''L'Aiglon'' is a play in six acts by
Edmond Rostand based on the life of
Napoleon II
, house = Bonaparte
, father = Napoleon I, Emperor of the French
, mother = Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Tuileries Palace, Paris, French Empire ...
, who was the son of Emperor
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
and his second wife, Empress
Marie Louise. The title of the play comes from a nickname for Napoleon II, the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
word for "eaglet" (a young
eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...
).
The title role was created by
Sarah Bernhardt in the play's premiere on 15 March 1900 at the
Théàtre Sarah Bernhardt.
Fashion designer
Jacques Doucet designed her famous white costume.
In October of the same year, the play (in an English translation by
Louis N. Parker
Louis Napoleon Parker (21 October 1852 – 21 September 1944) was an English dramatist, composer and translator. Parker wrote many plays, developing a reputation for historical works. His 1911 play ''Disraeli'' is one of his best known, written a ...
) premiered at New York's
Knickerbocker Theatre, with
Maude Adams
Maude Ewing Adams Kiskadden (November 11, 1872 – July 17, 1953), known professionally as Maude Adams, was an American actress who achieved her greatest success as the character Peter Pan, first playing the role in the 1905 Broadway production ...
in the title role.
Its first performance in London was at
His Majesty's Theatre in 1901, with Bernhardt again playing the leading role. Rostand had written ''L'Aiglon'' specifically for Bernhardt, and it became one of her signature roles.
Clemence Dane made an English translation which was broadcast by the BBC on National Radio in 15 November 1936 and regionally the following day.
performed the leading role in this production.
Arthur Honegger
Arthur Honegger (; 10 March 1892 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss composer who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. A member of Les Six, his best known work is probably ''Antigone'', composed between 1924 and 1927 t ...
and
Jacques Ibert
Jacques François Antoine Marie Ibert (15 August 1890 – 5 February 1962) was a French composer of classical music. Having studied music from an early age, he studied at the Paris Conservatoire and won its top prize, the Prix de Rome at his firs ...
composed an
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...
in five acts, also with the title ''
L'Aiglon'', to a libretto by
Henri Cain, based on Rostand's play. It was first performed at the
Opéra de Monte-Carlo in
1937.
References
*''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''
"Rostand's New Play a Success" 16 March 1900
*''New York Times''
"Maude Adams as the Stricken Eaglet" 23 October 1900
*Spratt, Geoffrey K.
''The music of Arthur Honegger'' Cork University Press, 1987, p. 544.
*V&A Archive L'Aiglon radio scrip
External links
''L'Aiglon'' – complete text in the original French''L'Aiglon'' – complete text of the English translation by Louis N. ParkerRecording of Sarah Bernhardt in a 4 minute excerpt from ''L'Aiglon''
Vincent Voice Library, Michigan State University
Aiglon
Aiglon
Cultural depictions of Napoleon II
{{1900s-play-stub