Francis Chassaigne

Francis Chassaigne (also known as Francisque Chassaigne) (30 October 1847 – 21 December 1922) was a Belgian-born French composer of operettas, songs, and numerous pieces of dance music for piano. The English-language versions of his operettas, Le droit d'aînesse and Les noces improvisées (1886) became very popular in Britain and the United States. Chassaigne was married to the Swiss-born operetta singer Louise Roland.

Biography

Born Désiré-François Chassaigne in Brussels in 1847, Chassaigne studied music there before settling in Paris. According to Aronson's memoirs, Chaissaigne had planned to compose a further operetta for him, based on Louis XIV at Versailles, but this was never completed.

Chassaigne was married to the Swiss-born operetta and vaudeville singer Louise Roland who appeared frequently at the Théâtre des Variétés. Both she and Chassaigne were members of Les Hydropathes, a famous Parisian literary club founded by the French writer Émile Goudeau, many of whose members where singers and stage artists. The daughter of a theatre director, Roland was born in 1851 and began performing at the age of five. She created a number of roles in the operettas of the day and was also an accomplished dancer. After her retirement from the stage, she had a successful career touring as a concert singer, often accompanied on the piano by Chassaigne. In 1912, the couple published Servatoire, described as a three-act comédie vocale (sung comedy). Chassaigne died in Le Raincy in 1922 at the age of 75. Louise Roland died sometime after 1924.

Works Stage works

Un coq en jupons (libretto by Gaston Villemer); premiered at the Alcazar d'Été, 1870 La bergère de Bougival (libretto by Gaston Villemer and Lucien Delormel); premiered at the Eldorado, 1872 Les horreurs du carnaval (libretto by Auguste Jouhaud); premiered at the Eldorado, 1873 Une double clé (libretto by Jules de Rieux); premiered at the Eldorado, 1873 Monsieur Auguste (libretto by Jules de Rieux); premiered at the Eldorado, 1873 Le professeur de tyrolienne (libretto by Gaston Villemer and Lucien Delormel); premiered at the Eldorado, 1874 Un table de café (libretto by Jules de Reiux and A. Guyon); premiered at the Eldorado, 1874 Deux mauvaises bonnes (libretto by Louis Péricaud and Lucien Delormel); premiered at the Eldorado, 1876 Les enfants de la balle (libretto by Louis Péricaud and Lucien Delormel); premiered at the Eldorado, 1877 La famille de Paméla (libretto by Louis Péricaud and Lucien Delormel); premiered at the Eldorado, 1877 Actéon et le centaure Chiron (libretto by Adolphe de Leuven); premiered at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal, Paris, 24 January 1878 L'américaine (libretto by Alphonse Siégel); premiered at the Eldorado, 1878 La tache de sang! (libretto by Gaston Marot); premiered at the Eldorado, 1878 Le conciergicide (libretto by Hermil and Numès); premiered at the Eldorado, 1879 Zizi (libretto by Alphonse Siégel); premiered at the Eldorado, 1881 Le droit d'aînesse (libretto by Eugène Leterrier and Albert Vanloo); premiered at the Théâtre des Nouveautés, Paris, 27 January 1883. The English version, Falka, with a libretto translated and adapted by Henry Farnie premiered at the Comedy Theatre in London on 29 October 1883. Les noces improvisées (libretto by Armand Liorat and Albert Fonteny); premiered at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens, Paris, 13 February 1886. The English version, Nadgy, with a libretto translated and adapted by Alfred Murray premiered at the Casino Theatre in New York on 14 May 1888. The Brazilian (libretto by Max Pemberton, Edgar Smith, and William Lestocq); premiered at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle upon Tyne on 19 April 1890

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