Cogniard brothers
Encyclopedia
The Cogniard brothers were two French brothers who worked as playwrights and theatre directors, producing an incalculable number of vaudeville
s, reviews, féérie
s and operettas. The elder of the two was Charles-Théodore or Théodore Cogniard (30 April 1806, Paris - 13 May 1872, Paris) and the younger was Jean-Hippolyte or Hippolyte Cogniard (28 November 1807, Paris - 6 February 1882, Paris)
Nicknamed "les jumeaux siamois du vaudeville" (the Siamese twins of vaudeville), they headed the théâtre de la Porte-Saint-Martin from 1840 to 1845. In 1845 Hippolyte took sole charge of the Théâtre du Vaudeville
, then of the Théâtre des Variétés
from 1854 to 1869, where he instituted a repertoire solely consisting of operettas. It was under Hippolyte's leadership that Jacques Offenbach
created his best known works : La Belle Hélène
, Barbe-Bleue, La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein
and La Périchole
. In 1869, on behalf of his son Léon, Hippolyte acquired the Cirque-Impérial and renamed it the Théâtre du Château d'Eau, after its proximity to the place du Château d'Eau (now place de la République
). He then took it over after his son's premature death in March 1870. (After several failures, in 1904 that theatre became one of the most famous Parisian music halls, as the Alhambra.)
As playwrights, the Cogniard brothers produced an impressive number of plays, fééries and reviews from 1830 onwards, collaborating with Hector Crémieux, Louis-François Clairville and Paul Siraudin. These included La Cocarde tricolore, La Révolte des modistes, Les Deux Borgnes, L'Agnès de Belleville (with Paul de Kock), Bobêche et Galimafré, La Fille de l'air, Les Enfants du délire, Le Naufrage de la Méduse, Les Mille et une nuits, La Biche aux bois, La Cornemuse du diable, Le Royaume du calembourg, La Poudre de perlimpinpin, Le Monde camelotte, Les Bibelots du diable, La Grande Marée, Sans queue ni tête (with Crémieux), La Reine Crinoline ou Le royaume des femmes, Les Compagnons de la truelle (with Clairville), Les Bêtises d'hier (with Clairville and Siraudin) and their greatest success La Chatte blanche (a féerie put on in 1852).
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
s, reviews, féérie
Féérie
Féerie is the title of the resident stage show at the Moulin Rouge, a famous cabaret venue in Paris, France. The show premiered on 23 December 1999. It replaced the Moulin Rouge's centenary show Formidable, which ran from 20 February 1988, to 14 November 1999...
s and operettas. The elder of the two was Charles-Théodore or Théodore Cogniard (30 April 1806, Paris - 13 May 1872, Paris) and the younger was Jean-Hippolyte or Hippolyte Cogniard (28 November 1807, Paris - 6 February 1882, Paris)
Nicknamed "les jumeaux siamois du vaudeville" (the Siamese twins of vaudeville), they headed the théâtre de la Porte-Saint-Martin from 1840 to 1845. In 1845 Hippolyte took sole charge of the Théâtre du Vaudeville
Théâtre du Vaudeville
The Théâtre du Vaudeville was a theatre in Paris. It opened on 12 January 1792 on rue de Chartres. Its directors, Piis and Barré, mainly put on "petites pièces mêlées de couplets sur des airs connus", including vaudevilles....
, then of the Théâtre des Variétés
Théâtre des Variétés
The Théâtre des Variétés is a theatre and "salle de spectacles" at 7, boulevard Montmartre, 2nd arrondissement, in Paris. It was declared a monument historique in 1975.-History:...
from 1854 to 1869, where he instituted a repertoire solely consisting of operettas. It was under Hippolyte's leadership that Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
created his best known works : La Belle Hélène
La belle Hélène
La belle Hélène , opéra bouffe in three acts, is an operetta by Jacques Offenbach to an original French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy...
, Barbe-Bleue, La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein
La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein
La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein is an opéra bouffe , in three acts and four tableaux by Jacques Offenbach to an original French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy...
and La Périchole
La Périchole
La Périchole is an opéra bouffe in three acts by Jacques Offenbach. Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy wrote the French-language libretto based on the 1829 one act play Le carrosse du Saint-Sacrement by Prosper Mérimée, which was revived on 13 March 1850 at the Théâtre-Français...
. In 1869, on behalf of his son Léon, Hippolyte acquired the Cirque-Impérial and renamed it the Théâtre du Château d'Eau, after its proximity to the place du Château d'Eau (now place de la République
Place de la République
The Place de la République is a square in Paris, located on the border between the 3rd, 10th and 11th arrondissements. It is named after the French Republic. The Métro station of République lies beneath the square.-History:...
). He then took it over after his son's premature death in March 1870. (After several failures, in 1904 that theatre became one of the most famous Parisian music halls, as the Alhambra.)
As playwrights, the Cogniard brothers produced an impressive number of plays, fééries and reviews from 1830 onwards, collaborating with Hector Crémieux, Louis-François Clairville and Paul Siraudin. These included La Cocarde tricolore, La Révolte des modistes, Les Deux Borgnes, L'Agnès de Belleville (with Paul de Kock), Bobêche et Galimafré, La Fille de l'air, Les Enfants du délire, Le Naufrage de la Méduse, Les Mille et une nuits, La Biche aux bois, La Cornemuse du diable, Le Royaume du calembourg, La Poudre de perlimpinpin, Le Monde camelotte, Les Bibelots du diable, La Grande Marée, Sans queue ni tête (with Crémieux), La Reine Crinoline ou Le royaume des femmes, Les Compagnons de la truelle (with Clairville), Les Bêtises d'hier (with Clairville and Siraudin) and their greatest success La Chatte blanche (a féerie put on in 1852).
Sources
- Huart, Louis, "Frères Cogniard" in Louis Huart and Charles Philipon (eds), Galerie de la presse, de la littérature et des beaux-arts, Volume 1, Bureau de la Publication, et Chez Aubert, 1839
- New York Times, "Theodore Cogniard, Dramatist" May 27, 1872