi, opéra comique in 1 act, first performed in Ems, then at the Théâtre Lyrique, music by Louis Deffès
1862: L'Échéance, comédy in 1 act (with Arthur Delavigne), Théâtre du Gymnase, 15 March
1862: Les Moulins à vent, comedy in 3 acts with couplets (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 22 February
1862: Les Brebis de Panurge, one-act comedy (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Vaudeville, 24 November
1862: La Clé de Métella, one-act comedy (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Vaudeville, 24 November
1861: Les Bourguignonnes, one-act opéra comique, music by Louis Deffès, Opéra-comique, 16 July
1863: Le Brésilien, one-act comedy (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Jacques Offenbach, Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 9 May
1863: Le Train de minuit, two-act comedy (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Gymnase, 15 June
1864: La Belle Hélène, opéra-bouffe in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Jacques Offenbach, Théâtre des Variétés, 17 December
1864: Fiammetta, ballet-pantomime in 2 acts (with Ludovic Halévy and Arthur Saint-Léon), music by Léon Minkus, Moscou, Ballet de Bolshoi, 12 (24) novembre 1863; entitled Néméa, ou l'Amour vengé - Paris, Académie impériale de musique, 11 July
1864: Les Curieuses, one-act comedy (with Arthur Delavigne), Théâtre du Gymnase, 17 October
1864: Le Photographe, one-act comédie en vaudeville (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 24 December
1865: Fabienne, comedy in 3 acts, Théâtre du Gymnase, 1 September
1865: Le Singe de Nicolet, one-act comedy with singing (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 29 January
1865: Les Méprises de Lambinet, one-act comedy with couplets (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 3 December
1866: Barbe-bleue, opéra bouffe in 3 acts and 4 tableaux (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Jacques Offenbach, Théâtre des Variétés, 5 February
1866: José Maria, three-act opéra comique (with Eugène Cormon), music by Jules Cohen, Opéra-Comique, 16 July
1866: La Vie parisienne, opéra bouffe in 5 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Jacques Offenbach, Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 31 October
1867: La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein, opéra bouffe in 3 acts and 4 tableaux (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Jacques Offenbach, Théâtre des Variétés, 12 April
1867: Tout pour les dames, comédie en vaudeville in 1 act (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 8 September
1868: L'Élixir du docteur Cornelius, operetta (with Arthur Delavigne), music by Émile Durand, Fantaisies-Parisiennes, 3 February
1868: La Pénitente, one-act opéra comique (with William Busnach), music by Mme de Grandval, Opéra-Comique, 13 March
1868: Le Château à Toto, opéra bouffe in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Jacques Offenbach, Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 6 May
1868: Garde-toi, je me garde, comedy in 1 act with songs, revived at the Théâtre des Variétés 28 June 1868 (premiered Théâtre du Palais-Royal in 1856)
1868: Fanny Lear, comedy in 5 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Gymnase, 13 August
1868: La Périchole, opéra bouffe in 2 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Jacques Offenbach, Théâtre des Variétés, 6 October
1868: Suzanne et les deux vieillards, comedy in 1 act, Théâtre du Gymnase, 10 October
1868: Le Bouquet, comedy in 1 act (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 23 October
1869: Vert-Vert, opéra comique in 3 acts (with Charles Nuitter), music by Jacques Offenbach, Opéra-Comique, 10 March
1869: La Diva, opéra bouffe in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Jacques Offenbach, Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens, 22 March
1869: Frou-Frou, comedy in 5 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Gymnase, 30 October, published in 1870 by Michel Lévy frères Read online
1869: L'Homme à la clé, comedy in 1 act (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 11 August
1869: Les Brigands, opéra bouffe in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Jacques Offenbach, Théâtre des Variétés, 10 December
1871: Tricoche et Cacolet, comédie en vaudeville in 5 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 6 December
1872: Madame attend Monsieur, comedy in 1 act (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 8 February
1872: Le Réveillon, comedy in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 10 September (this play served as a basis for the operetta Die Fledermaus, libretto by Richard Genée and Karl Haffner, music by Johann Strauss II)
1872: Les Sonnettes, comedy in 1 act in prose (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 15 November
1873: Le Roi Candaule, one-act comedy in prose (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 9 April
1873: L’Été de la Saint-Martin, one-act comedy in prose (with Ludovic Halévy), Comédie-Française, 1 July
1873: Toto chez Tata, one-act comedy (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés 25 August
1874: La Petite Marquise, three-act comedy (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 13 February
1874: La Mi-carême, folie-vaudeville in 1 act (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 2 April
1874: L'Ingénue, one-act comedy (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 24 September
1874: La Veuve, comedy in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Gymnase, 5 November
1874: La Boule, comedy in 4 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 24 November
1875: Carmen, opéra comique in four acts (with Ludovic Halévy) after the novella by Mérimée, music by Georges Bizet, Opéra-Comique, 3 March
1875: Le Passage de Vénus, "leçon d'astronomie" in 1 act (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 4 May
1875: La boulangère a des écus, opéra bouffe in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Jacques Offenbach, Théâtre des Variétés, 5 August
1876: Loulou, folie-vaudeville in 1 act (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 31 March
1876: Le Prince, comedy in 4 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 25 November
(year unknown) Paturel, comedy in 1 act
1877: La Cigale, comedy in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 6 October
1877: Le Fandango, ballet-pantomime in 1 act (with Ludovic Halévy and Louis Mérante), Opéra de Paris, 26 November
1878: Le Petit Duc, opéra-comique in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Charles Lecocq, Théâtre de la Renaissance, 25 January
1878: La Cigarette, comedy in 1 act (with Charles Narrey), Gymnase-Dramatique, 20 April
1879: Le Mari de la débutante, comedy in 4 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 5 February
1879: Le Petit Hôtel, comedy in 1 act in prose (with Ludovic Halévy), Comédie-Française, 21 February
1879: La Petite Mademoiselle, opéra comique in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Charles Lecocq, Théâtre de la Renaissance, 12 April
1879: Lolotte, comedy in 1 act (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre du Vaudeville, 4 October
1880: La Petite Mère, comedy in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), Théâtre des Variétés, 6 March
1880: Nina la tueuse, comedy in 1 act in verse (with Jacques Redelsperg), Théâtre du Gymnase, 2 October
1881: Janot, opéra-comique in 3 acts (with Ludovic Halévy), music by Charles Lecocq, Théâtre de la Renaissance, 22 January
1881: La Roussotte, comédie en vaudeville, music by Hervé, Charles Lecocq, and Marius Boullard, libretto by Ludovic Halévy, Henri Meilhac and Albert Millaud, Théâtre des Variétés, 28 January
1881: Le Mari à Babette, comedy in 3 acts (with Philippe Gille), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 31 December
1882: Madame le diable, féerie-opérette in 4 acts and 12 tableaux including a prologue (with Arnold Mortier), music by Gaston Serpette, Théâtre de la Renaissance, 4 April
1883: Mam'zelle Nitouche, comédie en vaudeville in 3 acts (with Albert Millaud), Théâtre des Variétés, 26 January
1883 Le Nouveau régime, one-act comedy (with Jules Prével), Théâtre du Gymnase, 11 May
1883 Ma camarade, five-act play (with Philippe Gille), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 9 October
1884: Manon, opéra comique in 5 acts and 6 tableaux (with Philippe Gille), music by Jules Massenet, Opéra-comique, 19 January
1884: Le Cosaque, opéra bouffe (with Albert Millaud and Ernest Blum), music by Hervé, Théâtre des Variétés, 26 January
1884: La Duchesse Martin, one-act comedy, Comédie-Française, 16 May
1884: Rip, opéra comique in 3 acts (with Philippe Gille after Henry Brougham Farnie's English-language Rip Van Winkle), music by Robert Planquette, Folies-Dramatiques, 11 November
1886: Les Demoiselles Clochart, vaudeville in 3 acts, Théâtre des Variétés
1886: Gotte, comedy in 4 acts, Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 2 December
1887: La lettre de Toto, monologue in verse
1888: Décoré, comedy in 3 acts, Théâtre des Variétés, 27 January
1888: Pepa, comedy in 3 acts (with Louis Ganderax), Comédie-Française, 31 October
1890: Margot, comedy in 3 acts, Comédie-Française, 18 January
1890: Ma cousine, comedy in 3 acts, Théâtre des Variétés, 27 October
1891: Monsieur l'Abbé ou La belle-mère apprivoisée, comedy in 3 acts, Théâtre du Palais-Royal, 18 November
1892: Brevet supérieur, comedy in 3 acts, Théâtre des Variétés, 13 April
1893: Kassya, opera in 5 acts (with Philippe Gille, after Leopold von Sacher-Masoch), music by Léo Delibes, Opéra-Comique, 13 March
1894: Villégiature, comedy in 1 act, Théâtre du Vaudeville, 15 January
Filmography
Films based on Carmen
Films based on Die Fledermaus (The operetta Die Fledermaus is based on the play Le Reveillon)
Films based on The Merry Widow (The operetta The Merry Widow is based on the play L'Attaché d'ambassade)
Films based on Mam'zelle Nitouche
, directed by (1914, based on the play Frou-Frou)
A Hungry Heart, directed by Émile Chautard (1917, based on the play Frou-Frou)
, directed by (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)
So This Is Paris, directed by Ernst Lubitsch (1926, based on the play Le Reveillon)
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)
Sköna Helena, directed by Gustaf Edgren (Sweden, 1951, based on the operetta La belle Hélène)
Die schöne Helena, directed by Axel von Ambesser (West Germany, 1975, TV film, based on the operetta La belle Hélène)
Parisian Life, directed by Christian-Jaque (France, 1977, based on the operetta La Vie parisienne)
External links
1831 births
1897 deaths
Writers from Paris
French opera librettists
Operetta librettists
Members of the Académie Française
French musical theatre lyricists
19th-century French dramatists and playwrights
Burials at Montmartre Cemetery
19th-century French male writers
French male dramatists and playwrights