The Phantom of what Opera?
Salle Le Peletier
Some Phans have tried claimed the Opéra Garnier wasn't the location of the story, or not the only location
The Opera's other names
Salle de la rue Le Peletier
Opéra Le Peletier
Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique (1821–1848)
Opéra-Théâtre de la Nation (1848–1850)
Théâtre de l'Académie Nationale de Musique (1850–1852)
Théâtre Impérial de l'Opéra (1854–1870)
and Théâtre National de l'Opéra (1870–1873)
Salle de la rue Le Peletier
Opéra Le Peletier
Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique (1821–1848)
Opéra-Théâtre de la Nation (1848–1850)
Théâtre de l'Académie Nationale de Musique (1850–1852)
Théâtre Impérial de l'Opéra (1854–1870)
and Théâtre National de l'Opéra (1870–1873)
Some phans have claimed the story was located at the 'Opera de Paris' which opened in 1821 and is located at Rue Le Peletier Opera. It tragically burned down in 1873. Some people have even gone so far as to say it burned down do to the grasshopper being turned. On the night of October 29, 1873 the Salle Le Peletier was destroyed by a fire which raged for more then 20 hours. It was believed to have been started by the theater's innovative gas lighting. Fortunately, in 1858 Emperor Napoleon III had hired the civic planner Baron Haussmann to begin construction on a second theater for the Parisian Opera and Ballet based on the design of architect Charles Garnier.
"Salle Le Peletier was burnt down in a fire, which raged for more than twenty-four hours, the causes of which remain unknown to this day. (but it has been theorized it was due impart to the gas laps used at the time) The Opéra was obliged to move to the Salle Ventadour until the new Opéra Garnier had been completed."
Other people have claimed that the fire that took place at the Salle Le Peletier deformed a pianist named Ernest; who's ballerina fiancée lost her life in the disaster. Ernest who is inconsolable takes refuge in the underground of the Opéra Garnier, which is build on top of the ruins of the old Salle Le Peletier. He does not leave the underground again. He lives near a water reservoir built under the opera to stabilize the foundations and serve as a water reserve in case of fire.Unexplained things start happening at the Opera. The chandelier comes down killing a spectator sitting in place numéro 13.
~ ref https://www.parisbalade.fr/opera-garnier-histoire
I found a site that claimed Ernest was not his original name. That the prodigy musician had become in engaged to beautiful ballerina and had planned their union for the end of the year. For this occasion the master pianist had begun composing a work for solo organ. This masterpiece was to symbolize his love for her and was to be played as a bridal march during their wedding by the church organ. But sadly October 28, 1873 there was a terrible fire. "but was scarred for life by serious injuries. His body and especially his face had been devoured by the flames." Supposedly he was pronounced dead so even the authorities thought him diseased. Now according to them he started living under the now Opéra Garnier by the nick name Ernest and started to scare the people of Paris. His appearance apparently was quite Repugnant and scared many people. "le monstre" or "le démon". Apparently before he took up his home in the cellars of the Opera house he in an apartment located near Foch. He dedicated himself to his art of music and finished his life's work. Apparently writing music for his lost love and dedicating a hymn to "l'amour et à la mort/ Life and love." Apparently naming it after his lost love's nickname "La Divine". This person claims that this is a direct reference to "Don Juan Triumphant" in Leroux's novel. Soon rumors spread making the "fantôme" a legend, by testimonials from the Opera staff, the stagehands and the corps de ballet.
~ ref http://mythesetlegendes.blogspot.com/2008/11/le-fantme-de-lopra.html
Is it possible sure. It's obvious that most of the characters in Leroux's novel were at least in part based on real people. Did he obscure details yes it's very obvious that he did and added in elements from other people to buff out his characters. The opera house does not burn down in Gaston Leroux's original novel, we only see this happen in the Andrew Lloyd Webber's 2004 musical movie adaptation of his Phantom of the Opera. That fact is the actual Paris Opera house where Leroux claim the story took place still stands to this day and never caught on fire. It is ironic that the real Persian who was based on a real man did frequent this opera house. Ironically Faust by Charles Gounod was performed there in (1869) before it's final version shown at the Opéra Garnier. Another huge problem with this theory is Leroux and even Daroga state that Érik was born deformed. There is no mention of a fire or being burned by a fire. Oddly Ernest's life sounds eerily like the plot line to Maximilian Schell's, 1983 Phantom of the Opera.... It should be noted in all these reference to a living man by the name of Ernest who was deformed by fire, references were never sited, just here say and word of mouth, at least not as of yet, which is unfortunate.
~ref operadeparis.fr, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salle_Le_Peletier
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Op%C3%A9ra_Le_Peletier
~ ref https://www.parisbalade.fr/opera-garnier-histoire
I found a site that claimed Ernest was not his original name. That the prodigy musician had become in engaged to beautiful ballerina and had planned their union for the end of the year. For this occasion the master pianist had begun composing a work for solo organ. This masterpiece was to symbolize his love for her and was to be played as a bridal march during their wedding by the church organ. But sadly October 28, 1873 there was a terrible fire. "but was scarred for life by serious injuries. His body and especially his face had been devoured by the flames." Supposedly he was pronounced dead so even the authorities thought him diseased. Now according to them he started living under the now Opéra Garnier by the nick name Ernest and started to scare the people of Paris. His appearance apparently was quite Repugnant and scared many people. "le monstre" or "le démon". Apparently before he took up his home in the cellars of the Opera house he in an apartment located near Foch. He dedicated himself to his art of music and finished his life's work. Apparently writing music for his lost love and dedicating a hymn to "l'amour et à la mort/ Life and love." Apparently naming it after his lost love's nickname "La Divine". This person claims that this is a direct reference to "Don Juan Triumphant" in Leroux's novel. Soon rumors spread making the "fantôme" a legend, by testimonials from the Opera staff, the stagehands and the corps de ballet.
~ ref http://mythesetlegendes.blogspot.com/2008/11/le-fantme-de-lopra.html
Is it possible sure. It's obvious that most of the characters in Leroux's novel were at least in part based on real people. Did he obscure details yes it's very obvious that he did and added in elements from other people to buff out his characters. The opera house does not burn down in Gaston Leroux's original novel, we only see this happen in the Andrew Lloyd Webber's 2004 musical movie adaptation of his Phantom of the Opera. That fact is the actual Paris Opera house where Leroux claim the story took place still stands to this day and never caught on fire. It is ironic that the real Persian who was based on a real man did frequent this opera house. Ironically Faust by Charles Gounod was performed there in (1869) before it's final version shown at the Opéra Garnier. Another huge problem with this theory is Leroux and even Daroga state that Érik was born deformed. There is no mention of a fire or being burned by a fire. Oddly Ernest's life sounds eerily like the plot line to Maximilian Schell's, 1983 Phantom of the Opera.... It should be noted in all these reference to a living man by the name of Ernest who was deformed by fire, references were never sited, just here say and word of mouth, at least not as of yet, which is unfortunate.
~ref operadeparis.fr, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salle_Le_Peletier
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Op%C3%A9ra_Le_Peletier
The chandelier accident at the Théâtre-Lyrique
At the Théâtre-Lyrique the former Théâtre du Château-d'Eau during the performance of Si j'étais roi the chandelier was reported to come down.
The Nouvelliste Vaudois
Friday, 23 November 1888
Friday, 23 November 1888
The article in French
Ainsi que nous l'annonçait une dépêche, un effroyable accident s'est produit dans la soirée du 21 au Théâtre Lyrique (ancien théâtre du Château-d'Eau), où l'on jouait : Si j'étais roi. La salle est éclairée par quatre lustres qu'une tige fixe à la coupole et qui descendent à la hauteur des deuxièmes galeries. Vers neuf heures, pendant le duo du premies acte, un des lustres placés à droite, du côté de la scène, tomba tout à coup et un spectateur qui occupait le nº 116 des fauteuils d'orchestre au 4ᵉ rang s'affaissa en poussant un cri de douleur. C'était un jeune homme de 22 ans, Alfred Obrecht ingenieur civil, que blesse et on le porta dans la salle des pompires. le crane etait fracture et l'accident. Elle a assiste au premire panse ment fait par le medecin de service au theatre. Elle etait absolument folle de douleur. on fit transporter le malheureux spectateur à l'hôpital Saint-Louis, Alfred Obrecht et rendit le dernier soupir 1 10 heures. Le lustre qui est tombé a 1ᵐ75 de diamère. Il se compose de cinq brance ayant chacune six becs. Ce lustre érait suspendu à la coupole du théatre au moyen d'une tige en cuivre longue de quatre mètres, par laquelle arrivait le gaz qui dans une partie de sa longueur érait réunie par des entretoises à des cordes glissant sur des poulies, permattant de monter ou de descendre à volontè l'appareil. L'extrémité de la tige est terminée par un as de vis auquel le lustre était fixé par un seul écrou. A la suite des mouvements donnés à l'appareil, l'écrou s'est dévissé peu à peu. Un mouvement de trépidation a dû séparer brusquement le lustre du reste de l'appareil et actuellement la tige avac ses cordes et les entretoises reste seule fixée à la coupole. Malgré ce terrible accident, la réprésentation a cofntinué sur l'avis de la majorité des spectateurs qui ne s'étaient pas douté que la chute du lustre avait eu des suites mortelles. ~ref. http://scriptorium.bcu-lausanne.ch/zoom/115886/view?page=3&p=separate&view=0,971,1086,839 |
The article in English
As announced in a dispatch, a terrible accident occurred on the evening of the 21st at the Théâtre Lyrique (former Château-d'Eau theatre), where the play "Si j'étais roi" was being performed. The room is lit by four chandeliers that a rod fixed to the dome and which descend to the height of the second galleries. At about nine o'clock, during the duet of the first act, one of the chandeliers on the right side of the stage suddenly fell and a spectator occupying number 116 of the orchestra seats at 4ᵉ row collapsed with a cry of pain. It was a 22 year old man, Alfred Obrecht, a civil engineer, who was injured and was taken to the pump room. The skull was broken and the accident. She attended the first dressing by the doctor on duty at the theatre. She was absolutely mad with pain. The unfortunate spectator was taken to St. Louis Hospital, Alfred Obrecht, and breathed his last at 1 10 o'clock. The chandelier that fell at 1ᵐ75 in diameter. It consists of five bricks, each with six beaks. This chandelier was suspended from the dome of the theater by means of a copper rod four meters long, through which the gas came, which in a part of its length was connected by spacers to ropes sliding on pulleys, allowing the device to go up or down at will. The end of the rod ended with an ace of screw to which the chandelier was fixed by a single nut. Following the movements given to the apparatus, the nut was unscrewed little by little. A movement of trepidation had to abruptly separate the chandelier from the rest of the apparatus and now the rod has its strings and the spacers remains alone fixed to the dome. In spite of this terrible accident, the performance went on in the opinion of the majority of the spectators who had not suspected that the fall of the chandelier had had fatal consequences. |
Now Gaston Leroux was very thorough, as I am sure you have noticed from all my documentation, on using real places and real people. Nevertheless it's obvious a chandelier falling has happened. Rather you would like to believe it happen in the Paris Opera house or somewhere else or if the whole chandelier feel vs. just a counter weight is your decision.
"Mais tout le triomphe avait été pour Christine Daaé, qui s’était fait entendre d’abord dans quelques passages de Roméo et Juliette. C’était la première fois que la jeune artiste chantait cette oeuvre de Gounod, qui, du reste, n’avait pas encore été transportée à l’Opéra et que l’Opéra-Comique venait de reprendre longtemps après qu’elle eut été créée à l’ancien Théâtre-Lyrique par Mme Carvalho.
"~ 2 La Marguerite nouvell |
"All the same, it was Christine Daaé who triumphed.
With an arias from Gounod's Romeo and Julliette. That she has never sung before, as the work yet to be staged at the Opera House; it had only just been revved by the Opera-Comique, some years after it was first performed at the old Théâtre-Lyrique by Mrs. Carvalho. " ~ A new Marguerite, Mirelle Ribiere's translation |
This is the only mention of The Théâtre-Lyrique in all of Leroux. Mme. Carvalho was a real person along with her husband.
"[Pierre Pellegrin] ....Resign on February 20, 1856,..." "Leon Carvalho, ex-artist Secondary of the Opera-Comique and husband of Mrs. Miolan-Carvalho,.."
director of the Théâtre-Lyrique Carvalho "[20/02/1856-01/04/1860] then again [07/10/1862-04/05/1868]"
The Théâtre-Lyrique "...became the rival of the Opera and the Opera-Comique." Under Carvalho. In "1868 he (Leon Carvalho) was declared bankrupt ."
~ref. http://www.artlyriquefr.fr/dicos/Theatre-Lyrique.html
"Vinrent la guerre, la Commune. Le Théâtre-Lyrique disparut et pendant plusieurs années on s'efforça en vain de le faire revivre. En 1874 et en 1875, l'Assemblée nationale, sur la proposition du comte d'Ormoy, vota une subvention pour sa réorganisation. Il rouvrit d'abord à la salle Ventadour. Échec complet. M. Arsène Houssaye fut nommé directeur avec 100,000 francs de subvention, mais n'ayant pu trouver de salle disponible, il donna sa démission et le titre ; échut à M. Campocasso, ancien directeur de la Monnaie de Bruxelles, qui se désista également peu de temps après. Enfin, M. Vizentini ayant pris, après la mort d'Offenbach, le théâtre de la Gaîté, posa sa candidature et fut agréé (1875). L'existence du Théâtre-Lyrique semblait assurée."
"The war broke out, the Commune. The Théâtre-Lyrique disappeared, and for several years they tried in vain to revive it. In 1874 and 1875, the Assemblée nationale, on the proposal of the Comte d'Ormoy, voted a grant for it's reconstruction. He reopened at first to the Salle Ventadour. Complete failure. M. Arsène Houssaye was appointed director with 100,000 francs grant, but having been unable to find a hall that was available, he resigned and the title; Fell to M. Campocasso, former director of the Monnaie of Brussels, who also withdrew shortly afterwards. Lastly, M. Vizentini, after the death of Offenbach, took the theater of La Gait, and applied, and was approved (1875). The existence of the Lyric Theater seemed assured."
~ref. http://www.artlyriquefr.fr/dicos/Theatre-Lyrique.html
"Other companies reviving the name Théâtre Lyrique performed at the Théâtre du Château-d'Eau (13 October 1888 – 5 March 1889)"
Interestingly enough Gounod's Faust, premiered here.
"[Théâtre Lyrique].....as well as the premieres of operas by French composers, in particular Georges Bizet's Les pêcheurs de perles, Hector Berlioz's Les Troyens à Carthage, Charles Gounod's Roméo et Juliette, and above all Gounod's Faust, the opera performed most often by the Théâtre Lyrique, and still one of the most popular operas throughout the world"
"Verdi's La traviata, performed under the title Violetta with Christine Nilsson in the title role (27 October 1864; 102 performances); Mozart's The Magic Flute, performed as La flûte enchantée with Christine Nilsson as the Queen of the Night and Delphine Ugalde as Papagena (23 February 1865; 172 performances); Verdi's Macbeth (21 April 1865; 14 performances); Flotow's Martha with Christine Nilsson as Lady Henriette (18 December 1865; 163 performances); and Mozart's Don Giovanni, performed as Don Juan, with Anne Charton-Demeur as Donna Anna, Christine Nilsson as Donna Elvire, and Caroline Miolan-Carvalho as Zerline (8 May 1866; 71 performances)."
~ref https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Théâtre_Lyrique, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Théâtre_Lyriqu
The Salle Favart theater fire, Manager Léon Carvalho
&
the Opéra-Comique
The orginal Opéra-Comique was founded around 1714. In 1762 they merged with Comédie-Italienne and called themselves the Théâtre-Italien up until 1793. In 1780 the King edict the theater be renamed Opéra-Comique. The names of Comédie-Italienne and Théâtre Italien were still used however. The company moved and between 1783 and 1801 the first Salle Favart was the home of the company. In 1840 the Opéra-Comique moved to the second Salle Favart which was traggically built on top of the site of the firts theater fire in 1838. Today it's known as the Théâtre national de l'Opéra-Comique. The theater is sometimes called the Salle Favart which was the third site of the company not far from the Palais Garnier. Léon Carvalho was the manager of the Salle Favart from 1876-1887.
Before 1848 most opera subsribers were of the upper aristocracy. After that it became more middle class theater.
...and the artists themselves were obliged to close the doors of the theater. On May 24, 1871, the monument was partly burned down and the hall completely destroyed. It was rebuilt in 1874 (on the same site in the same style, but opened under the name the Théâtre des Nations and later became the Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt, but was never again used by the Théâtre Lyrique.), it served successively in several theaters, until the Opéra-Comique was installed there after the terrible fire of the Salle Favart/ Opéra-Comique
in 1887." It "...destroyed most of the building including the auditorium and the stage."
The fire at the Salle Favart 84 people died by asphyxiation. The building was destroyed and the director Léon Carvalho was forced to resign, later he was released of all blame and resumed the helm at the company from 1891 to 1897.
"Louis Martinet, briefly reopened the Théâtre Lyrique on 11 September 1871 at his smaller basement theatre at 17 rue Scribe, called the Salle (or Théâtre) de l'Athénée (capacity 760–900). Beginning in March 1872 the company's official name was changed to Théâtre-Lyrique-National, but by 7 June 1872 Martinet had to close the company down permanently due to bankruptcy"
~ref. http://www.artlyriquefr.fr/dicos/Theatre-Lyrique.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Théâtre_Lyrique
Before 1848 most opera subsribers were of the upper aristocracy. After that it became more middle class theater.
...and the artists themselves were obliged to close the doors of the theater. On May 24, 1871, the monument was partly burned down and the hall completely destroyed. It was rebuilt in 1874 (on the same site in the same style, but opened under the name the Théâtre des Nations and later became the Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt, but was never again used by the Théâtre Lyrique.), it served successively in several theaters, until the Opéra-Comique was installed there after the terrible fire of the Salle Favart/ Opéra-Comique
in 1887." It "...destroyed most of the building including the auditorium and the stage."
The fire at the Salle Favart 84 people died by asphyxiation. The building was destroyed and the director Léon Carvalho was forced to resign, later he was released of all blame and resumed the helm at the company from 1891 to 1897.
"Louis Martinet, briefly reopened the Théâtre Lyrique on 11 September 1871 at his smaller basement theatre at 17 rue Scribe, called the Salle (or Théâtre) de l'Athénée (capacity 760–900). Beginning in March 1872 the company's official name was changed to Théâtre-Lyrique-National, but by 7 June 1872 Martinet had to close the company down permanently due to bankruptcy"
~ref. http://www.artlyriquefr.fr/dicos/Theatre-Lyrique.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Théâtre_Lyrique