Paul Lacome
Encyclopedia
Paul-Jean-Jacques Lacome d'Estalenx (4 March 1838 – 12 December 1920) was a French composer. Between 1870 and the turn of the century he produced a series of operettas and operas-bouffes that were popular both in France and abroad. Interest in his works revived briefly during World War I
when they were successfully revived in Paris.
, Gers
, in Gascony
, the only child of an artistic and musical family. He became a competent player of the piano, flute, cornet
, cello and ophicleide
, and studied with the organist José Puig y Absubide in Aire-sur-Adour between 1857 and 1860. He won a prize, in a magazine competition, with an operetta, Le dernier des paladins, which was to have been presented at the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens
, but the policy of the theatre changed and the piece was not staged.
Lacome settled in Paris, where he wrote music criticism and had more than 20 operettas performed between 1870 and the end of the century. His operetta La Dot Mal Placée ("The Misplaced Dowry", 1873) was a hit abroad as well as in Paris. It played 117 times in Barcelona
, and had similar runs in Naples
, Madrid and Austria. Madame Boniface was given in Montreal
in 1885. Ma mie Rosette (1890) was his biggest success in Britain. In France, the most successful of his shows was Jeanne, Jeannette et Jeanneton (1876), whch ran for more than 200 performances despite having a libretto previously rejected by Offenbach
.
In addition to his operas, Lacome composed songs, chamber music and orchestral works, including a ballet, Le rêve d'Elias (1899), which ran for more than 100 performances in Paris and had a similar run in London. To mark the centenary of the French Revolution
in 1889, he conceived the idea of reviving the operas of the revolutionary era, reorchestrating them to suit modern tastes. Under his supervision there were revivals of Paisiello
's The Barber of Seville
and Dalayrac
's Raoul, sire de Créqui and La soirée orageuse at the Opéra Comique
.
In 1901 Lacome retired, returning to live at the family house at Le Houga. He became a local benefactor, endowing the church and founding a music school at Mont-de-Marsan
nearby, where he taught until 1912. He was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. Some of Lacome's works were revived in Paris during World War I
, when, as one commentator put it, the French craved reminders of a happier era. Between 1914 and 1918 there were revivals of Ma mie Rosette and Jeanne, Jeannette et Jeanneton, and two revivals of Madame Boniface.
Lacome died at his house in Le Houga at the age of 82.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
when they were successfully revived in Paris.
Biography
Lacome was born in Le HougaLe Houga
Le Houga is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
, Gers
Gers
The Gers is a department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in the southwest of France named after the Gers River.Inhabitants are called les Gersois or Gersoises.-History:...
, in Gascony
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
, the only child of an artistic and musical family. He became a competent player of the piano, flute, cornet
Cornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
, cello and ophicleide
Ophicleide
The ophicleide is a family of conical bore, brass keyed-bugles. It has a similar shape to the sudrophone.- History :The ophicleide was invented in 1817 and patented in 1821 by French instrument maker Jean Hilaire Asté as an extension to the keyed bugle or Royal Kent bugle family...
, and studied with the organist José Puig y Absubide in Aire-sur-Adour between 1857 and 1860. He won a prize, in a magazine competition, with an operetta, Le dernier des paladins, which was to have been presented at the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens
Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens
The Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens is a Parisian theatre which was founded in 1855 by the composer Jacques Offenbach for the performance of opéra bouffe and operetta. The current theatre is located in the 2nd arrondissement at 4 rue Monsigny with an entrance at the back at 65 Passage Choiseul. In...
, but the policy of the theatre changed and the piece was not staged.
Lacome settled in Paris, where he wrote music criticism and had more than 20 operettas performed between 1870 and the end of the century. His operetta La Dot Mal Placée ("The Misplaced Dowry", 1873) was a hit abroad as well as in Paris. It played 117 times in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, and had similar runs in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Madrid and Austria. Madame Boniface was given in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in 1885. Ma mie Rosette (1890) was his biggest success in Britain. In France, the most successful of his shows was Jeanne, Jeannette et Jeanneton (1876), whch ran for more than 200 performances despite having a libretto previously rejected by 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....
.
In addition to his operas, Lacome composed songs, chamber music and orchestral works, including a ballet, Le rêve d'Elias (1899), which ran for more than 100 performances in Paris and had a similar run in London. To mark the centenary of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
in 1889, he conceived the idea of reviving the operas of the revolutionary era, reorchestrating them to suit modern tastes. Under his supervision there were revivals of Paisiello
Giovanni Paisiello
Giovanni Paisiello was an Italian composer of the Classical era.-Life:Paisiello was born at Taranto and educated by the Jesuits there. He became known for his beautiful singing voice and in 1754 was sent to the Conservatorio di S. Onofrio at Naples, where he studied under Francesco Durante, and...
's The Barber of Seville
Il barbiere di Siviglia (Paisiello)
Il barbiere di Siviglia, ovvero La precauzione inutile is a comic opera by Giovanni Paisiello from a libretto by Giuseppe Petrosellini, even though his name is not identified on the score's title page....
and Dalayrac
Nicolas Dalayrac
Nicolas-Marie d'Alayrac, known as Nicolas Dalayrac , was a French composer, best known for his opéras-comiques.- Biography :...
's Raoul, sire de Créqui and La soirée orageuse at the Opéra Comique
Opera Comique
The Opera Comique was a 19th-century theatre constructed in Westminster, London, between Wych Street and Holywell Street with entrances on the East Strand. It opened in 1870 and was demolished in 1902, to make way for the construction of the Aldwych and Kingsway...
.
In 1901 Lacome retired, returning to live at the family house at Le Houga. He became a local benefactor, endowing the church and founding a music school at Mont-de-Marsan
Mont-de-Marsan
Mont-de-Marsan is a commune and capital of the Landes department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.Mont-de-Marsan airbase « Constantin Rozanoff » is a major installation of the French Air Force. The base includes CEAM , an air defense radar command reporting centre, and an air defence control...
nearby, where he taught until 1912. He was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. Some of Lacome's works were revived in Paris during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, when, as one commentator put it, the French craved reminders of a happier era. Between 1914 and 1918 there were revivals of Ma mie Rosette and Jeanne, Jeannette et Jeanneton, and two revivals of Madame Boniface.
Lacome died at his house in Le Houga at the age of 82.
Works
Lacome's operettas are listed below, with the names of the librettists and dates of Paris premières:- L’épicier par amour, 1 act, 1870
- J’veux mon peignoir, 1 act, Georges Mancel, 1872
- En Espagne, 1 act, Mancel, 1872
- La dot mal placée, 3 acts, Mancel, 1873
- Le mouton enragé, 1 act, Adolphe Jaime and Jules Noriac, 1873
- Amphytrion, 1 act, C. Nuitter and Beaumont, 1875
- Jeanne Jeannette et Jeanneton, 3 acts, Charles Clairville and Alfred Delacour, 1876 (retitled The Marquis in the United States)
- Pâques fleuries, 3 acts, Clairville and Delacour, 1879
- Le beau Nicolas, 3 acts, Albert Vanloo and Eugène Letterier, 1880
- La nuit de Saint Jean, 1 act, M. de Lua-Lusignan and Delacour, after Erckmann-Chatrian, 1882
- Madame Boniface, 3 acts, Clairville and Ernest Depré, 1883
- Myrtille, 4 acts, Emile Erckmann, Alexandre Chatrian and Maurice Drack, 1885
- Les saturnales, 3 acts, Albin Valabrègue, 1887
- La gardeuse d’oies, 3 acts, Letterier and Vanloo, 1888
- Ma mie Rosette, 3 acts, Jules Préval and Armand Liorat, 1890
- La fille de l’air, opérette fantastique in 4 acts and 7 tableaux, Coignard brothers, after Liorat, 1890
- Mademoiselle Asmodée (music by Lacome and Victor Roger), 3 acts, P. Ferrier and Clairville, 1891
- Le cadeau de noces, 4 acts, Liorat, Stop and A. Hue, 1893
- Le baiser de Monsieur, 1 act, J. Pradels and Mancel, 1895
- La fiancée en loterie (music by Lacome and André MessagerAndré MessagerAndré Charles Prosper Messager , was a French composer, organist, pianist, conductor and administrator. His stage compositions included ballets and 30 opéra comiques and operettas, among which Véronique, had lasting success, with Les p'tites Michu and Monsieur Beaucaire also enjoying international...
), 3 acts, A. Douane and C. de Roddaz, 1896 *Le maréchal Chaudron, 3 acts, Henri Chivot and Jean Gascogne, 1898 - Les quatre filles Aymon (music by Lacome and Victor Roger), 3 acts, Liorat and Albert Fontenay, 1898