Pauline Marie Elisa Thys Lebault'' (1835–1909) was a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and

librettist A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major ...

. She was born in Paris. Her father was the

opéra comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular ''opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Théâtre de la foire, Fair Theatres of St Germain and S ...

composer Alphonse Thys (1807–1879). Initially she composed salon romances and light piano music in the tradition of Loïsa Puget, and, by the age of 20, had published her work with the music publisher Heugel. During Thys's lifetime, commentators viewed her as one of the best composers of the salon romance. She subsequently turned to writing larger-scale musical works for the stage including

operettas Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the ope ...

, opéra-comiques, and

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

s, including several for which she authored the libretto. These works were staged at the ''

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...

'' and at the ''

Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens The Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens () is a Parisian theatre founded in 1855 by the composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers ...

'' among other venues. Her four-act opera ''Judith'' is cited in American essayist Theodore Stranton's ''The Woman Question in Europe'' as an example of French women's achievements in music. Excerpts from ''Judith'' were frequently performed in public. Her opera ''Le Mariage de Tabarin'' was staged to great success on December 5, 1855, at the ''Theatre Royal'' in Florence and in numerous other cities. In addition to her musical work, Thys was also a novelist: she published the novel ''Les bonnes bêtes'' under the pseudonym Mme. M. Du Coin. In 1877, she founded the ''Association des femmes artistes et professeurs'', an organization whose aim was to address the obstacles faced by women and to draw attention to their work. The group's first concert, presented on March 11, 1877, featured the work of composers

Delphine Ugalde Gabrielle Delphine Ugalde, née Beaucé (3 December 1829 – 19 July 1910), was a French soprano and composer. She was the mother of Marguerite Ugalde.E. Forbes: "Ugalde, Delphine", in: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' (London & New York: Mac ...

Clémence de Grandval Clémence de Grandval (21 January 1828 – 15 January 1907), born as Marie Félicie Clémence de Reiset and also known as Vicomtesse de Grandval and Marie Grandval, was a French composer of the Romantic era. She was a person and composer of statur ...

, Amélie Perronnet, and excerpts from Thys's comic opera ''Le Mariage de Tabarin''. In 1883, she became a ''Chevalier de l'

Ordre des Palmes académiques A suite, in Western classical music, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes; and grew in scope so that by the early 17th century it comprised up to ...

''. Thys married Charles Lebault in June 1860 and the couple divorced in 1886. Thys married her second husband Charles Marque du Coin in 1886. Following his death in 1906, Thys relocated to Forest-Les-Bruxelles in Belgium, where she lived for the rest of her life.

Selected works

Stage *''La Pomme de Turquie'', operetta, 1 act (1857) *''Quand Dieu est dans le ménage, Dieu le garde'', operetta (1860) *''La Perruque du Bailli'', operetta (1860) *''Le Roi de Cocagne'', opéra-comique, 2 acts (libretto: Pierre Jean Baptiste Choudard Desforges) (1862) *''Manette'', opéra-comique (1865) *''La Congiura di Chevreuse'', opéra (1876) *''Le Cabaret du Pot-cassé'', operetta, 2 acts (1878) *''Le Fruit vert'', opéra-comique, 3 acts *''Nedgeya'', operetta (libretto: P. Nemo) (1880) *''Le Mariage de Tabarin'' (French version of her own ''La Congiura di Chevreuse''), opéra-comique, 3 acts (libretto by Thys) (1885) *''Judith'', tragédie lyrique Songs *''Chanson créole'' (1856) *''Le Chant du gondolier'' (1856) *''Le Souvenir'' (1856) *''Les Larmes sont soeurs'' (1858) *''Ma Pendule'' (1858) *''Les Chants de la sirène'' (1859) *''Six Fables de La Fontaine'' for solo voice (1861, reprinted 1872); includes 1. ''L'Amour et la folie''; 2. ''Le Satyre et le passant''; 3. ''Les Médecins''; 4. ''L'Huître et les plaideurs''; 5. ''La Montagne qui accouche''; 6. ''La Femme noyée''. *''Tes vingt ans'' (1861) *''La Neige tombe sur nos toits'' (1862) *''Le Pays de Cocagne'' (1862) *''Jeunes filles et papillons'' (1864) *''Qu’en dites-vous, Monsieur Genniès'' (1862, reprinted 1872) *''Quand on est vieux'' (1863) *''Mignonne, voici le jour'' (1884) Piano *''Air havanais'' (1875)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thys, Pauline-Marie-Elisa 1835 births 1909 deaths 19th-century French classical composers French librettists French women opera composers French opera composers 19th-century French women composers