Charles-Simon Favart

Biography

Resulting from a family originating in Rheims, wire of a pastrycook in reputation and the girl of a farmer of Goussainville, Favart made studies with the Louis-the-Large Collège and lost his/her rather young father. It had then, not without feeling shame of it, taking again the family, famous shop for its scalded, while composing of poetries. A poem entitled France delivered by the Maid of Orleans was worth to him the money violet of the floral Jeux. Its first part, Punchinello count de Paonfier (1732), parody of the Glorious of Destouches, was played anonymously on a puppet theater.

It was then put to write parts with light comedies - i.e. frays of songs - of which one, the Two Binoculars , played Op3era Comique in 1734, gained a considerable success grace in particular to this verse:

the world is full with cheatings:

the courtiers,

By thousand tempting speeches,

Can hide their cheatings;

By the friends, the friends are deceived.

Let us fear the oaths of vain,

And the decency of the simplest young girls:

finest is misled there.

After this success, Favart gave to the theater a score parts, all anonymities. It was solved to make of it the consent only with the Enquiring one of spirit (1741), true masterpiece of the kind, who knew a true triumph with more than 200 representations.

Favart was named manager of the Op3era Comique in 1743. It is there that it met a young actress, Justine Duronceray known as " Miss de Chantilly" , which was going to become his wife the December 12th 1745 and to know the celebrity under the name of " M {{me}} Favart ".

But the Actors of the Com3edie fran1caise, jealous of the success of the Op3era Comique, made it remove in June 1745, leaving Favart without resources.

The marshal of Saxony charged it then, at the beginning of 1746, to direct the travelling troop actors of which it was made follow to the armies: “Do not believe, éctivait the marshal with Favart about this troop, that I look it like a simple object of recreation, it enters my political sights and the plan of my military operations. ” Favart remained during five years with the service of the marshal of Saxony and made for the army of many impromptus which maintained the warlike heat the soldier.

Favart directed the Théâtre of the Currency to Brussels, of 1746 with 1748. Success was bright, so much so that even the enemies the actors claimed the days when they did not play in front of the French. But Mrs Favart was forced to flee to escape assiduities from the marshal from Saxony, which had made its mistress of it. This last turned its spite against the husband, who, to escape the lettre de cachets pronounced against him, went to hide in a village of the surroundings of Strasbourg where he lived by painting ranges, while his wife was sequestered.

It could leave its retirement to dead of the marshal in 1750, commenting on its mishap in these terms:

That one speaks well or badly about the famous marshal,

My prose nor my worms will never say anything of it:

It did too much good to me to say evil of it;

It did too much evil to me to say good of it.

Favart returned then to Paris and were an enormous success. Mr. Favart gave to the Theater-Italian a series of parts like Annette and Lubin , Bastien and Bastienne , Ninette at the Court , the Three Sultanas , the Fairy Urgèle . Several of these parts were written with the abbot of Voisenon with which the author was extremely bound and who passed, written Leon Gozlan, “to make the comedies and the children of Favart”. One owes him in particular the Loves of Bastien and Bastienne , the Festival of love and celebrates it Annette and Lubin .

In 1758, it took the direction of the Op3era Comique, which had been restored in 1752, and operated with its profit the fusion of this theater with the Commedia dell'Arte in 1762. Quasi-official author, it often wrote on order, component for example the English in Bordeaux (1763), only among his works with being intended for the Comédie-Française, at the time of the conclusion of peace with England.

The death of his wife in 1772 plunged it in the abatement and it ceased writing. He died in his house of Belleville in 1792, largely forgotten, at the age of eighty-two years.

Works

An about sixty some 150 parts which it composed (Comédie S and light operas for the majority) appeared of alive sound, in 10 volumes, under the title of Théâtre of Mr. Favart , Paris, Duchesne (then Veuve Duchesne), 1763 - 1772. Volume 5 contains the parts composed by M {{me}} Favart.

Its parts are filled for the majority of spirit, cheerfulness and delicacy; one can quote:

1732 : Punchinello count de Paonfier
1734: the Two Binoculars
1735: the Fair of Bezons
1738: the middle-class Ball
1739: Winch first , parody
1740: the justified Maidservant
1741: the Enquiring one of spirit, Op3era Comique
1741: the Festival of Saint-Cloud
1742: the Price of Cyhtère , Op3era Comique
1742: Hippolyte and Aricie , parody
1743: the Cock of village , Op3era Comique
1744: Mahogany tree , Op3era Comique
1744: the Ball Strasbourg , ballet
1745: Grape harvest of Temple

1747: Nymphs of Diane

1747: the Loves grivois

1748: Cythère besieged

1750: Zéphire and Fleurette

1751: the dancing Indies , parody of the the gallant Indies

1753: Little rat and Rosette

1753: Loves of Bastien and Bastienne , parody of the Soothsayer of the village

1757: Ninette with the court , Op3era Comique

1761: Three Sultanas or Soliman Second

1762: Annette and Lubin , Op3era Comique

1763: the English in Bordeaux

1765: the Fairy Urgèle or What likes the ladies , Op3era Comique

1769: Rosière de Salency , Op3era Comique

1773: Beautiful the Arsene , Op3era Comique

Its selected Théâtre was published in 3 volumes, 1809. It left Mémoires , published in 1808 by its grandson.

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