A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Scribe, Eugène

by Gustave Chouquet

SCRIBE, Eugene, the most prolific of French dramatists, and the best librettist of the 19th century, born in Paris Dec. 25, 1791. He lost his parents early, and the well-known advocate Bonnet urged him to take to the bar, but he was irresistibly drawn to the stage, and from his début at 20 at the Théâtre du Vaudeville till his death, he produced for the different theatres of Paris a rapid succession of pieces which have served as models to a host of imitators. He originated the comédie-vaudeville, and attained to high comedy in 'Une Chaine'; but it is in opéra-comique and lyric tragedy that he has given the most striking proofs of his imagination and knowledge of the stage. For half a century he produced on an average 10 pieces a year, many it is true written conjointly with various authors, but in these 'mariages d'esprit' Scribe was always the head of the firm.

We are not concerned here with his novels, nor with his opéras-comiques, further than in saying that they abound in ingenious surprises, piquant situations, and scenes admirably adapted for musical treatment; it is in lyric tragedy that his invention, originality, dramatic force, and genius for the stage, are most conspicuous. As a writer, especially as a versifier, he was often at fault, but this defect was overlooked by the composers who anxiously secured him for the sake of his poetical conception. Of his librettos, over 100 in all, only the principal can be specified here:—

La Dame blanche	Boieldieu	1825	Opéra-Comique.
La Maçon	Auber	{{{1}}}„	{{{1}}}„
La Somnambule	Hérold	1827	Opéra.
La Muette de Portici	Auber	1828	{{{1}}}„
La Belle au bois dormant	Hérold	1829	{{{1}}}„
La Fiancée	Auber	1830	Opéra-Comique.
Le Dieu et la Bayadere	{{{1}}}„	{{{1}}}„	Opéra.
Manon Lescaut	Halévy	{{{1}}}„	{{{1}}}„
Fra Diavolo	Auber	{{{1}}}„	Opéra-Comique.
Le Philtre	{{{1}}}„	1831	Opéra.
Robert le Diable	Meyerbeer	{{{1}}}„	{{{1}}}„
Gustave III	Auber	1833	{{{1}}}„
Le Chalet	Ad. Adam	1834	Opéra-Comique.
Lestocq	Auber	{{{1}}}„	{{{1}}}„
Le Cheval de Bronze	{{{1}}}„	1835	{{{1}}}„
La Juive	Halévy	{{{1}}}„	Opéra.
L'Ambassadrice	Auber	1836	Opéra-Comique.
Les Huguenots	Meyerbeer	{{{1}}}„	Opéra.
Le Domino Noir	Auber	1837	Opéra-Comique.
Guido et Ginevra	Halévy	1838	Opéra.
Le Lac des Fées	Auber	1839	{{{1}}}„
Les Martyrs	Donizetti	1840	{{{1}}}„
Les Diamans de la Couronne	Auber	1841	Opéra-Comique.
La Part du Diablo	{{{1}}}„	1834	{{{1}}}„
La Sirene	{{{1}}}„	1844	{{{1}}}„
Haydée	{{{1}}}„	1847	{{{1}}}„
Le Prophéte	Meyerbeer	1849	Opéra.
L'Enfant Prodigue	Auber	1850	{{{1}}}„
Giralda	Ad. Adam	{{{1}}}„	Opéra-Comique.
La Tempesta	Halévy	{{{1}}}„	Her Majesty's.
L'Etoile du Nord	Meyerbeer	1854	Opéa-Comique.
Les Vepres Siciliennes	Verdi	1855	Opéra.
L'Africaine	Meyerbeer	1856	{{{1}}}„

[App. p.792 "correct date of 'La Fiancée' to 1829."]

As will be perceived, his favourite composers were Meyerbeer and Auber, especially Auber.

Scribe died suddenly in Paris, Feb. 21, 1861. He had been a member of the French Academy since 1836, and had acquired a large fortune. His complete works have not been published, but there are several editions of his stage-pieces. That of 1855 comprises 2 vols. of operas, and 3 of opéras-comiques, and the latest (Paris, Calmann Lévy, 1874 to 81), 6 vols. 12mo. of ballets and operas, and 20 of opéras-comiques. A perusal of these gives a high idea of his fertility and resource.

[ G. C. ]