Paul Ferrier (29 March 1843 - September 1920) was a French

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. Ben Jonson coined the term "playwri ...

, who also provided libretti for several composers, especially Varney and Serpette. Ferrier was born in

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

. He had already produced several comedies when in 1873 he secured real success with two short pieces, ''Chez l'avocat'' and ''Les Incendies de Massoulard''. Others of his numerous plays are ''Les Compensations'' (1876); ''L'Art de tramper les femmes'' (1890), with

Émile de Najac Comte Émile de Najac (December 1828 – 11 April 1889) was a French librettist. He was a prolific writer during the Second Empire (France), Second Empire and early part of the Third Republic (France), Third Republic, supplying plays and opéra co ...

. One of Ferrier's biggest successes was the production with Fabrice Carré of ''Josephine vendue par ses sœurs'' (1886), an opera bouffée with music by Victor Roger. His opera libretti include ''La Marocaine'' (1879), music of

Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach (; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera ''The Tales of Hoffmann''. He was a p ...

; ''Le Chevalier d'Harmental'' (1896) after the play of

Alexandre Dumas, père Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...

, for the music of

André Messager André Charles Prosper Messager (; 30 December 1853 – 24 February 1929) was a French composer, organist, pianist and conductor. His compositions include eight ballets and thirty , opérettes and other stage works, among which his ballet (1 ...

; ''La Fille de Tabarin'' (1901), with

Victorien Sardou Victorien Sardou ( , ; 5 September 1831 – 8 November 1908) was a French dramatist. He is best remembered today for his development, along with Eugène Scribe, of the well-made play. He also wrote several plays that were made into popular 19th-c ...

, music of

Gabriel Pierné Henri Constant Gabriel Pierné (16 August 1863 – 17 July 1937) was a French composer, conductor, pianist and organist. Biography Gabriel Pierné was born in Metz. His family moved to Paris, after Metz and part of Lorraine were annexed to Germ ...

. Ferrier died in Nouan-le-Fuzelier (

Loir-et-Cher Loir-et-Cher (, ) is a Departments of France, department in the Centre-Val de Loire Regions of France, region of France. It is named after two rivers which run through it, the Loir in its northern part and the Cher (river), Cher in its southern p ...

), at age 77.

Artistic works

Plays

* ''Chez l'avocat'', 1873. * ''Les incendies de Massoulard'', 1873. * ''Les compensations'', 1876. * ''La briguedondaine'', 1877 * ''L'art de tramper les femmes'', with Emile de Najac, 1890.

Operas

* ''Josephine vendue par ses sœurs'', with Fabrice Carré, music by Victor Roger, 1886. * ''La Marocaine'', music by

, 1879. * ''Le chevalier d'Harmental'', 1896, music by

, after the play of

. * ''La fille de Tabarin'', 1901, music by

. * ''La vie mondaine'' (with

), opéra bouffe, premiere 13 February 1885, Paris, Nouveautés. Music by

Charles Lecocq Alexandre Charles Lecocq (; 3 June 183224 October 1918) was a French composer, known for his opérettes and opéra comique, opéras comiques. He became the most prominent successor to Jacques Offenbach in this sphere, and enjoyed considerable su ...

. * ''Miousic'', opérette, premiere 22 March 1914, Paris, Olympia. Music by

Reynaldo Hahn Reynaldo Hahn de Echenagucia (9 August 1874 – 28 January 1947) was a Venezuelan-born French composer, conductor, music critic, and singer. He is best known for his songs – ''mélodies'' – of which he wrote more than 100. Hahn was born ...

and

References

* 1843 births 1920 deaths 19th-century French dramatists and playwrights French opera librettists Writers from Montpellier 20th-century French dramatists and playwrights {{France-playwright-stub