''Noé'' ('' Noah'') was the last

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 ...

of the composer

Fromental Halévy 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''. Early career Halévy was born in Paris, son of the cantor ...

. The opera's libretto is by

Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges (7 November 1799 – 23 December 1875) was a French playwright, who was born and died in Paris. He was one of the most prolific librettists of the 19th century, often working in collaboration with others. Sa ...

, who had written the book for the composer's first opera to reach performance, '' L'artisan'' (1827). ''Noé'' is based on the biblical story of Noah. Halévy worked on the opera during his last years (1858–1862), but left it unfinished after the

Paris Opéra The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be k ...

, which had scheduled it for the 1860 season, decided to postpone it after seeing the score of the first four acts. It was eventually completed by Halévy's son-in-law, Georges Bizet, who however was unable to persuade any theatre to put it on. Eventually it was premiered in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

in 1885, ten years after Bizet's own death. It is sometimes known by the title suggested by Bizet, ''Le déluge'' (''The Flood'').

External links

Revival of ''Noé''
at

Compiègne Compiègne (; pcd, Compiène) is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. It is located on the river Oise. Its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois''. Administration Compiègne is the seat of two cantons: * Compiègne-1 (with 19 ...

, 2004. A

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was produced from this performance. Operas by Fromental Halévy Operas by Georges Bizet 1885 operas Operas French-language operas Unfinished operas Operas completed by others Operas based on the Bible Noah's Ark in popular culture {{French-opera-stub