Fromental Halévy
Encyclopedia
Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy (27 May 179917 March 1862), was a French
composer. He is known today largely for his opera
La Juive
.
, Élie Halfon Halévy
, who was the secretary of the Jewish community of Paris, a writer and a teacher of Hebrew, and a French
Jewish mother. The name Fromental, by which he was generally known, reflects that he was born on the feast-day of that name in the French Revolutionary calendar, which was still operative at that time. He entered the Conservatoire de Paris
at the age of nine or ten (accounts differ), in 1809, becoming a pupil and later protégé of Cherubini
. After two second-place attempts, he won the Prix de Rome
in 1819: his cantata subject was Herminie.
As he had to delay his departure to Rome because of the death of his mother, he was able to accept the first commission that brought him to public attention - a Marche Funèbre
et De Profundis en Hébreu for three part choir, tenor
and orchestra, which was commissioned by the Consistoire Israélite du Département de la Seine
, for a public service in memory of the assassinated duc de Berry
, performed on 24 March 1820. Later, his brother Léon
recalled that the De Profundis, "infused with religious fervor, created a sensation, and attracted interest to the young laureate of the institute."
Halévy was chorus master at the Théâtre Italien
, while he struggled to get an opera performed. Despite the mediocre reception of L'artisan
, at the Opéra-Comique
in 1827, Halévy moved on to be chorus master at the Opéra. The same year he became professor of harmony and accompaniment at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he was professor of counterpoint and fugue in 1833 and of composition in 1840. His notable students include Georges Bizet
, Adolphe Blanc
, Charles Lebouc
, Aimé Maillart
, Antoine François Marmontel
, Georges Mathias
, Jean-Théodore Radoux
, and Marie Gabriel Augustin Savard
.
He was elected to the Institut de France
in 1836.
, in 1835, Halévy attained not only his first major triumph, but gave the world a work that was to be one of the cornerstones of the French repertory for a century, with the role of Eléazar one of the great favorites of tenors such as Enrico Caruso. The opera's most famous aria is Eléazar's "Rachel, quand du Seigneur". Its orchestral ritornello
is the one quotation from Halévy that Berlioz
included in his Treatise on Instrumentation
, for its unusual duet for two cors anglaises
. It is probable however that this aria was inserted only at the request of the great tenor Adolphe Nourrit
, who premiered the role and may have suggested the aria's text. La Juive is one of the grandest of grand opera
s, with major choruses, a spectacular procession in Act I, and impressive celebrations in Act III. It culminates with the heroine plunging into a vat of boiling water in Act V. Mahler
admired it greatly, stating: "I am absolutely overwhelmed by this wonderful, majestic work. I regard it as one of the greatest operas ever created". Other admirers included Wagner
, who wrote an enthusiastic review of its premiere for the German press. (Wagner never showed towards Halévy the anti-Jewish animus that was so notorious a feature of his writings on Meyerbeer
and, to a lesser extent, on Mendelssohn
).
, La reine de Chypre and Charles VI
should be mentioned. Heine
commented that Halévy was an artist, but 'without the slightest spark of genius'. He became however a leading bureaucrat of the arts, becoming Secretary of the Académie des Beaux-Arts
and presiding over committees to determine the standard pitch of orchestral A
, to award prizes for operettas, and so on. The artist Delacroix
offers a chilling portrait of Halévy's decline in his diaries (5 February 1855):
Halévy's cantata Prométhée enchaîné was premiered in 1849 at the Paris Conservatoire, and is generally considered the first mainstream western orchestral composition to use quarter tones.
Halévy died in retirement at Nice
in 1862, aged 62, leaving his last opera, Noé
, unfinished. It was completed by his former student Georges Bizet
, but was not performed until 10 years after Bizet's own death. Bizet married Halévy's daughter Geneviève
in 1869. After his death she became a famous salonnière.
Halévy also wrote for the ballet
, provided incidental music for a French version of Aeschylus
's Prometheus Bound
, and wrote cantatas.
, who had been one of Halévy's pupils at the Conservatoire. After Bizet's death, and an alliance with Élie-Miriam Delaborde
, the son of Charles-Valentin Alkan
, Geneviève married a banker with Rothschild connections and became a leading Parisian hostess. Amongst the guests at her soirées was the young Marcel Proust
, who used her as one of the models for the Duchesse de Guermantes in his epic In Search of Lost Time
.
Halévy's brother was the writer and historian Léon Halévy
, who wrote an early biography of his brother and was the father of Ludovic Halévy
, librettist of many French operas, including Bizet's Carmen
and Jacques Offenbach
's Orpheus in the Underworld
. Léon was also the father, by his mistress Lucinde Paradol, of the politician Lucien-Anatole Prévost-Paradol
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
composer. He is known today largely for his opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
La Juive
La Juive
La Juive is a grand opera in five acts by Fromental Halévy to an original French libretto by Eugène Scribe; it was first performed at the Opéra, Paris, on February 23, 1835.-Composition history:...
.
Early career
Halévy was born in Paris as Elias Levy, the son of a cantorHazzan
A hazzan or chazzan is a Jewish cantor, a musician trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer.There are many rules relating to how a cantor should lead services, but the idea of a cantor as a paid professional does not exist in classical rabbinic sources...
, Élie Halfon Halévy
Élie Halévy (Chalfan)
Élie Halévy , or Élie Halfon-Halévy was a French Hebrew poet and author. He is the father of Fromental and Léon Halévy.-Biography:...
, who was the secretary of the Jewish community of Paris, a writer and a teacher of Hebrew, and a French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
Jewish mother. The name Fromental, by which he was generally known, reflects that he was born on the feast-day of that name in the French Revolutionary calendar, which was still operative at that time. He entered the Conservatoire de Paris
Conservatoire de Paris
The Conservatoire de Paris is a college of music and dance founded in 1795, now situated in the avenue Jean Jaurès in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France...
at the age of nine or ten (accounts differ), in 1809, becoming a pupil and later protégé of Cherubini
Luigi Cherubini
Luigi Cherubini was an Italian composer who spent most of his working life in France. His most significant compositions are operas and sacred music. Beethoven regarded Cherubini as the greatest of his contemporaries....
. After two second-place attempts, he won the Prix de Rome
Prix de Rome
The Prix de Rome was a scholarship for arts students, principally of painting, sculpture, and architecture. It was created, initially for painters and sculptors, in 1663 in France during the reign of Louis XIV. It was an annual bursary for promising artists having proved their talents by...
in 1819: his cantata subject was Herminie.
As he had to delay his departure to Rome because of the death of his mother, he was able to accept the first commission that brought him to public attention - a Marche Funèbre
Funeral march
A funeral march is a march, usually in a minor key, in a slow "simple duple" metre, imitating the solemn pace of a funeral procession. Some such marches are often considered appropriate for use during funerals and other sombre occasions, the most well-known being that of Chopin...
et De Profundis en Hébreu for three part choir, tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
and orchestra, which was commissioned by the Consistoire Israélite du Département de la Seine
Seine (département)
Seine was a département of France encompassing Paris and its immediate suburbs. Its préfecture was Paris and its official number was 75. The Seine département was abolished in 1968 and its territory divided among four new départements....
, for a public service in memory of the assassinated duc de Berry
Charles Ferdinand, duc de Berry
Charles Ferdinand d'Artois, Duke of Berry was the younger son of the future king, Charles X of France, and his wife, Princess Maria Theresa of Savoy....
, performed on 24 March 1820. Later, his brother Léon
Léon Halévy
Léon Halévy , was a French civil servant, historian, and dramatist.Born to a Jewish family, the son of the writer and chazzan Élie Halévy, Léon was the younger brother of the composer Jacques François Fromenthal Halévy.After finishing a course at the Lycée Charlemagne, Halévy became a disciple and...
recalled that the De Profundis, "infused with religious fervor, created a sensation, and attracted interest to the young laureate of the institute."
Halévy was chorus master at the Théâtre Italien
Comédie-Italienne
Over time, there have been several buildings and several theatrical companies named the "Théâtre-Italien" or the "Comédie-Italienne" in Paris. Following the times, the theatre has shown both plays and operas...
, while he struggled to get an opera performed. Despite the mediocre reception of L'artisan
L'artisan
L'artisan is an opera comique by Fromental Halévy, to a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges....
, at the Opéra-Comique
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...
in 1827, Halévy moved on to be chorus master at the Opéra. The same year he became professor of harmony and accompaniment at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he was professor of counterpoint and fugue in 1833 and of composition in 1840. His notable students include Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a...
, Adolphe Blanc
Adolphe Blanc
Adolphe Blanc was a French composer of chamber music. At the age of 13 he was sent to study violin at the Paris Conservatoire...
, Charles Lebouc
Charles Lebouc
Charles Joseph Lebouc was a French cellist. Born in Besançon, France, Lebouc attended the Conservatoire in Paris where he studied under Olive Charlier Vaslin and then Louis Norblin, and later became a cello professor. He played chamber music...
, Aimé Maillart
Aimé Maillart
Louis-Aimé Maillart was a French composer, best known for his operas, particularly Les Dragons de Villars and Lara.-Biography:Maillart was born in Montpellier...
, Antoine François Marmontel
Antoine François Marmontel
Antoine François Marmontel was a French pianist, teacher and musicographer.Marmontel entered the Paris Conservatory in 1827. His teachers were Pierre Zimmerman in pianoforte, Victor Dourlen in harmony, Jacques Fromental Halévy in fugue and Jean-François Le Sueur in composition...
, Georges Mathias
Georges Mathias
Georges Amédée Saint-Clair Mathias was a French composer, pianist and teacher.Mathias was born in Paris. He studied at the Paris Conservatory with François Bazin, Auguste Barbereau, Augustin Savard and Fromental Halévy, composition with Friedrich Kalkbrenner and piano with Frédéric Chopin. He was...
, Jean-Théodore Radoux
Jean-Théodore Radoux
Jean Théodore Radoux was a Belgian composer and bassoonist. In 1859 he won the Belgian Prix de Rome for his cantata Le Juif errant which he had composed earlier that year...
, and Marie Gabriel Augustin Savard
Marie Gabriel Augustin Savard
Marie Gabriel Augustin Savard was the father of Marie Emmanuel Augustin Savard. He was a teacher at the Paris Conservatory in tonic solfa, harmony and figured bass. Among his pupils were Jules Massenet, Cécile Chaminade, Eduard Reuss, and Edward MacDowell. Massenet describes him fondly in his...
.
He was elected to the Institut de France
Institut de France
The Institut de France is a French learned society, grouping five académies, the most famous of which is the Académie française.The institute, located in Paris, manages approximately 1,000 foundations, as well as museums and chateaux open for visit. It also awards prizes and subsidies, which...
in 1836.
La Juive
With his opera La JuiveLa Juive
La Juive is a grand opera in five acts by Fromental Halévy to an original French libretto by Eugène Scribe; it was first performed at the Opéra, Paris, on February 23, 1835.-Composition history:...
, in 1835, Halévy attained not only his first major triumph, but gave the world a work that was to be one of the cornerstones of the French repertory for a century, with the role of Eléazar one of the great favorites of tenors such as Enrico Caruso. The opera's most famous aria is Eléazar's "Rachel, quand du Seigneur". Its orchestral ritornello
Ritornello
A ritornello is a recurring passage in Baroque music for orchestra or chorus. The first or final movement of a solo concerto or aria may be in "ritornello form", in which the ritornello is the opening theme, always played by tutti, which returns in whole or in part and in different keys throughout...
is the one quotation from Halévy that Berlioz
Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
included in his Treatise on Instrumentation
Treatise on Instrumentation
Grand traité d’instrumentation et d’orchestration modernes, abbreviated in English as the Treatise on Instrumentation is a technical study of Western musical instruments, written by Hector Berlioz...
, for its unusual duet for two cors anglaises
Cor anglais
The cor anglais , or English horn , is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family....
. It is probable however that this aria was inserted only at the request of the great tenor Adolphe Nourrit
Adolphe Nourrit
Adolphe Nourrit was a French operatic tenor, librettist, and composer. One of the most esteemed opera singers of the 1820s and 1830s, he was particularly associated with the works of Gioachino Rossini....
, who premiered the role and may have suggested the aria's text. La Juive is one of the grandest of grand opera
Grand Opera
Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterised by large-scale casts and orchestras, and lavish and spectacular design and stage effects, normally with plots based on or around dramatic historic events...
s, with major choruses, a spectacular procession in Act I, and impressive celebrations in Act III. It culminates with the heroine plunging into a vat of boiling water in Act V. Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
admired it greatly, stating: "I am absolutely overwhelmed by this wonderful, majestic work. I regard it as one of the greatest operas ever created". Other admirers included Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
, who wrote an enthusiastic review of its premiere for the German press. (Wagner never showed towards Halévy the anti-Jewish animus that was so notorious a feature of his writings on Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer was a noted German opera composer, and the first great exponent of "grand opera." At his peak in the 1830s and 1840s, he was the most famous and successful composer of opera in Europe, yet he is rarely performed today.-Early years:He was born to a Jewish family in Tasdorf , near...
and, to a lesser extent, on Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
).
Later career
After La Juive, Halévy's real successes were relatively few, although at least three operas, L'éclairL'éclair
L'éclair is an opéra comique by Fromental Halévy to a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges.L'éclair was premiered by the Paris Opéra-Comique at the Salle de la Bourse on 16 December 1835; Jacques Offenbach was a cellist in the orchestra...
, La reine de Chypre and Charles VI
Charles VI (opera)
Charles VI is an 1843 French grand opera in five acts with music composed by Fromental Halevy and a libretto by Casimir Delavigne and his brother Germain Delavigne.-Performance history:...
should be mentioned. Heine
Heinrich Heine
Christian Johann Heinrich Heine was one of the most significant German poets of the 19th century. He was also a journalist, essayist, and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of Lieder by composers such as Robert Schumann...
commented that Halévy was an artist, but 'without the slightest spark of genius'. He became however a leading bureaucrat of the arts, becoming Secretary of the Académie des Beaux-Arts
Académie des beaux-arts
The Académie des Beaux-Arts is a French learned society. It is one of the five academies of the Institut de France.It was created in 1795 as the merger of the:* Académie de peinture et de sculpture...
and presiding over committees to determine the standard pitch of orchestral A
A (musical note)
La or A is the sixth note of the solfège. "A" is generally used as a standard for tuning. When the orchestra tunes, the oboe plays an "A" and the rest of the instruments tune to match that pitch. Every string instrument in the orchestra has an A string, from which each player can tune the rest of...
, to award prizes for operettas, and so on. The artist Delacroix
Eugène Delacroix
Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school...
offers a chilling portrait of Halévy's decline in his diaries (5 February 1855):
I went on to Halévy’s house, where the heat from his stove was suffocating. His wretched wife has crammed his house with bric-a-brac and old furniture, and this new craze will end by driving him to a lunatic asylum. He has changed and looks much older, like a man who is being dragged on against his will. How can he possibly do serious work in this confusion? His new position at the Academy must take up a great deal of his time, and make it more and more difficult for him to find the peace and quiet he needs for his work. Left that inferno as quickly as possible. The breath of the streets seemed positively delicious.
Halévy's cantata Prométhée enchaîné was premiered in 1849 at the Paris Conservatoire, and is generally considered the first mainstream western orchestral composition to use quarter tones.
Halévy died in retirement at Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
in 1862, aged 62, leaving his last opera, Noé
Noé (opera)
Noé was the last opera of the composer Fromental Halévy.The opera's libretto is by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges, who had written the book for the composer's first opera to reach performance, L'artisan...
, unfinished. It was completed by his former student Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a...
, but was not performed until 10 years after Bizet's own death. Bizet married Halévy's daughter Geneviève
Geneviève Halévy
Geneviève Halévy , was a French salonnière. She inspired Marcel Proust as a model for the Duchesse de Guermantes and Odette de Crécy in À la recherche du temps perdu....
in 1869. After his death she became a famous salonnière.
Works
Halévy wrote some forty operas in all, including:- L'artisanL'artisanL'artisan is an opera comique by Fromental Halévy, to a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges....
(1827) - Le roi et le batelier (1827)
- Clari (1828), in Italian; a modest success, even with Maria MalibranMaria MalibranThe mezzo-soprano Maria Malibran , was one of the most famous opera singers of the 19th century. Malibran was known for her stormy personality and dramatic intensity, becoming a legendary figure after her death at age 28...
in the starring role - La dilettante d'Avignon (1828)
- Attendre et courir (1830)
- La langue musicale (1830)
- La tentation (1832)
- Les souvenirs de Lafleur (1833)
- LudovicLudovic (opera)Ludovic is a two act opéra comique to a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges. The music, by Ferdinand Hérold, was left unfinished at his death, and the work was completed by Fromental Halévy....
(1833), completion of an opera left unfinished by Hérold - La JuiveLa JuiveLa Juive is a grand opera in five acts by Fromental Halévy to an original French libretto by Eugène Scribe; it was first performed at the Opéra, Paris, on February 23, 1835.-Composition history:...
(1835), his first success - L'éclairL'éclairL'éclair is an opéra comique by Fromental Halévy to a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges.L'éclair was premiered by the Paris Opéra-Comique at the Salle de la Bourse on 16 December 1835; Jacques Offenbach was a cellist in the orchestra...
(1835), also a great success, in the same season - Guido et GinevraGuido et GinevraGuido et Ginevra, ou La Peste de Florence is a grand opera in five acts by Fromental Halévy to a libretto by Eugène Scribe...
(1838) - Les treize (1839)
- Le shérif, (1839) which Hector BerliozHector BerliozHector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
referred to as a "delightful comic opera" - Le drapier (1839)
- Le guitarréro (1841)
- La reine de ChypreLa reine de ChypreLa reine de Chypre is an 1841 grand opera composed by Fromental Halévy to a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges.-Background:...
(1841) praised by Richard WagnerRichard WagnerWilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas... - Charles VICharles VI (opera)Charles VI is an 1843 French grand opera in five acts with music composed by Fromental Halevy and a libretto by Casimir Delavigne and his brother Germain Delavigne.-Performance history:...
(1843) (revived at CompiègneCompiègneCompiègne is a city in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.The city is located along the Oise River...
in 2005) - Le lazzarone, ou Le bien vient en dormant (1844)
- Les mousquetaires de la reine (1846)
- Les premiers pas (1847)
- Le val d'AndorreLe val d'AndorreLe val d'Andorre is an opéra comique by Fromental Halévy with a libretto by Saint-Georges.-Early productions:The opera was premiered on 11 November 1848 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris...
(1848) - La fée aux roses (1849)
- La tempesta (1850), in Italian, after ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's The TempestThe TempestThe Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,... - La dame de pique (1850) (NOT after Prosper MériméeProsper MériméeProsper Mérimée was a French dramatist, historian, archaeologist, and short story writer. He is perhaps best known for his novella Carmen, which became the basis of Bizet's opera Carmen.-Life:...
's adaptation or Alexander Pushkin's novella) - Le Juif errantLe Juif errant (opera)Le Juif errant is a grand opera by Fromental Halévy, with a libretto by Eugène Scribe and Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges.The opera is based extremely loosely on themes of the novel Le Juif errant, by Eugène Sue...
(1852) after the novel by Eugène SueEugène SueJoseph Marie Eugène Sue was a French novelist.He was born in Paris, the son of a distinguished surgeon in Napoleon's army, and is said to have had the Empress Joséphine for godmother. Sue himself acted as surgeon both in the Spanish campaign undertaken by France in 1823 and at the Battle of Navarino... - Le nababLe nababLe nabab is a three-act opéra comique by Fromental Halévy to a libretto by Eugène Scribe.The title refers to a Nawab or Indian notable. The opera was the last collaboration of Scribe and Halévy, which began in 1835 with La Juive, Halévy's greatest success...
(1853) - Jaguarita l'IndienneJaguarita l'IndienneJaguarita l'Indienne is a three act opéra comique, to a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Adolphe de Leuven, with music by Fromental Halévy....
(1855) - L'inconsolable (1855)
- Valentine d'Aubigny (1856)
- La magicienne (1858)
- NoéNoé (opera)Noé was the last opera of the composer Fromental Halévy.The opera's libretto is by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges, who had written the book for the composer's first opera to reach performance, L'artisan...
(1858–1862): uncompleted at Halévy's death, completed by Georges BizetGeorges BizetGeorges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a...
Halévy also wrote for the ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, provided incidental music for a French version of Aeschylus
Aeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
's Prometheus Bound
Prometheus Bound
Prometheus Bound is an Ancient Greek tragedy. In Antiquity, this drama was attributed to Aeschylus, but is now considered by some scholars to be the work of another hand, perhaps one as late as ca. 415 BC. Despite these doubts of authorship, the play's designation as Aeschylean has remained...
, and wrote cantatas.
Halévy's family
Halévy's wife, Léonie, who had experienced serious mental problems during their marriage, underwent a remarkable recovery after his death and became a talented sculptress. (She was 20 years younger than he.) Their daughter Genéviève married the composer Georges BizetGeorges Bizet
Georges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a...
, who had been one of Halévy's pupils at the Conservatoire. After Bizet's death, and an alliance with Élie-Miriam Delaborde
Élie-Miriam Delaborde
Eraïm-Miriam Delaborde, generally known as Élie-Miriam Delaborde was a French pianist and composer. He was also renowned as a player of the pedal piano....
, the son of Charles-Valentin Alkan
Charles-Valentin Alkan
Charles-Valentin Alkan was a French composer and one of the greatest virtuoso pianists of his day. His attachment to his Jewish origins is displayed both in his life and his work. He entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of six, earning many awards, and as an adult became a famous virtuoso...
, Geneviève married a banker with Rothschild connections and became a leading Parisian hostess. Amongst the guests at her soirées was the young Marcel Proust
Marcel Proust
Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust was a French novelist, critic, and essayist best known for his monumental À la recherche du temps perdu...
, who used her as one of the models for the Duchesse de Guermantes in his epic In Search of Lost Time
In Search of Lost Time
In Search of Lost Time or Remembrance of Things Past is a novel in seven volumes by Marcel Proust. His most prominent work, it is popularly known for its considerable length and the notion of involuntary memory, the most famous example being the "episode of the madeleine." The novel is widely...
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Halévy's brother was the writer and historian Léon Halévy
Léon Halévy
Léon Halévy , was a French civil servant, historian, and dramatist.Born to a Jewish family, the son of the writer and chazzan Élie Halévy, Léon was the younger brother of the composer Jacques François Fromenthal Halévy.After finishing a course at the Lycée Charlemagne, Halévy became a disciple and...
, who wrote an early biography of his brother and was the father of Ludovic Halévy
Ludovic Halévy
Ludovic Halévy was a French author and playwright. He was half Jewish : his Jewish father had converted to Christianity prior to his birth, to marry his mother, née Alexandrine Lebas.-Biography:Ludovic Halévy was born in Paris...
, librettist of many French operas, including Bizet's Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
and Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
's Orpheus in the Underworld
Orpheus in the Underworld
Orphée aux enfers is an opéra bouffon , or opéra féerie in its revised version, by Jacques Offenbach. The French text was written by Ludovic Halévy and later revised by Hector-Jonathan Crémieux....
. Léon was also the father, by his mistress Lucinde Paradol, of the politician Lucien-Anatole Prévost-Paradol
Lucien-Anatole Prévost-Paradol
Lucien-Anatole Prévost-Paradol was a French journalist and essayist.Prevost-Paradol was born in Paris, France, the son of an irregular liaison between the opera singer Lucinde Paradol and the writer Léon Halévy...
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