"The Opera Ghost really existed... Continued
The History Behind the Story
Real Places, Inventions and Events
| Rouen | India/ punjab | Russia/ Nizhny Novgorod Fair | Persia |
| Turkey/Yildiz-Kiosk | Louis-Philippe | Opera House | Torture Chamber |
| Chandelier | Fifth Cellar/ Lake | Perros-Guirec | Masquerade | Electric Light |
| Madeleine Church | Newspapers & Magazines |
| Musée Grévin | Automatons | Mirrored Hall |
Real Places, Inventions and Events
| Rouen | India/ punjab | Russia/ Nizhny Novgorod Fair | Persia |
| Turkey/Yildiz-Kiosk | Louis-Philippe | Opera House | Torture Chamber |
| Chandelier | Fifth Cellar/ Lake | Perros-Guirec | Masquerade | Electric Light |
| Madeleine Church | Newspapers & Magazines |
| Musée Grévin | Automatons | Mirrored Hall |
Rouen
Erik was said to be born "in a small town not far from Rouen"
near where Joan of Arc was executed
near where Joan of Arc was executed
Louis-Philippe furniture and wallpaper
"When I awoke, I was alone, laying on a chaise lounge in a small simple room furnished with an ordinary mahogany bed the walls were hung with *1 toile de Jouy, and the room was lit by a lamp on the siting on the marble top of an old *2 "Louis-Philippe"commode."
~12 Apollo's Lyre (my translation)
*1 Toile de Jouy
or just Simply Toile
Is french for "linen cloth" or "canvas", Toile de Jouy, originated in France in the late 18th century.
* 1 canvas is an 18th century French scenic pattern, printed on cotton, linen, or silk in one color on a light ground. It is often mistranslated even in Ribiere's, She states it's calico wall paper, which is completely inaccurate
~12 Apollo's Lyre (my translation)
*1 Toile de Jouy
or just Simply Toile
Is french for "linen cloth" or "canvas", Toile de Jouy, originated in France in the late 18th century.
* 1 canvas is an 18th century French scenic pattern, printed on cotton, linen, or silk in one color on a light ground. It is often mistranslated even in Ribiere's, She states it's calico wall paper, which is completely inaccurate
Louis-Phillippe
(1830-1850)
French Furniture Styles,
"This style, devised for a busy but coddled bourgeoisie, sought both to satisfy their desire for comfort and to give them a sense of social legitimacy. "
"Furniture: Forms grew heavy. Chars and settees were comfortable, solid and massive. Gueridon tables proliferated, with round or oval tops on a central support of the baluster type or a swollen bulb in the middle; most had tilt tops. Armoires become essential furnishing in every bedroom."
"Materials and techniques: Dark woods became fashionable: mahogany, ebony and walnut. Brass fittings were rare. Marble tops were gray, black or white."
"Ornament: Moldings virtually disappeared; decorative motifs were few, due to machine-assisted production methods. "
~ref http://www.timothy-corrigan.com/antiques/knowledge-center/french-furniture-styles-louis-phillippe-1830-1848
Erik worked in the Makaryev fair in Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow held annually between July and August. The Fair was transferred to that location in 1817 started to attract millions of visitors annually. This was the great trading center accessibility to both the Orient. It attracted many foreign merchants from India, Iran, and Central Asia and the word soon spread through the caravans till word reached Persia and the Little Sultana.
"On le retrouve à la foire de Nijni-Novgorod, où alors il se produisait dans toute son affreuse gloire. Déjà il chantait comme personne au monde n’a jamais chanté ; il faisait le ventriloque et se livrait à des jongleries extraordinaires dont les caravanes, à leur retour en Asie, parlaient encore, tout le long du chemin. C’est ainsi que sa réputation passa les murs du palais de Mazenderan, où la petite sultane, favorite du sha-en-shah, s’ennuyait. Un marchand de fourrures, qui se rendait à Samarkand et qui revenait de Nijni-Novgorod, raconta les miracles qu’il avait vus sous la tente d’Érik. On fit venir le marchand au Palais, et le daroga de Mazenderan dut l’interroger. Puis, le daroga fut chargé de se mettre à la recherche d’Érik. Il le ramena en Perse..."
~Epilogue. "He was found at the fair of Nizhny Novgorod, where he performed and displayed himself in all his frightful glory. Already he sang as no one on earth did; he did ventriloquism and engaged in juggling. He gave such an extraordinary display that the caravans returning to Asia talked about it during the whole length of their journey. And so his reputation reached the walls of the Mazenderan palace, where the little sultana, the favorite of the sha-en-shah, was bored. A fur trader, on his way to Samarkand, and returning from Nizhny-Novgorod, related the acts that he had seen in Érik's tent. The merchant was brought to the palace, and Mazenderan's Daroga had to question him. Then the Daroga was instructed to look for Erik. He brought him back to Persia " ~Epilogue. |
Being a place of enertainment, engineering marvels of the day and novelties. Tradesmen came and traded here being an international trade spot, where you could find a variety of wares and good.
Turkey
Yildiz-Kiosk/Yildiz Palace Istanbul Turkey
"I need only say that it was Erik who constructed all the famous trap-doors and secret chambers and
mysterious strong-boxes which were found at Yildiz-Kiosk after the last Turkish revolution." ~Epilogue
Erik's time spent here would have been roughly late 1850's-early 1860's
"I need only say that it was Erik who constructed all the famous trap-doors and secret chambers and
mysterious strong-boxes which were found at Yildiz-Kiosk after the last Turkish revolution." ~Epilogue
Erik's time spent here would have been roughly late 1850's-early 1860's
Yildiz Kiosk
Yıldız Palace, meaning "Star Palace"
Şale Köşkü, which forms part of the Yıldız Palace, 1879-1880 in the National Palaces archives was found. Based on this, it is understood that the mansion was completed on these dates. The Yıldız Şale Köşkü is the first part of the building that was commissioned by Abdül Hamid Khan II in 1879-1880, recorded that the second part was built in 1889 and the third part was built in 1898. Even though it was said two have three different architects over a pretty big jump in years, the whole building looks cohesive. It is said to be the most interesting building in the 19th century Ottoman architecture and doesn't fallow common rules. The Şale Köşkü is stated to have multiple styles including Baroque and the Neo-Renaissance. The Paris Opera house was known for being multiple styles all one including Neo Classical and Baroque.
Yıldız Palace, meaning "Star Palace"
Şale Köşkü, which forms part of the Yıldız Palace, 1879-1880 in the National Palaces archives was found. Based on this, it is understood that the mansion was completed on these dates. The Yıldız Şale Köşkü is the first part of the building that was commissioned by Abdül Hamid Khan II in 1879-1880, recorded that the second part was built in 1889 and the third part was built in 1898. Even though it was said two have three different architects over a pretty big jump in years, the whole building looks cohesive. It is said to be the most interesting building in the 19th century Ottoman architecture and doesn't fallow common rules. The Şale Köşkü is stated to have multiple styles including Baroque and the Neo-Renaissance. The Paris Opera house was known for being multiple styles all one including Neo Classical and Baroque.
The two-story pavilion was commissioned by Sultan Abdülaziz (reigned 1861–1876) as a hunting lodge, designed by the architect Sarkis Balyan in the neo-baroque style and completed in 1870.
Yildiz Palace, meaning "Star Palace", was built in 1880 and was used by the Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II.
is a 60-room Ottoman imperial palace of wood and stone built at the top of a hill in Y?ld?z Park? overlooking the Bosphorus in the Be?ikta? district of Istanbul. Begun on orders of Sultan Abdul Hamid II in 1880, it reached its final form in 1898 after several expansions.
Yildiz Palace, meaning "Star Palace", was built in 1880 and was used by the Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II.
is a 60-room Ottoman imperial palace of wood and stone built at the top of a hill in Y?ld?z Park? overlooking the Bosphorus in the Be?ikta? district of Istanbul. Begun on orders of Sultan Abdul Hamid II in 1880, it reached its final form in 1898 after several expansions.
Info on it
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malta_Pavilion
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/ abstract.html?res=F30D11F8345D1 47A93C0A8178DD85F4D8185F9
ref. www.lebriznovel.com/yildiz-palace.html
The Paris Opera House
Théâtre National de l'Opéra de Paris
other names
Théâtre de l'Opéra
Opéra de Paris/Paris Opera House (1875-1989)
The Palais Garnier (1989 Opera Bastille, influenced)
Opéra Garnier (1989 Opera Bastille, influenced)
Opéra national de Paris (combined with Opera Bastille)
Opéra National de Paris
Académie d'Opéra
Académie Royale de Musique
Académie Nationale de Musique
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Opera
On September 29, 1860, it was publicly declared the construction on a site of that of the Place de l'Opera was to replace the burned down intended Opera House of the Rue Le Peletier (Salle Le Peletier), The first stone of the Opera was laid on July 21, 1862. Eight steam pumps worked eight months to pull the water up of the foundation; wells were drilled 750 meters below the average level of this sheet to allow the construction of the watertight tank, concrete, cement, brick and bitumen, vaulted cradle, which cap a small underground lake and which supports currently the building of the scene with its "underside" and its "grills". During the siege of Paris, the unfinished room served as a warehouse for 4,500 tons of food; shortly thereafter, under the Commune, the Versaillese used it to fire on the Federates who had established barricades on the Rue Meyerbeer. The Opera is one of the largest in the world, with it's dimensions: 172 meters long, 101 wide, 79 high from the ground of the fifth cellar to the top of the lyre of Apollo, Aimé Maillet, which dominates the gable of the stage. It contains 5 "beneath", 3 "grills" for the maneuver of the decorations 5 "services" or gateways, a large water tank or "big help" powered by the Montmartre reservoir, which can discharge 420 cubic meters of water by hour. It contains 2 156 places; There are 1,606 doors, 7,593 keys, 334 artist dressing rooms, 450 fireplace, 6,319 steps. Cost: 35,400,000 francs on which Garnier received 2% of fees. Seventy-nine meters (259 feet, 23.9 stroies) from the bottom of the fifth below to the top of the lyre of Apollo.
The Opera house building address is the 9th arrondissement of Paris and sits in the French capital. It is located at the Place de l'Opera, at the north end of the Avenue de l'Opera and at the crossroads of many roads. Built by Charles Garnier in the lavish style of neoclassical/ baroque. The first actual construction started on it in 1862 and opened officially to the public in 1875. It's located at Place de l'Opéra The Paris Opera. It sits predominantly on the bulivard of Théâtre des Arts. It seats 2,700, the company's annual budget is in the order of 200 million euros, large permanent staff, which includes the orchestra of 170, a chorus of 110 and the corps de ballet of 150. The Opera house would do 380 performances a year ranging form concerts ballets operas extra.
Noted in many articles is the chandelier (for more info) counterweight incident which killed a spectator in the fourth galleries on May 20, 1896, which of course is too late for our story who end was 1881 according to Leroux.
Construction of the Paris Opera house
Théâtre de l'Opéra
Opéra de Paris/Paris Opera House (1875-1989)
The Palais Garnier (1989 Opera Bastille, influenced)
Opéra Garnier (1989 Opera Bastille, influenced)
Opéra national de Paris (combined with Opera Bastille)
Opéra National de Paris
Académie d'Opéra
Académie Royale de Musique
Académie Nationale de Musique
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Opera
On September 29, 1860, it was publicly declared the construction on a site of that of the Place de l'Opera was to replace the burned down intended Opera House of the Rue Le Peletier (Salle Le Peletier), The first stone of the Opera was laid on July 21, 1862. Eight steam pumps worked eight months to pull the water up of the foundation; wells were drilled 750 meters below the average level of this sheet to allow the construction of the watertight tank, concrete, cement, brick and bitumen, vaulted cradle, which cap a small underground lake and which supports currently the building of the scene with its "underside" and its "grills". During the siege of Paris, the unfinished room served as a warehouse for 4,500 tons of food; shortly thereafter, under the Commune, the Versaillese used it to fire on the Federates who had established barricades on the Rue Meyerbeer. The Opera is one of the largest in the world, with it's dimensions: 172 meters long, 101 wide, 79 high from the ground of the fifth cellar to the top of the lyre of Apollo, Aimé Maillet, which dominates the gable of the stage. It contains 5 "beneath", 3 "grills" for the maneuver of the decorations 5 "services" or gateways, a large water tank or "big help" powered by the Montmartre reservoir, which can discharge 420 cubic meters of water by hour. It contains 2 156 places; There are 1,606 doors, 7,593 keys, 334 artist dressing rooms, 450 fireplace, 6,319 steps. Cost: 35,400,000 francs on which Garnier received 2% of fees. Seventy-nine meters (259 feet, 23.9 stroies) from the bottom of the fifth below to the top of the lyre of Apollo.
The Opera house building address is the 9th arrondissement of Paris and sits in the French capital. It is located at the Place de l'Opera, at the north end of the Avenue de l'Opera and at the crossroads of many roads. Built by Charles Garnier in the lavish style of neoclassical/ baroque. The first actual construction started on it in 1862 and opened officially to the public in 1875. It's located at Place de l'Opéra The Paris Opera. It sits predominantly on the bulivard of Théâtre des Arts. It seats 2,700, the company's annual budget is in the order of 200 million euros, large permanent staff, which includes the orchestra of 170, a chorus of 110 and the corps de ballet of 150. The Opera house would do 380 performances a year ranging form concerts ballets operas extra.
Noted in many articles is the chandelier (for more info) counterweight incident which killed a spectator in the fourth galleries on May 20, 1896, which of course is too late for our story who end was 1881 according to Leroux.
Construction of the Paris Opera house
Opéra Garnier
Inaugurated
Tuesday, January 5, 1875
SOIRÉE D'INAUGURATION (5 janvier 1875) L'inauguration solennelle du Nouvel Opéra a eu lieu le mardi 5 janvier 1875, par une représentation de gala dont le Ministère et la Direction ont eu grand peine à rassembler les divers éléments. La maladie subite de Mlle Nilsson obligea de supprimer du programme les fragments d'Hamlet et de Faust, dans lesquels devait reparaître la célèbre cantatrice suédoise, avec M. Faure pour partner. Il fallut, en quelque sorte, et à la veille même de la soirée d'ouverture, organiser tant bien que mal une représentation forcément incomplète, et dans laquelle ne parurent ni Mlle Nilsson, ni M, Faure, ni Mme Gueymard, ni Mme Miolan-Carvalho, qui,tous,avaient été ou sont encore actuellement les meilleurs soutiens et la gloire même de notre Académie de Musique.
D'autre part il faut bien reconnaître que 19 spectacle, de quelque manière qu'on l'eût composé pour cette exceptionnelle soirée, était, par avance, en partie sacrifié; il était évident que le public choisi qui recevrait la faveur d'une invitation pour cette représentation y serait beaucoup plus attiré par les splendeurs de la salle nouvelle que par l'exécution, plus ou moins parfaite, des fragments d'opéras ou de ballets qu'on ferait chanter ou danser devant lui. Il fut encore décidé, au dernier moment, que les personnes « invitées » paieraient leurs places lesquelles, mises à un taux élevé (1), permettraient de couvrir, et au delà, les frais de la représentation, dont nous donnons, à la page suivante, le programme tel qu'il fut affiché le matin même du mardi 5 janvier. (1) Fauteuils des premières loges d'amphithéâtre et d'orchestre 30 fr.; stalles de parterre 20 fr. et le reste à l'avenant. La recette a dépassé 32,000 francs. Ref Foyers et coulisses ; 8. Opéra. Tome 3 / par Georges d'Heilly Author: Heylli, Georges d '(1833-1902). Author of the text Publisher: Tresse (Paris) Date of publication: 1875 |
THE INAUGURATION NIGHT (January 5, 1875) The solemn inauguration of the new Opéra took place on Tuesday, January 5, 1875, with a gala performance which the Ministry and the Direction had great difficulty in bringing together the various elements. The sudden illness of Mlle. Nilsson forced the removal of scenes from Hamlet and Faust from the program, in which the famous Swedish singer was to appear again, with M. Faure as her partner. It was necessary, in a way, and on the very eve of the opening night, to organize as best as one can a representation of an incomplete performance, one in which neither Miss Nilsson appeared, nor Mr., Faure, nor Mrs. Gueymard, nor Mrs. Miolan-Carvalho, all of whom had been or are still the best supporters and the very glory of our Academy of Music.
On the other hand, it must be admitted that the performance, however composed for this exceptional evening, was, in advance, partly sacrificed; it was evident that the chosen public, who would receive the favor of an invitation for this performance, would be much more attracted by the splendors of the new hall than by the more or less perfect performance of the fragments of operas or ballets which we would have people sing or dance in front of him. It was decided at the last moment that the "invited" persons would pay their places, which, at a high rate (1), would cover, and beyond, the expenses of the representation, of which we give, on the page the program as it was posted on the morning of Tuesday, 5 January. (1) Armchairs of the first lodges of amphitheater and orchestra 30 fr .; garden stalls 20 fr. and the rest to match. The recipe has exceeded 32,000 francs. |
...Il est de tradition qu'on n'applaudit guère ou point dans les représentationsde gala. Aussi la soirée a-t-elle été trèsfroide. Mlle Krauss a eu néanmoins avec M. Villaret, après le premier acte, les honneurs du rappel. M. Gailhard, dans la Bénédiction des poignards, a été aussi l'objet d'une chaleureuse ovation. Il semble que le public ait voulu le dédommagerdes injustes.dédains de Mlle Nilsson, qui s'était refusée à chanter avec cet excellent artiste.
On a beaucoupremarqué l'étrange exclusion dont a été frappé le conseifmunicipàl de Paris... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ...La représentation de gala et d'inàuguration au nouvel Opéra a eu, comme c'était à prévoir, un prodigieux succès de curiosité. Par suite de l'indisposition de Mme. Nilsson, les noms de MM. Gounod et A. Thomas avaient dû disparaître du programme pour faire place à ceux de Rossini et de Meyerbeer; mais nous doutons que ces maîtres, s'ils avaient vécu, eussent eté flattés de la préférence, non plus que ne l'aurait été Auber. . L'ouverture de la Muette est exécutée au milieu de l'inattention et des conversations générales ; les cavatines de Belval et de Bosquin ne réussissent pas davantaga à intéresser le public; Mlle. Krauss et Villaret, dans le finale du premier acte de îa Juive, partagent le succès avec les chevaux et le cortége de l'empereur Sigismond. Au second acte, Mlle. Krauss décidément éclipse ses partenaires. On se dédommage sur l'ouverture de Guillaume Tell, étouffée sous le bruit des personnes qui entrent et des conversations à haute voix. La bénédiction des poignards est écoutée à demi; enfin Mlle. Sangalli se fait applaudir dans un acte de la Source. . . Tout le monde semblait dire: «Chantez et jouez ce que vous voudrez; nous ne sommes venus que pour voir la salle avec son assemblage unique des curiosités de Paris et de l'Europe entière.» |
...It is a tradition that there is little or no applause in gala performances. So the evening was very cold. Mlle. Krauss nevertheless had the honor of an encore with M. Villaret after the first act. M. Gailhard, in The Blessing of the Daggers, was also the subject of a warm ovation. It seems that the public wanted to compensate him for the unjust disdain of Mlle. Nilsson, who had refused to sing with this excellent artist. Much has been noted about the strange exclusion which has struck the municipal councilor of Paris...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ...The gala and inauguration performance at the new Opera House, as was to be expected, was a tremendous success of curiosity. As a result of Mme. Nilsson being indisposed, the names of MM. Gounod and A. Thomas were removed from the list. Thomas had to be taken off the program to make way for Rossini and Meyerbeer; but we doubt that these masters, if they had experienced it, would have been flattered by the preference, any more than Auber would have been. The overture to the Muette was performed in the amidst a distracted patrons and general conversation; the Cavatines (a short and simple aria or ballad without a second section or Da capo) sung by M. Belval and M. Bosquin failed to engage the public; Mlle. Krauss and Villaret, in the finale of the first act of La Juive, shares the success with the horses and the procession of Emperor Sigismund. In the second act, Mlle. Krauss decidedly out sung her partners. They had to over compensate the overture of William Tell becuase it was muffled by the noise of people entering and having conversations aloud. 'The Blessing of the Daggers' (from Les Huguenots by Meyerbeer) was barly listened to; lastly Mlle. Sangalli is applauded in an act of La Source (Ballet). Everyone seemed to say: "Sing and perform whatever you like; we only came to see the halls with its unique assemblage of curiosities from Paris and all over Europe." |
Le Figaro
(Mercredi 6 Janvier 1875)
INAUGURATION
DE
L’Opéra
(Mercredi 6 Janvier 1875)
INAUGURATION
DE
L’Opéra
...au milieu de tout cela, l’indisposition de Nilsson*, des médecins à consulter, un spectacle à modifier; et celui-ci qu’il ne faut pas froisser, et celui-là qu’on voudrait ménager, voilà de quoi dégoûter plus d’un amateur de l’honneur de diriger l’Académie Nationale de Musique et de Danse!...
...La représentation, subitement privée d’un de ses grands éléments de succès, n’offrait pourtant que des attraits relatifs; presque tous ceux qui devaient l’honorer de leur présence avaient déjà visité l’Opéra en détail, mais tout le monde avait cette ambition suprême: pouvoir dire «j’y étais!... ...Mlle. Sangalli. Elle a un accent italien prononcé, mais qui lui va fort bien. La danseuse n'a qu'un chagrin : celui de n'avoir pas joué la prmier acte de la Source au lieu du second. Mais comme la Source devait, en principe, être précédée du quartrieme acte d'Hamlet, on n'a pu se décider à fair deux décors d'une grande complication se succeder en une seule soiree : quand on apprit l'indisposition de Mme. Nilsson, il était trop tard pour revenir sur cette décision... |
"...in the middle of all this, Nilsson became sick*doctors consulted, The show to be modified; one should not be offended, and this one we would like to spare, there is more then enough to disgust more than one fan of the honor of directing the National Academy of Music and Dance! ..."
"...The performance, suddenly deprived of one of its great elements of success, offered only relative attractions; almost everyone who had to honour it with their presence had already visited the Opera in detail, but everyone had this supreme ambition: to be able to say "I was there!"... "...Mlle. Sangalli. She has a strong Italian accent, but it suits her very well. The dancer has only one sorrow: that of not having danced the first act of La Source instead of the second. But as La Source was, slated, to be preceded by the fourth act of Hamlet, it could not be decide to have two highly compacted sets follow one another in one evening: when it was learned Mlle. Nilsson had fallen ill, it was too late to reverse this decision..." |
The programme was put together at the last minute because two acts of Ambroise Thomas' Hamlet had to be staged first. But the failing health and the whims of Christine Nilsson, the purest Ophelia of the moment and one of the most sought-after singers in the world, ruined the programme that very morning:
~ref Histoire de l'Opéra de Paris [Livre] : un siècle au palais Garnier : 1875-1980 / Charles Dupêchez ; [préface de Pierre-Jean Rémy] https://catalogue.bm-lyon.fr/ark:/75584/pf0000386122
~ref Histoire de l'Opéra de Paris [Livre] : un siècle au palais Garnier : 1875-1980 / Charles Dupêchez ; [préface de Pierre-Jean Rémy] https://catalogue.bm-lyon.fr/ark:/75584/pf0000386122
Manager Olivier Halanzier 1871 to 1879 Paris Opéra
Performances
*1) La Juive by Halévy- (first two acts) Gabrielle Krauss as Rachel [spectacular and dazzling, great success, brilliant procession of 1st act]
*Hamlet by Ambroise Thomas - Mlle. Nilsson (*fell sick didn't go on) & M. Faure (3rd & 4th act)
*Faust - Mlle. Nilsson (*fell sick didn't go on) & M. Faure (Church scene) (reported to have continued on with an understudy but had to stop becuase of technical difficulties with the set?) *a soprano had fallen ill during one act from Charles Gounod's Faust and one act from Hamlet had to be omitted.
Bénédiction des poignards from La bénédiction des poignards des Huguenots by Giacomo Meyerbeer -(a scene) [a blessing]
*La Source by Léo Delibes & Ludwig Minku - (ballet) Mlle. Rita Sangalli dancer (2nd act, wished she had danced the 1st act instead)
La Muette de Portici by Daniel Auber -(overture)
Guillaume Tell/William Tell by Gioachino Rossini- (overture)
Le serment des conjurés , Pedro Gailhard (sings) [standing ovation]
Villaret [was applauded]
*Mme Gueymard, Mme Miolan-Carvalho did not appear
*following the no-show of an artist, the program had to be changed on the morning of the inauguration, Faust's 4th act was replaced with Huguenots, Hamlet was staged first. Nilsson fell ill two days before the gala and her eager audience was disappointed.
Changed program?
Overtures of la Muette de Portici by Daniel-François-Esprit Auber et de
Guillaume Tell de Gioachino Rossini
la Juive by Jacques-Fromental Halévy 2 acts
les Huguenots by Giacomo Meyerbeer « bénédiction des poignards »
la Source de Léon Minkus by Léo Delibes : 1st tableau of the second act.
December 29, but that rehearsals in the new year ran into problems: the stage rehearsal with Jean- Baptiste Faure of Faust on 1 January was cancelled due to the new scenery order from Cambon not being ready, and the general rehearsal of Faust on 3 January did not take place because Nilsson was ill. An entry for 4 January reported that Nilsson had been ordered by the Doctor Guerin to take several days rest. Since the inauguration of the new Opéra was due to take place the following day and could not be postponed, the programme had to be modified. The two acts of Hamlet were replaced by the ‘Bénédictions des poignards’ scene from Les Huguenots, and the Church scene of Faust by the overture to Guillaume Tell. ~ Journal de Régie, RE-27 [1874-1875]
People who attended
President of the Republic Mac Mahon
the Lord Mayor of London
the Mayor of Amsterdam
the Royal Family of Spain
two thousand guests from all over Europe
The cost of completion of the new house during 1874 was more than 7.5 million francs, a sum that greatly exceeded the amounts spent in any of the previous thirteen years. The cash-strapped government of the Third Republic resorted to borrowing 4.9 million gold francs at an interest rate of six percent from François Blanc, the wealthy financier who managed the Monte Carlo Casino. Subsequently (from 1876 to 1879) Garnier would oversee the design and construction of the Monte Carlo Casino concert hall, the Salle Garnier, which later became the home of the Opéra de Monte Carlo.[51]
During 1874 Garnier and his construction team worked feverishly to complete the new Paris opera house, and by 17 October the orchestra was able to conduct an acoustical test of the new auditorium, followed by another on 2 December which was attended by officials, guests, and members of the press. The Paris Opera Ballet danced on the stage on 12 December, and six days later the famous chandelier was lit for the first time.[52]
The theatre was formally inaugurated on 5 January 1875 with a lavish gala performance attended by Marshal MacMahon, the Lord Mayor of London and King Alfonso XII of Spain. The program included the overtures to Auber's La muette de Portici and Rossini's William Tell, the first two acts of Halévy's 1835 opera La Juive (with Gabrielle Krauss in the title role), along with "The Consecration of the Swords" from Meyerbeer's 1836 opera Les Huguenots and the 1866 ballet La source with music by Delibes and Minkus.[53] As a soprano had fallen ill one act from Charles Gounod's Faust and one from Ambroise Thomas's Hamlet had to be omitted. During the intermission Garnier stepped out onto the landing of the grand staircase to receive the approving applause of the audience.
ref wiki
Performances
*1) La Juive by Halévy- (first two acts) Gabrielle Krauss as Rachel [spectacular and dazzling, great success, brilliant procession of 1st act]
*Hamlet by Ambroise Thomas - Mlle. Nilsson (*fell sick didn't go on) & M. Faure (3rd & 4th act)
*Faust - Mlle. Nilsson (*fell sick didn't go on) & M. Faure (Church scene) (reported to have continued on with an understudy but had to stop becuase of technical difficulties with the set?) *a soprano had fallen ill during one act from Charles Gounod's Faust and one act from Hamlet had to be omitted.
Bénédiction des poignards from La bénédiction des poignards des Huguenots by Giacomo Meyerbeer -(a scene) [a blessing]
*La Source by Léo Delibes & Ludwig Minku - (ballet) Mlle. Rita Sangalli dancer (2nd act, wished she had danced the 1st act instead)
La Muette de Portici by Daniel Auber -(overture)
Guillaume Tell/William Tell by Gioachino Rossini- (overture)
Le serment des conjurés , Pedro Gailhard (sings) [standing ovation]
Villaret [was applauded]
*Mme Gueymard, Mme Miolan-Carvalho did not appear
*following the no-show of an artist, the program had to be changed on the morning of the inauguration, Faust's 4th act was replaced with Huguenots, Hamlet was staged first. Nilsson fell ill two days before the gala and her eager audience was disappointed.
Changed program?
Overtures of la Muette de Portici by Daniel-François-Esprit Auber et de
Guillaume Tell de Gioachino Rossini
la Juive by Jacques-Fromental Halévy 2 acts
les Huguenots by Giacomo Meyerbeer « bénédiction des poignards »
la Source de Léon Minkus by Léo Delibes : 1st tableau of the second act.
December 29, but that rehearsals in the new year ran into problems: the stage rehearsal with Jean- Baptiste Faure of Faust on 1 January was cancelled due to the new scenery order from Cambon not being ready, and the general rehearsal of Faust on 3 January did not take place because Nilsson was ill. An entry for 4 January reported that Nilsson had been ordered by the Doctor Guerin to take several days rest. Since the inauguration of the new Opéra was due to take place the following day and could not be postponed, the programme had to be modified. The two acts of Hamlet were replaced by the ‘Bénédictions des poignards’ scene from Les Huguenots, and the Church scene of Faust by the overture to Guillaume Tell. ~ Journal de Régie, RE-27 [1874-1875]
People who attended
President of the Republic Mac Mahon
the Lord Mayor of London
the Mayor of Amsterdam
the Royal Family of Spain
two thousand guests from all over Europe
The cost of completion of the new house during 1874 was more than 7.5 million francs, a sum that greatly exceeded the amounts spent in any of the previous thirteen years. The cash-strapped government of the Third Republic resorted to borrowing 4.9 million gold francs at an interest rate of six percent from François Blanc, the wealthy financier who managed the Monte Carlo Casino. Subsequently (from 1876 to 1879) Garnier would oversee the design and construction of the Monte Carlo Casino concert hall, the Salle Garnier, which later became the home of the Opéra de Monte Carlo.[51]
During 1874 Garnier and his construction team worked feverishly to complete the new Paris opera house, and by 17 October the orchestra was able to conduct an acoustical test of the new auditorium, followed by another on 2 December which was attended by officials, guests, and members of the press. The Paris Opera Ballet danced on the stage on 12 December, and six days later the famous chandelier was lit for the first time.[52]
The theatre was formally inaugurated on 5 January 1875 with a lavish gala performance attended by Marshal MacMahon, the Lord Mayor of London and King Alfonso XII of Spain. The program included the overtures to Auber's La muette de Portici and Rossini's William Tell, the first two acts of Halévy's 1835 opera La Juive (with Gabrielle Krauss in the title role), along with "The Consecration of the Swords" from Meyerbeer's 1836 opera Les Huguenots and the 1866 ballet La source with music by Delibes and Minkus.[53] As a soprano had fallen ill one act from Charles Gounod's Faust and one from Ambroise Thomas's Hamlet had to be omitted. During the intermission Garnier stepped out onto the landing of the grand staircase to receive the approving applause of the audience.
ref wiki
Opéra Garnier
construction and early days
Opera: "Outside it looks like a railway station; inside, like a Turkish bath." - Claude Debussy
Inside the Paris Opera house
in 2011 the Opera house placed a plaque dedicated to it's original owner
The construction and early days
Box 5, Apollo's Lyre, the roof,
inside the auditorium, the stairs and more
inside the auditorium, the stairs and more
12. Apollo's Lyre
"...and they did not see, did not perceive the movement, at a few steps from them, of the creeping shadow of two great black wings, a shadow that came along the roof so near, so near them that it could have stifled them by closing over them." |
The construction heavily effects the acoustics of the auditorium. If one was to whisper on stage it would start to raise in volume and eventual fills the room. While one must speak loudly to hear words properly pronounced in room on stage. The chandelier weighs 8 tons and is lowered and cleaned once a year. The 1964 Marc Chagall repainted the 2,400 square foot ceiling.
loge n° 5/ Box 5
Box five sits to the left of the stage on the First Tier. The view from Box Five is not very good as you can see by siting there part of the stage is obscured. Clearly Leroux's Érik was more interested in hearing the Opera than seeing it, which makes since for a composer. It should be noted Box five is also on the same side as the Rue Scribe. Probably for convenience.
loge n° 5/ Box 5
Box five sits to the left of the stage on the First Tier. The view from Box Five is not very good as you can see by siting there part of the stage is obscured. Clearly Leroux's Érik was more interested in hearing the Opera than seeing it, which makes since for a composer. It should be noted Box five is also on the same side as the Rue Scribe. Probably for convenience.
Le Foyer de la danse
The Foyer de la danse, with a "secret gallery" around the ceiling, once used by these gentlemen subscribers tempted by voyeurism, to discreetly watch their favorite dancer undress and practice ...
The
Chandelier
and the Accident
On May 21, 1896 edition of Le Figaro reported one of the chandelier counterweights fell during a performance of Hellé—killing Madame Chomette, an unfortunate concierge sitting in the fourth tier.
~Leroux~
« Elle chante ce soir à décrocher le lustre ! »
D’un commun mouvement, ils levèrent la tête au plafond et poussèrent un cri terrible. Le lustre, l’immense masse du lustre glissait, venait à eux, à l’appel de cette voix satanique. Décroché, le lustre plongeait des hauteurs de la salle et s’abîmait au milieu de l’Orchestre, parmi mille clameurs. Ce fut une épouvante, un sauve-qui-peut général. Mon dessein n’est point de faire revivre ici une heure historique. Les curieux n’ont qu’à ouvrir les journaux de l’époque. Il y eut de nombreux blessés et une morte. Le lustre s’était écrasé sur la tête de la malheureuse qui était venue ce soir-là, à l’Opéra, pour la première fois de sa vie, sur celle que M. Richard avait désignée comme devant remplacer dans ses fonctions d’ouvreuse Mame Giry, l’ouvreuse du fantôme. Elle était morte sur le coup et le lendemain, un journal paraissait avec cette manchette : Deux cent mille kilos sur la tête d’une concierge ! Ce fut toute une oraison funèbre. ~Gaston Leroux Fd'lO VIII Où MM. Firmin Richard et Armand Moncharmin ont l’audace de faire représenter « Faust » dans une salle « maudite » et de l’effroyable événement qui en résulta |
"SHE IS SINGING TO-NIGHT TO BRING THE CHANDELIER DOWN!"
With one accord, they raised their eyes to the ceiling and uttered a terrible cry. The chandelier, the immense mass of the chandelier was slipping down, coming down on them, with a satanic voice. Released from its hook, it plunged from the ceiling and came smashing into the middle of the stalls on the Orchestra level, thousand clamored to escape amid shouts of terror. A wild rush for the doors followed. The papers of the day state that there were numbers wounded and one killed. The chandelier had crashed down upon the head of the wretched woman who had come to the Opera for the first time in her life, the one whom M. Richard had appointed to succeed Mme. Giry, the ghost's box-keeper, in her I functions! She died on the spot and, the next morning, a newspaper appeared with this heading: TWO HUNDRED KILOS ON THE HEAD OF A CONCIERGE That was her sole epitaph! ~Gaston Leroux POTO Chapter VII Faust and What Followed |
Accident at the Opera
---- Five hundred kilos on the head of a concierge ---- The counterweight of the main chandelier- A ceiling that is broken- One dead, two wounded- It is the fault of the electricity ---- The performance of Hellé, at the opera, was saddened last night by a terrible accident, which cost the life of a spectator and made several other victims, who fortunately are not in danger of death. ~Ref. Le Matin May 21, 1896, http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k556689w |
If you wish to read the whole article in English
Article from Le Figaro, dated Thursday 21st May 1896
A terrible accident occurred yesterday evening, at the Opera, during the performance of Hellé. It was exactly three minutes to nine in the evening. The first act was ending. Mme Caron had just sung an encore, when a tremendous noise was heard. At the same time, a bright light appeared, like a flash of lightning and a cloud of dust rose from the top of the room to the flies.
At first, it looked like an explosion or an anarchist attack. The spectators rushed towards the exits. But, with admirable composure Delmas, Mme Caron and the choirs who were on stage, remained in their place, hoping, by their calm, to reassure the public. They succeeded, indeed, with regards to the spectators in the orchestra section and the first two tiers. But, upstairs, in the fourth level of the auditorium where the alleged explosion had occurred, there was considerable panic, people were pushing and shoving each other and some spectators even tried to climb over the railing to jump into the halls orchestra bellow. The officer of the peace Guida, n°153, of the ninth arrondissement, the Constable of the municipal guards, Grimaldi, the two guards Lévesque and Durand and the auditorium concierge, M. Vallerand, prevented them, directing everyone to the exit, and, thanks to them, no new accident occurred.
During this time, M. Lapissida, stage manager of the Opera, had very calmly, removed the staff from the stage, after which, in a few words, he assured the public that they had nothing to fear, and had the curtain lowered.
The 4th level balcony was evacuated, which took only two or three minutes, and the wounded - for people were wounded - were taken care of. At first, only five or six were found, complaining only of bruises and violent concussion. They were able to leave the auditorium to receive treatment. One was beginning to hope that the accident did not have too serious of consequences, when shouts attracted the attention of one of the municipal guards. He retraced his steps, and found a woman under a beam. It was a Lady Sénot, grocer, who lived on, 12 rue de l’Arcade. Her leg was injured and her right eye by the fall of the beam under which she was caught.
At the same time, a young girl, with a bloody face, began to cry out for her mother, who she said, was under the rubble. While searching, they found in a hole in the floor of the gallery and covered by blocks of cast iron, the horribly mutilated corpse of an elderly woman.
It was the women that the young girl was trying to find, Mme. Chomette (spelled Chaumet in other articles), fifty-six years old, concierge at 12 impasse Briare, 7 Rue Rochechouart.
While the police officers were searching to see if there were any other bodies, they noticed that a fire had just broken out in the roof. The firemen on duty, were soon assisted by those from Rue Blanche, easily put it out.
Until now, no one knew what had happened and whats cuased the accident. By removing the body of Mme. Chomette, -(text missing)- it was realized, it had been caused -(text missing)- by one of the counterweights of -(text missing chandelier? )- central part of the hall is supported by eight wire cables the width of a human wrist, each of which has a counterweight weighing about 700 kilos (1543lbs) at its end. Each counterweight weighs this much, so that in case one or more cables brakes, the chandelier will always remain supported.
Now, it seems that along one of the cables running through a casing, called in theater language a “chimney”,’ was a wire used for the electric light. Probably due to wear and tear, a contact occurred, the electric wire
ignited, and the intense spark flew out and melted the cable that supported the counterweight.
The enormous mass, tumbling down the “chimney”, smashed threw the ceiling first, then the floor of the fifth gallery where fortunately no one was sitting, it crushed seats 11 and 13 of the fourth gallery occupied by
Madame Chomette and her daughter, and it demolished the floor below them before stopping.
The fall of the counterweight tore off the circuit breaker, which caused the start of the fire.
Madame Chomette’s skull was completely crushed, her right hand and leg torn apart. Her body was carried on a stretcher, by municipal guards preceded by the concierge with his lantern, to the Opera station, where an Ambulance carriage came to take her home.
Her daughter, who is employed, in a soup restaurant, face was injured, but her condition is not serious. Next to these two ladies, in seats numbers 7 and 9, were M. Guillaume Murvoy and a friend of his. M. Murvoy
received a severe electric shock and passed out. He complains of severe pain in his right leg. When he came to his senses, his friend was gone.
The other’s injured, we have been told, have only bruises.
The news of this accident and the arrival of the undertakers, hastily ordered on all sides, had causes great emotion outside. It exaggerated the gravity of what was already being called a catastrophe. A large crowd
gathered around the Opera House and it was necessary to maintain it by having M. Nadeaud, a peace officer of the district, organize a special unit to contain it. It dispersed one hour later, when it was learned that the accident was less serious and especially more “general” than one had first believed.
M. Lépine, the chief of police, accompanied by M. Caillot, director of the municipal police, arrived at half past nine and was informed of the facts by M. Martin, police commissioner on duty. He insisted examining himself the place where the accident had occurred and to ascertain the causes.
By his order, Mr. Martin went, at eleven o’clock in the evening, to M. Atthalin, public prosecutor, with the mission of informing him of the event which had just occured.
While waiting for the judicial investigation which must be made, M. Girard, head of the municipal
laboratories, came to carry out a technical examination. This investigation was not complete by midnight when we left the Opera.
Tomorrow there will be new details, if any.
~ Georges Grison.
Page 3 of Le Figaro Friday 22nd May 1896
Various news items
The accident at the opera
During almost the whole of yesterday, the upper parts of the opera house were visited by official persons who came to examine the place of the accident and to clarify what caused it. Mes Messieurs Atthalin, attorney general, M Bertulus, examining magistrate, M. Lépine police superintendent, M. Guénin district superintendent, M. Girard, in charge of the City Laboratories came one after the other under the coupole. M. Garnier, the opera’s architect spoke with M. Bunel architecte de la prefecture, and with M. Pascal State Architect, brought by M. Henry Roujon directeur des Beaux Arts and Bernheim inspector of the national theatres.
The public prosecutor had impounded the ends of the wires and metal cable. He had ordered photographs to be taken of the holes and the place where the accident had occurred.
Seals had been placed on the electrical installations.
At 11 o’clock, the Commission de la Prefecture de police, consisting of M Girard, M Ferriere, M. Bunel, M. Picot, commandant Krebs, captain Cordier, and electrical engineers met. It had discovered several irregularities, such the presence in the same flue of supporting cables and electrical wires that should have been kept separate. But it recognized that the safety of the chandelier, since seven other cables held it, and still supported it. Moreover, let us correct this detail, it was not the chandelier itself that was being held up by the counterwiehgs, but the copper reflector, called “the sun” that was suspended above it.
The counterweights are made of eighteen discs that weigh 20 kg each. Thus each weights exaclty 360 kg. These discs are threaded onto an rod that is two metres long, and held on by a strong pin at the end. A slot going from the central hole on the edge of the disc allows it to be placed and pulled back at will, in order to augment or diminish the strength of the counterweight.
The first impact against a joist had made the pin to jump out and scattered the discs. This was fortunate since if they had remained together, the enormous mass would certainly have smashed through the floor of the amphitheatre and killed several more spectators in the lower sections.
The causes of the accident are not yet perfectly clear. It is believed that the contact of electrical wires, causing what is technically called a “short circuit”, had melted the cable holding the counterweight. But how had this contact occurred? M. Girard, to whom the question is put, replies:
“As yet I do not have a decided opinion on the subject. I have to study the installation at leisure. It is what I will do with other experts. Together we will put together a report. This will take about ten days. All that I can say, is that things are in a good condition now, I have checked this myself, and performances at the Opera can continue this very evening, without any kind of danger.”
As if to corroborate this assertion, we hear on the stage the brouhaha of the rehearsal of Hamlet, which, as Le Figare reported, has not been cancelled.
At five o’clock, the Commission returned and announced the opinion that nothing spoke against a performance that very evening.
As soon as the technical Commission had finished its examinations, a team of workers set to work on filling holes, mending the ceiling, repairing the crushed seats etc. Spectators who came yesterday to the amphitheatre would have found no traces of the accident.
Nothing is yet decided for the obsequies of Madame Chaumeil – this is the spelling of the name of the unfortunate victim. The body of the poor woman, wrapped in a shroud that covers her almost completely, has been placed on her bed in the caretaker’s lodging, impasse Briare.A wreath of black pearls brought by the parents of the deceased and three bouquets of real flowers lie on the shroud. Next to the bed, on a straw-bottomed chair, is a lit candle in copper candlestick.
The lodgings are poor, the walls bare. To support it, the family had only the very modest income from the caretaker’s lodge and the work of the young girl, a maid in the restaurant Duval. Mademoiselle Henriette Chaumeil, not yet recovered from the terrible shock she has received, and still suffering from her injuries, stays close to the bed, with her father.
“It’s fate,” says Mr Chaumeil, “My wife did not like the theatre very much and did not want to go there. As a musician had given us tickets, my daughter meant to bring one of her friends. Since she could not come, my wife decided to go... only to find death!...”
M. Vibert, forensic pathologist, sent by the public prosecutor, came to confirm the death. But he reserved temporarily the permission for burial.
The other victim, Mme Sénot, had a deep wound on her right leg, caused by one of the discs that had laid bare the bone. She is being nursed in her home, rue de l’Arcade.
Her friend, Mme Dufay, who accompanied her to the Opera, and other persons, had only bruises, as we have said.
Jean de Paris.
ref. http://desertedphans.forumotion.net/t165-articles-in-le-figaro-about-the-counterweight-accident-at-the-paris-opera-in-1896
Article from Le Figaro, dated Thursday 21st May 1896
A terrible accident occurred yesterday evening, at the Opera, during the performance of Hellé. It was exactly three minutes to nine in the evening. The first act was ending. Mme Caron had just sung an encore, when a tremendous noise was heard. At the same time, a bright light appeared, like a flash of lightning and a cloud of dust rose from the top of the room to the flies.
At first, it looked like an explosion or an anarchist attack. The spectators rushed towards the exits. But, with admirable composure Delmas, Mme Caron and the choirs who were on stage, remained in their place, hoping, by their calm, to reassure the public. They succeeded, indeed, with regards to the spectators in the orchestra section and the first two tiers. But, upstairs, in the fourth level of the auditorium where the alleged explosion had occurred, there was considerable panic, people were pushing and shoving each other and some spectators even tried to climb over the railing to jump into the halls orchestra bellow. The officer of the peace Guida, n°153, of the ninth arrondissement, the Constable of the municipal guards, Grimaldi, the two guards Lévesque and Durand and the auditorium concierge, M. Vallerand, prevented them, directing everyone to the exit, and, thanks to them, no new accident occurred.
During this time, M. Lapissida, stage manager of the Opera, had very calmly, removed the staff from the stage, after which, in a few words, he assured the public that they had nothing to fear, and had the curtain lowered.
The 4th level balcony was evacuated, which took only two or three minutes, and the wounded - for people were wounded - were taken care of. At first, only five or six were found, complaining only of bruises and violent concussion. They were able to leave the auditorium to receive treatment. One was beginning to hope that the accident did not have too serious of consequences, when shouts attracted the attention of one of the municipal guards. He retraced his steps, and found a woman under a beam. It was a Lady Sénot, grocer, who lived on, 12 rue de l’Arcade. Her leg was injured and her right eye by the fall of the beam under which she was caught.
At the same time, a young girl, with a bloody face, began to cry out for her mother, who she said, was under the rubble. While searching, they found in a hole in the floor of the gallery and covered by blocks of cast iron, the horribly mutilated corpse of an elderly woman.
It was the women that the young girl was trying to find, Mme. Chomette (spelled Chaumet in other articles), fifty-six years old, concierge at 12 impasse Briare, 7 Rue Rochechouart.
While the police officers were searching to see if there were any other bodies, they noticed that a fire had just broken out in the roof. The firemen on duty, were soon assisted by those from Rue Blanche, easily put it out.
Until now, no one knew what had happened and whats cuased the accident. By removing the body of Mme. Chomette, -(text missing)- it was realized, it had been caused -(text missing)- by one of the counterweights of -(text missing chandelier? )- central part of the hall is supported by eight wire cables the width of a human wrist, each of which has a counterweight weighing about 700 kilos (1543lbs) at its end. Each counterweight weighs this much, so that in case one or more cables brakes, the chandelier will always remain supported.
Now, it seems that along one of the cables running through a casing, called in theater language a “chimney”,’ was a wire used for the electric light. Probably due to wear and tear, a contact occurred, the electric wire
ignited, and the intense spark flew out and melted the cable that supported the counterweight.
The enormous mass, tumbling down the “chimney”, smashed threw the ceiling first, then the floor of the fifth gallery where fortunately no one was sitting, it crushed seats 11 and 13 of the fourth gallery occupied by
Madame Chomette and her daughter, and it demolished the floor below them before stopping.
The fall of the counterweight tore off the circuit breaker, which caused the start of the fire.
Madame Chomette’s skull was completely crushed, her right hand and leg torn apart. Her body was carried on a stretcher, by municipal guards preceded by the concierge with his lantern, to the Opera station, where an Ambulance carriage came to take her home.
Her daughter, who is employed, in a soup restaurant, face was injured, but her condition is not serious. Next to these two ladies, in seats numbers 7 and 9, were M. Guillaume Murvoy and a friend of his. M. Murvoy
received a severe electric shock and passed out. He complains of severe pain in his right leg. When he came to his senses, his friend was gone.
The other’s injured, we have been told, have only bruises.
The news of this accident and the arrival of the undertakers, hastily ordered on all sides, had causes great emotion outside. It exaggerated the gravity of what was already being called a catastrophe. A large crowd
gathered around the Opera House and it was necessary to maintain it by having M. Nadeaud, a peace officer of the district, organize a special unit to contain it. It dispersed one hour later, when it was learned that the accident was less serious and especially more “general” than one had first believed.
M. Lépine, the chief of police, accompanied by M. Caillot, director of the municipal police, arrived at half past nine and was informed of the facts by M. Martin, police commissioner on duty. He insisted examining himself the place where the accident had occurred and to ascertain the causes.
By his order, Mr. Martin went, at eleven o’clock in the evening, to M. Atthalin, public prosecutor, with the mission of informing him of the event which had just occured.
While waiting for the judicial investigation which must be made, M. Girard, head of the municipal
laboratories, came to carry out a technical examination. This investigation was not complete by midnight when we left the Opera.
Tomorrow there will be new details, if any.
~ Georges Grison.
Page 3 of Le Figaro Friday 22nd May 1896
Various news items
The accident at the opera
During almost the whole of yesterday, the upper parts of the opera house were visited by official persons who came to examine the place of the accident and to clarify what caused it. Mes Messieurs Atthalin, attorney general, M Bertulus, examining magistrate, M. Lépine police superintendent, M. Guénin district superintendent, M. Girard, in charge of the City Laboratories came one after the other under the coupole. M. Garnier, the opera’s architect spoke with M. Bunel architecte de la prefecture, and with M. Pascal State Architect, brought by M. Henry Roujon directeur des Beaux Arts and Bernheim inspector of the national theatres.
The public prosecutor had impounded the ends of the wires and metal cable. He had ordered photographs to be taken of the holes and the place where the accident had occurred.
Seals had been placed on the electrical installations.
At 11 o’clock, the Commission de la Prefecture de police, consisting of M Girard, M Ferriere, M. Bunel, M. Picot, commandant Krebs, captain Cordier, and electrical engineers met. It had discovered several irregularities, such the presence in the same flue of supporting cables and electrical wires that should have been kept separate. But it recognized that the safety of the chandelier, since seven other cables held it, and still supported it. Moreover, let us correct this detail, it was not the chandelier itself that was being held up by the counterwiehgs, but the copper reflector, called “the sun” that was suspended above it.
The counterweights are made of eighteen discs that weigh 20 kg each. Thus each weights exaclty 360 kg. These discs are threaded onto an rod that is two metres long, and held on by a strong pin at the end. A slot going from the central hole on the edge of the disc allows it to be placed and pulled back at will, in order to augment or diminish the strength of the counterweight.
The first impact against a joist had made the pin to jump out and scattered the discs. This was fortunate since if they had remained together, the enormous mass would certainly have smashed through the floor of the amphitheatre and killed several more spectators in the lower sections.
The causes of the accident are not yet perfectly clear. It is believed that the contact of electrical wires, causing what is technically called a “short circuit”, had melted the cable holding the counterweight. But how had this contact occurred? M. Girard, to whom the question is put, replies:
“As yet I do not have a decided opinion on the subject. I have to study the installation at leisure. It is what I will do with other experts. Together we will put together a report. This will take about ten days. All that I can say, is that things are in a good condition now, I have checked this myself, and performances at the Opera can continue this very evening, without any kind of danger.”
As if to corroborate this assertion, we hear on the stage the brouhaha of the rehearsal of Hamlet, which, as Le Figare reported, has not been cancelled.
At five o’clock, the Commission returned and announced the opinion that nothing spoke against a performance that very evening.
As soon as the technical Commission had finished its examinations, a team of workers set to work on filling holes, mending the ceiling, repairing the crushed seats etc. Spectators who came yesterday to the amphitheatre would have found no traces of the accident.
Nothing is yet decided for the obsequies of Madame Chaumeil – this is the spelling of the name of the unfortunate victim. The body of the poor woman, wrapped in a shroud that covers her almost completely, has been placed on her bed in the caretaker’s lodging, impasse Briare.A wreath of black pearls brought by the parents of the deceased and three bouquets of real flowers lie on the shroud. Next to the bed, on a straw-bottomed chair, is a lit candle in copper candlestick.
The lodgings are poor, the walls bare. To support it, the family had only the very modest income from the caretaker’s lodge and the work of the young girl, a maid in the restaurant Duval. Mademoiselle Henriette Chaumeil, not yet recovered from the terrible shock she has received, and still suffering from her injuries, stays close to the bed, with her father.
“It’s fate,” says Mr Chaumeil, “My wife did not like the theatre very much and did not want to go there. As a musician had given us tickets, my daughter meant to bring one of her friends. Since she could not come, my wife decided to go... only to find death!...”
M. Vibert, forensic pathologist, sent by the public prosecutor, came to confirm the death. But he reserved temporarily the permission for burial.
The other victim, Mme Sénot, had a deep wound on her right leg, caused by one of the discs that had laid bare the bone. She is being nursed in her home, rue de l’Arcade.
Her friend, Mme Dufay, who accompanied her to the Opera, and other persons, had only bruises, as we have said.
Jean de Paris.
ref. http://desertedphans.forumotion.net/t165-articles-in-le-figaro-about-the-counterweight-accident-at-the-paris-opera-in-1896
Proof the Chandelier Really Did Fall
and not just a counter weight
There is has been some speculation that there was an earlier incident of the chandelier actually falling and not just a counter weight. Now the counter weight article is very easy to find. There has as well been a theory that there was a bit of a cover up. I have found some proof the chandelier did actually come down. As you have noticed the date of 1896 for the counterweight incident is far too late to have happened in the "story", as Gaston stated the facts had not happened any later then 1881. Which causes a huge problem. Is it possible they have covered up an earlier incident with this one? Or it could also be possible that they down plaid what really happened not wanting to cause a panic. One thing is for sure Gaston Leroux was a journalist and wasn't stupid by any means. I do not believe he would have stated such facts, disregarding the dates and then held so true to them even up until his death, if this didn't have some truth to it. It is also likely that he combined facts from both incidences.
A Le Matin article claiming the whole chandelier fell and not just the counterweight
I found another hit for the same article claiming the whole chandelier fell.
...« le journal »
sans désigner autremerft la gazette
initiatrice, perturbatrice, Reconnaissons qu’une habile technique, un lyrisme concis rehaussent
presque partout le fait divers, cabochon de la première page, viscère essentiel de ce qu’on nomme, typique.ment, le « corps » du journal. L’humour y rit parmi lés hécatombes, Eros y jongle avec des tibias.
Rappellerai-je la nouvelle de la chute du lustre, au théâtre de l’Opéra, catastrophe transmise aux peuples haletants, en ces termes inimitables « Pan ! trente mille kilos sur la tête d’une concierge! ».... ~Colette.
“le journal /The newspaper ”
without designating the initiating, disruptive Gazette autremerft, let us recognize that a skilful technique, a concise lyrical tone almost everywhere enhances the news item, At the head of ‘3a first page, essential of what is called, typically, the “body” of the newspaper. The humor and laughs are among massacre Eros juggling withshins. I recall the news of the fall of the chandelier, the Théâtre de l’Opéra, the catastrophe conveyed to the gasping people, in these unparalleled terms. “Bang! thirty thousand kilos on the head of a concierge”... ~Colette.
(If you would like to search through the Le Figaro 1924 articles they are all up on http://gallica.bnf.fr)
ref. http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k294093w/f1.textePage.langFR
It should be mentioned curiosaetc.wordpress.com Eric Poindron states this may have been a miss quote of Colette’s, citing collaborator Madame Marie-Christine Bellosta in Colette : Oeuvres , V. III. by Colette, 1991, Bibliotheque de la Pleiade, p. 1330-1331 stating she had never read the orginal new paper article. Un able to confirm this statement.
ref https://curiosaetc.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/4765/
A Le Matin article claiming the whole chandelier fell and not just the counterweight
I found another hit for the same article claiming the whole chandelier fell.
...« le journal »
sans désigner autremerft la gazette
initiatrice, perturbatrice, Reconnaissons qu’une habile technique, un lyrisme concis rehaussent
presque partout le fait divers, cabochon de la première page, viscère essentiel de ce qu’on nomme, typique.ment, le « corps » du journal. L’humour y rit parmi lés hécatombes, Eros y jongle avec des tibias.
Rappellerai-je la nouvelle de la chute du lustre, au théâtre de l’Opéra, catastrophe transmise aux peuples haletants, en ces termes inimitables « Pan ! trente mille kilos sur la tête d’une concierge! ».... ~Colette.
“le journal /The newspaper ”
without designating the initiating, disruptive Gazette autremerft, let us recognize that a skilful technique, a concise lyrical tone almost everywhere enhances the news item, At the head of ‘3a first page, essential of what is called, typically, the “body” of the newspaper. The humor and laughs are among massacre Eros juggling withshins. I recall the news of the fall of the chandelier, the Théâtre de l’Opéra, the catastrophe conveyed to the gasping people, in these unparalleled terms. “Bang! thirty thousand kilos on the head of a concierge”... ~Colette.
(If you would like to search through the Le Figaro 1924 articles they are all up on http://gallica.bnf.fr)
ref. http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k294093w/f1.textePage.langFR
It should be mentioned curiosaetc.wordpress.com Eric Poindron states this may have been a miss quote of Colette’s, citing collaborator Madame Marie-Christine Bellosta in Colette : Oeuvres , V. III. by Colette, 1991, Bibliotheque de la Pleiade, p. 1330-1331 stating she had never read the orginal new paper article. Un able to confirm this statement.
ref https://curiosaetc.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/4765/
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
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.
˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜
As a dispatch told us, a frightful accident occurred on the evening of the 21st at the Théâtre Lyrique (former théâtre du Château-d'Eau), where they were performing: Si j'étais roi. The auditorium is lit by four chandeliers that a rod fixes them to the dome and that go down to the height of the second level. 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 who occupied No. 116 in the 4th row of the orchestra, his chair collapsed and a cry of pain was heard. It was a young man of 22 years, Alfred Obrecht a civil engineer, who was injured and was carried to the pump-room/firegaurd-room. His skull was fractured by the accident. He was attended by the physician on duty at the theater who put first dressing on. He was absolutely mad with pain.
The unfortunate spectator was transported to Saint-Louis hospital, Alfred Obrecht, and breathed his last breath at ten o'clock.
The chandelier that fell is 1ᵐ75 of diameter. It consists of five lamps each having six spouts. This chandelier was suspended from the cupola of the theater by the means of a copper rod four meters long, through which the gas flows, which in a part of its length was united by struts to ropes sliding on pulleys, allowing the apparatus to be raised or lowered at will. The end of the stem is completed by a screw ace to which the chandelier was fixed by a single nut. As a result of the movements given to the apparatus, the nut was unscrewed little by little. The movement of vibrations had made it suddenly separate, the chandelier from the rest of the apparatus and at present the rode with its cords and the struts remains alone fixed to the dome.
Despite this terrible accident, the performance continued on the advice of the majority of the spectators who had not suspected that the fall of the chandelier had fatal consequences.
~ref. http://scriptorium.bcu-lausanne.ch/zoom/115886/view?page=3&p=separate&view=0,971,1086,839
•
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 whole chandelier falling has happened. Rather you would like to believe it happen in the Paris Opera house and not 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 nouvelle
"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
Alternative Opera house
...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."
"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
...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."
"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
Salle Le Peletier
le conservatoire de la rue Le Peletier
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)
Some Phans have tried to claim the Opéra Garnier wasn't even the location of the story, but rather the 'Opera de Paris' which opened in 1821 and is located at Rue Le Peletier Opera. Only it 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
The problem with these theories is Gaston Leroux went to great lengths to explain the location of the story being in The Opéra Garnier which was opened 1875 and still stands to this day. Now it is possible in order to obscure people and places perhaps he added in a smattering of something from another person or place. 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. This is a somewhat uneducated phan theory with no founding, most likely based off of 04 movie phans theories. Or perhaps pointing at the Real Persian who 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 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
Painting
http://www.hberlioz.com/Paris/Peletier6.html
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)
Some Phans have tried to claim the Opéra Garnier wasn't even the location of the story, but rather the 'Opera de Paris' which opened in 1821 and is located at Rue Le Peletier Opera. Only it 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
The problem with these theories is Gaston Leroux went to great lengths to explain the location of the story being in The Opéra Garnier which was opened 1875 and still stands to this day. Now it is possible in order to obscure people and places perhaps he added in a smattering of something from another person or place. 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. This is a somewhat uneducated phan theory with no founding, most likely based off of 04 movie phans theories. Or perhaps pointing at the Real Persian who 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 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
Painting
http://www.hberlioz.com/Paris/Peletier6.html
Opéra-Populaire
Yes there was an Opéra Populaire like In ALW's 2004 movie version, but it was not the Paris Opera House. From what I can gather it sounds like performance team of what was left.
Opéra Populaire performing at Théâtre du Châtelet, Théâtre de la Gaîté, and Théâtre du Chateau-d'Eau.
~ref https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Opera
La Gaîté reopens under the title of Opera-Populaire under the direction of MM. Husson and Martinet, who themselves ceded to Merelli the theater three times a week, from 14 February to 5 May 1880, for the performances of Adelina Patti.
~ref. http://www.artlyriquefr.fr/dicos/Theatre-Lyrique.html
Opéra Populaire performing at Théâtre du Châtelet, Théâtre de la Gaîté, and Théâtre du Chateau-d'Eau.
~ref https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Opera
La Gaîté reopens under the title of Opera-Populaire under the direction of MM. Husson and Martinet, who themselves ceded to Merelli the theater three times a week, from 14 February to 5 May 1880, for the performances of Adelina Patti.
~ref. http://www.artlyriquefr.fr/dicos/Theatre-Lyrique.html
Peu à peu, je lui inspirai une telle confiance, qu’il osa me promener aux rives du Lac Averne et me conduire en barque sur ses eaux de plomb ; dans les derniers jours de ma captivité, il me faisait, de nuit, franchir des grilles qui ferment les souterrains de la rue Scribe. Là, un équipage nous attendait, et nous emportait vers les solitudes du Bois.
~13 La lyre d’Apollon
Little by little I inspired him with such confidence that he dared to take me to the shores of Lake Averne and take me in a boat on his lead-water; In the last days of my captivity, he made me, at night, cross the gates which close the subways of the Rue Scribe. There a crew awaited us, and carried us towards the solitudes of the Bois.
•
Christine sortit d’un coffret une énorme clef et la montra à
Raoul. « Qu’est ceci ? fit celui-ci.
C’est la clef de la grille du souterrain de la rue Scribe.
~14 A master stroke of the trapper lover Christine brought out a box, from which she took out a very large key.
'What is this?' he asked.
'This is the key to the gate of the underground passage that opens on to the Rue Scribe.'
~14 A master stroke of the trapper lover translated by Mirelle Ribiere
~13 La lyre d’Apollon
Little by little I inspired him with such confidence that he dared to take me to the shores of Lake Averne and take me in a boat on his lead-water; In the last days of my captivity, he made me, at night, cross the gates which close the subways of the Rue Scribe. There a crew awaited us, and carried us towards the solitudes of the Bois.
•
Christine sortit d’un coffret une énorme clef et la montra à
Raoul. « Qu’est ceci ? fit celui-ci.
C’est la clef de la grille du souterrain de la rue Scribe.
~14 A master stroke of the trapper lover Christine brought out a box, from which she took out a very large key.
'What is this?' he asked.
'This is the key to the gate of the underground passage that opens on to the Rue Scribe.'
~14 A master stroke of the trapper lover translated by Mirelle Ribiere
~~~~~~~~~~~~
***These photos do not belong to me. I am merely using them to illustrate a point. Please click them and go to Andy Brill's flickr. ***
Despite the fact many phans have claimed this might be Erik and have redistributed it on Tumblr and Pinterest, the date this photo was taken would state other wise. Although it's interesting to see, this is probably close to what he might have looked like, but this is most certainly not him. Erik would have been born around 1829-1831 according to Leroux which places Erik at the age of 50-52 in 1881. At the time this photo was taken 1910, he would have been 81-79 years old and according to Leroux, Erik died shortly after he letting Christine go, placing his death in the story in 1881.
The information on the photo
Paris, The Opera c1910 detail
A busy baker, and the man in the black cloak and hat!
Glass stereo slides of France, taken with the Richard Verascope stereo camera.
Photos taken by my g-grandfather during trips to England and Europe, with the family, 1907 to 1913.
The slides, contain two small positive transparency images, of 38 x38mm (1 ½”).
The images are normally viewed with the self-advancing tray viewer – the Richard Taxiphote cabinet stereo viewer.
~ref. Andy Brill
***These photos do not belong to me. I am merely using them to illustrate a point. Please click them and go to Andy Brill's flickr. ***
Despite the fact many phans have claimed this might be Erik and have redistributed it on Tumblr and Pinterest, the date this photo was taken would state other wise. Although it's interesting to see, this is probably close to what he might have looked like, but this is most certainly not him. Erik would have been born around 1829-1831 according to Leroux which places Erik at the age of 50-52 in 1881. At the time this photo was taken 1910, he would have been 81-79 years old and according to Leroux, Erik died shortly after he letting Christine go, placing his death in the story in 1881.
The information on the photo
Paris, The Opera c1910 detail
A busy baker, and the man in the black cloak and hat!
Glass stereo slides of France, taken with the Richard Verascope stereo camera.
Photos taken by my g-grandfather during trips to England and Europe, with the family, 1907 to 1913.
The slides, contain two small positive transparency images, of 38 x38mm (1 ½”).
The images are normally viewed with the self-advancing tray viewer – the Richard Taxiphote cabinet stereo viewer.
~ref. Andy Brill
Perros-Guirec
Perros-Guirec is located in a small remote fishing port in northern Brittany. Father Daaé had a small chateau there and loved the ocean which is why he was buried in this location because it reminded him of home. Especially the color of the sea. He would often take a young Christine down to the beach and play his violin. It was at a inlet called Trestraou where Christine lost her red scarf in the sea.
It's possible Christine was wearing some sort of red head scarf customary of the Brittany style or some variation. We know that Christine is Swiss and would have been accustomed to wearing such head covering. The type of headdress worn in the region of Brittany is called the Penn Sardin headdress. Another version is called the coiffe du Cap Sizun/Headdress of Cape Sizun.
Cimetière Communal de Perros-Guirec - Perros-Guirec Communal Cemetery
(Cotes d'Armor France)
(Cotes d'Armor France)
Perros-Guirec, Clarté-Ploumanac'h cemetery
Location Canton of Perros-Guirec, Commune Perros-Guirec
The 5th cellar and the underground lake
Sadly in the past years the Opera house has flooded the 5th cellar by rising the water levels up.
All the color photos is the 5th cellar in it's current state now.
lac Averne/ Lake Averne
Madeleine Church
"Oh, I doubt if she will come back!...But it is your duty to let her go." "My duty, you great booby!...It is my wish... my wish to let her go; and she will come back again...for she loves me!...All this will end in a marriage...a marriage at the Madeleine, you great booby! Do you believe me now? When I tell you that my nuptial mass is written...wait till you hear the KYRIE. ..." ~ 21 Interesting and Instructive Vicissitudes of a Persian in the Cellars of the Opera
La Madeleine, Paris
other names
L'église de la Madeleine
L'église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine
In 1806 Napoleon made his decision, commissioning Pierre-Alexandre Barthélémy Vignon to build a Temple de la Gloire de la Grande Armée (Temple to the Glory of the Great Army) based on the design of an antique temple. The existing foundations were again razed and work began anew. With completion of the Arc de Triomphe in 1808, the original commemorative role for the temple was blunted. After the fall of Napoleon, with the Catholic reaction during the Restoration, King Louis XVIII determined that the structure would be used as a church. The Madeleine is built in the Neo-Classical style and was inspired by the Maison Carrée at Nîmes, one of the best-preserved of all Roman temples. ~wiki
"Oh, I doubt if she will come back!...But it is your duty to let her go." "My duty, you great booby!...It is my wish... my wish to let her go; and she will come back again...for she loves me!...All this will end in a marriage...a marriage at the Madeleine, you great booby! Do you believe me now? When I tell you that my nuptial mass is written...wait till you hear the KYRIE. ..." ~ 21 Interesting and Instructive Vicissitudes of a Persian in the Cellars of the Opera
La Madeleine, Paris
other names
L'église de la Madeleine
L'église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine
In 1806 Napoleon made his decision, commissioning Pierre-Alexandre Barthélémy Vignon to build a Temple de la Gloire de la Grande Armée (Temple to the Glory of the Great Army) based on the design of an antique temple. The existing foundations were again razed and work began anew. With completion of the Arc de Triomphe in 1808, the original commemorative role for the temple was blunted. After the fall of Napoleon, with the Catholic reaction during the Restoration, King Louis XVIII determined that the structure would be used as a church. The Madeleine is built in the Neo-Classical style and was inspired by the Maison Carrée at Nîmes, one of the best-preserved of all Roman temples. ~wiki
Art at the Time
Belle Époque | Baroque | Degas
Edgar Degas
Mlle Mauri was frequently portrayed by the artists Edgar Degas. He painted her several times onstage.
Belle Époque
Or the 'Beautiful Era' It was a period of Western European history. It dated from the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 to the outbreak of World War I around 1914. Occurring during the era of the French Third Republic (beginning 1870). It was a period characterized by optimism, regional peace, economic prosperity and technological, scientific and cultural innovations. In the climate of the period, especially in Paris, the arts flourished. Many masterpieces of literature, music, theater, and visual art gained recognition. The Belle Époque was named, in retrospect, when it began to be considered a "Golden Age" in contrast to the horrors of World War I.
~ref.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_Époque
~ref.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_Époque
Opéra Music in the Story
Gounod - marche funèbre d’une Marionnette
Reyer - Sigurd
Saint Saëns - La Danse macabre et une Rêverie orientale, Marche hongroise (unpublished)
Ernest Guiraud- Carnaval (ballet)
Sylvia - pizzicati de Coppélia
Mlles Krauss et Denise Bloch - Boléro des Vêpres Siciliennes & Brindisi de Lucrèce Borgia
Christine Daaé - Roméo et Juliette
Reyer - Sigurd
Saint Saëns - La Danse macabre et une Rêverie orientale, Marche hongroise (unpublished)
Ernest Guiraud- Carnaval (ballet)
Sylvia - pizzicati de Coppélia
Mlles Krauss et Denise Bloch - Boléro des Vêpres Siciliennes & Brindisi de Lucrèce Borgia
Christine Daaé - Roméo et Juliette
Roméo et Juliette
by Charles Gounod
"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
Théâtre Lyrique.
debuted April 27, 1867. On
Marie Caroline as Juliette & Miolan-Carvalho
Opéra-Comique
20 January 1873
Deloffre and Carvalho returning to their roles from the premiere
Paris Opéra
Roméo et Juliette transferred to November 28,1888 , with Adelina Patti and Jean de Reszke in the leading roles.
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
Théâtre Lyrique.
debuted April 27, 1867. On
Marie Caroline as Juliette & Miolan-Carvalho
Opéra-Comique
20 January 1873
Deloffre and Carvalho returning to their roles from the premiere
Paris Opéra
Roméo et Juliette transferred to November 28,1888 , with Adelina Patti and Jean de Reszke in the leading roles.
Faust
Faust premiere at the Salle Le Peletier on March 3, 1869
The Role of Marguerite fell to Christine Nilsson, but she offered the part to Mme. Carvalho, in a graceful and public letter Mme. Carvalho acknowledged the compliment and refused the offer.
Faust - MM. Colin
Méphistophélès - Faure
Valentine - Devoyod
Marguerite - Mmes. Nilsson
Siebel - Mauduit
Marthe - Debordes
Marguerite At The Paris Opéra
April 28, 1869, Orginal Paris Opéra
Christine Nilsson (ballet was added before it was done at the Paris Opéra)
Oct 29, 1869, Orginal Paris Opéra
Hisson, Marie Rose
Oct 18, 1874 Orginal Paris Opéra
Berthe Thibaut, Fidès-Devriès, Maria Derivis, J Frouquet, Patti
1875, Paris Opera House
Nilsson (Inauguration, never showe dup), Mę de Courey, Miolan-Carvalho, Joséphine de Reszké, Fursh Madier
1876, Paris Opera House
Miolan-Carvalho
1877, Paris Opera House
Fursh Madier, Joséphine de Reszké, Joséphine Daram
1878, Paris Opera House
1879, Paris Opera House
Marie Heilbron, Joséphine Daram
1880, Paris Opera House
Joséphine Daram, Marie Vachot, Berta Badli
1881, Paris Opera House
Joséphine Daram, Miolan-Carvalho, Mme. Griswold, Bertha Baldi
July 21, 1882, Paris Opera House
Krauss, Nordice
It should be noted
version presented by Pathé is typical of what you would have seen and hear at the Palais Garnier at the time. Historically speaking: contrary to popular belief, the version of Faust we know today is different in ways from the version that was seen regularly at the Palais Garnier. The most obvious difference from the "international" version is the omission of "Avant de quitter ces lieux," the French translation of the aria "Even bravest heart may swell." The melody of which appears in the Overture of the opera, was turned into a full aria for the London premiere due to the request of a famous tenor. Although absent from the Palais Garnier version until Rolf Liebermann's tenure in the 1970s, this aria has been regularly included in performances outside Paris and in concerts worldwide. Another omission is Siebel's Act Four aria, which had been added by Gounod in 1863 but had not been included in performances at the Opéra. One notable surprise in this recording is the inclusion of the opening scene of Act Four, which over the years has more often than not been omitted. Here, Marguerite tries to work at her spinning wheel, but can only think of Faust (Gounod's equivalent to Schubert's "Gretchen am Spinnrade") .
~ ref https://www.cs.hs-rm.de/~weber/opera/shellac/faust12/faust12.htm
""Faust" on a Saturday- Palais Garnier generally performed operas on Mondays,
Wednesdays, and Fridays (Harris-Warrick). Faust on a Saturday would have been an unusual event.""
~ ref Allusions and Historical Models in Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera Joy A. Mills Ouachita Baptist University
1875 Paris Opera
Muratet (Faust), M. Bouhy (Méphistophélès), Mę de Courey/Nilsson (Marguerite), Léon Carvalho (directed by)
The Role of Marguerite fell to Christine Nilsson, but she offered the part to Mme. Carvalho, in a graceful and public letter Mme. Carvalho acknowledged the compliment and refused the offer.
Faust - MM. Colin
Méphistophélès - Faure
Valentine - Devoyod
Marguerite - Mmes. Nilsson
Siebel - Mauduit
Marthe - Debordes
Marguerite At The Paris Opéra
April 28, 1869, Orginal Paris Opéra
Christine Nilsson (ballet was added before it was done at the Paris Opéra)
Oct 29, 1869, Orginal Paris Opéra
Hisson, Marie Rose
Oct 18, 1874 Orginal Paris Opéra
Berthe Thibaut, Fidès-Devriès, Maria Derivis, J Frouquet, Patti
1875, Paris Opera House
Nilsson (Inauguration, never showe dup), Mę de Courey, Miolan-Carvalho, Joséphine de Reszké, Fursh Madier
1876, Paris Opera House
Miolan-Carvalho
1877, Paris Opera House
Fursh Madier, Joséphine de Reszké, Joséphine Daram
1878, Paris Opera House
1879, Paris Opera House
Marie Heilbron, Joséphine Daram
1880, Paris Opera House
Joséphine Daram, Marie Vachot, Berta Badli
1881, Paris Opera House
Joséphine Daram, Miolan-Carvalho, Mme. Griswold, Bertha Baldi
July 21, 1882, Paris Opera House
Krauss, Nordice
It should be noted
version presented by Pathé is typical of what you would have seen and hear at the Palais Garnier at the time. Historically speaking: contrary to popular belief, the version of Faust we know today is different in ways from the version that was seen regularly at the Palais Garnier. The most obvious difference from the "international" version is the omission of "Avant de quitter ces lieux," the French translation of the aria "Even bravest heart may swell." The melody of which appears in the Overture of the opera, was turned into a full aria for the London premiere due to the request of a famous tenor. Although absent from the Palais Garnier version until Rolf Liebermann's tenure in the 1970s, this aria has been regularly included in performances outside Paris and in concerts worldwide. Another omission is Siebel's Act Four aria, which had been added by Gounod in 1863 but had not been included in performances at the Opéra. One notable surprise in this recording is the inclusion of the opening scene of Act Four, which over the years has more often than not been omitted. Here, Marguerite tries to work at her spinning wheel, but can only think of Faust (Gounod's equivalent to Schubert's "Gretchen am Spinnrade") .
~ ref https://www.cs.hs-rm.de/~weber/opera/shellac/faust12/faust12.htm
""Faust" on a Saturday- Palais Garnier generally performed operas on Mondays,
Wednesdays, and Fridays (Harris-Warrick). Faust on a Saturday would have been an unusual event.""
~ ref Allusions and Historical Models in Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera Joy A. Mills Ouachita Baptist University
1875 Paris Opera
Muratet (Faust), M. Bouhy (Méphistophélès), Mę de Courey/Nilsson (Marguerite), Léon Carvalho (directed by)
Faust's third act was supposed to be part of the Palais Garnier inaugural program on January 5, 1875, but apparently the lead heroine was indisposed. Faust was withdrawn at the last minute. Faust was heard for the first time at Palais Garnier on May 30, 1875.
Directed by Leon Carvalho. Charles Gounod's Faust premiered on September 6, 1875 at the Palais Garnier. Further notable revivals at the Opéra took place on 4 December 1893.
~ref. Bulgakov: The Novelist-Playwright edited by Lesley Milne
The program that night included
The program included the overtures to Auber's La muette de Portici and Rossini's William Tell, the first two acts of Halévy's 1835 opera La Juive (with Gabrielle Krauss in the title role), along with "The Consecration of the Swords" from Meyerbeer's 1836 opera Les Huguenots and the 1866 ballet La source with music by Delibes and Minkus. As a soprano had fallen ill one act from Charles Gounod's Faust and one from Ambroise Thomas's Hamlet had to be omitted. During the intermission Garnier stepped out onto the landing of the grand staircase to receive the approving applause of the audience.
~ref. Wiki
Directed by Leon Carvalho. Charles Gounod's Faust premiered on September 6, 1875 at the Palais Garnier. Further notable revivals at the Opéra took place on 4 December 1893.
~ref. Bulgakov: The Novelist-Playwright edited by Lesley Milne
The program that night included
The program included the overtures to Auber's La muette de Portici and Rossini's William Tell, the first two acts of Halévy's 1835 opera La Juive (with Gabrielle Krauss in the title role), along with "The Consecration of the Swords" from Meyerbeer's 1836 opera Les Huguenots and the 1866 ballet La source with music by Delibes and Minkus. As a soprano had fallen ill one act from Charles Gounod's Faust and one from Ambroise Thomas's Hamlet had to be omitted. During the intermission Garnier stepped out onto the landing of the grand staircase to receive the approving applause of the audience.
~ref. Wiki
La Juive
Aïda
March 22, 1880 - First of Aïda (Verdi) - Verdi directs his work. Sax trumpets were specially designed and made for this performance.
October 15, 1881 - Congress of Electricity - The room is electrically lit for the first time, we play the fourth act of Aida and Sylvia .
October 15, 1881 - Congress of Electricity - The room is electrically lit for the first time, we play the fourth act of Aida and Sylvia .
Music in Gaston Leroux’s “The Phantom of the Opera”
The Managers’ Farewell Gala – Chapter 2
The Funeral March of a Marionette, Charles Gounod – This has been a perennial favorite with horror fans, particularly since it was used as the opening music for Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Gounod originally intended for the composition to be a piano solo; but I think we’re all grateful he changed it to a full orchestral work – it wouldn’t be half so creepy if it was played on piano.
Overture to Sigurd, Ernest Reyer – The opera Sigurd was a sort of precursor to Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen. Reyer made the mistake, however, of not having his work staged until 1884, nearly twenty years after it was completed and fifteen years after the premiere of Wagner’s Ring. Consequently, Sigurd has almost always been overlooked. Selections from the work were performed intermittently before the premiere. Sigurd was surprisingly successful for several decades before dropping into obscurity.
Danse Macabre and Rêverie Orientale, Camille Saint-Saëns - Everybody knows Danse Macabre (Saint-Saëns Op. 40). This is one of the most popular pieces of Classical music ever written. However, it was a total flop at its premiere in 1874 because the audience was too creeped-out by its dissonance. It is unlikely Danse Macabre would really have been played at a prestigious gala; however, Leroux most likely included this as it fits in with the theme of Erik being described as a “living corpse”.
If you attempt to research Saint-Saëns’ Rêverie Orientale, you will very likely come up with NOTHING. In and of itself, the Rêverie Orientale no longer exists: what Leroux describes in the novel was an 1875 composition which Saint-Saëns later reworked as the theme for his Op. 60, the Suite Algérienne. This is the closest we can now come to hearing the original. It doesn’t exactly have a horror movie sound, but it’s exotic and seems appropriate with Erik’s connection to the Orient.
Marche Hongroise Indèit, Jules Massenet – This one is pretty hard to track down. The title translates to “Hungarian March Unpublished” and it is most likely part of Massenet’s obscure Scènes Hongroise. However, it is also possible that Leroux at some point attended a concert which included a previously unperformed (and still unknown) march by Massenet.
Carnaval, Ernest Guiraud – The Carnaval Leroux refers to is the ballet from Guiraud’s 1876 opera Piccolino. And talk about plagiarizing yourself! – Guiraud “recycled” this tune from one of his earlier orchestral works.
Guiraud never gained much recognition as a composer. However, he was a well-known figure around the Paris theaters since he was nearly always called in to finish operas left incomplete by the untimely deaths of more lauded composers (e.g. Guiraud put the finishing touches on Bizet’s Carmen)
Pizzicati from Coppèlia and Valse Lente from Sylvia, Lèo Delibes – Unless I am terribly mistaken, Leroux made a little error when listing Lèo Delibes’ contributions to the managers’ farewell gala: There is indeed a Valse Lente (Slow Waltz) in the ballet Sylvia, but there is not a Pizzicati in Coppèlia. I think Leroux (or his editor) accidentally got the two reversed and meant to say that the Valse Lente from Act I of Coppèlia and the Pizzicati from Act III of Sylvia were performed at the gala.
Mercé, Dilette Amiche from I Vespri Sciliani, Giuseppe Verdi – In the novel, Leroux refers to this aria as the “bolero”. This is a notoriously difficult piece of music, due in no small part to the fact that it isn’t sung until Act V of the opera! The soprano, after undergoing several hours of operatic trauma, sings this aria when she briefly believes she will live happily-ever-after. But, alas, the opera isn’t over yet…
Gaston Leroux does not let Christine Daaè sing this song, but rather lists the performer as Marie Gabrielle Krauss (1842-1904), an Austrian soprano who would have been at her peak during the time the novel is set in. Leroux was not demeaning Daaè’s vocal ability: the soprano role in Verdi’s opera calls for a much heavier voice than Christine (or Carlotta) would have had.
Drinking Song from Lucrezia Borgia, Gaetano Donizetti – Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia was never successful and is now rarely performed. However, the brindisi or drinking song from Act III has always been a popular showpiece for mezzo-sopranos.
Faust
Nothing is more important to The Phantom of the Opera than Gounod’s Faust. A lot of people think this is because there are some sort of weird occult undertones to the novel. However, the real reason is that there is nothing more appropriate than to have a bunch of opera singers in France during the late 19th century performing what, at the time, was the most popular French opera ever written (Bizet’s Carmen was still considered a bit too seedy by most audiences).
Because Faust is performed several times throughout The Phantom of the Opera, pretty much all of the music is discussed; for example, Chapter 8 makes reference to the rather odd drinking song Vin ou Bière, as well as to the fact that Marguerite has only about four lines when she makes her entrance in Act II and has to wait until after the intermission for her part to really get started. However, the most lauded Phantom/Faust connection is the Act V trio Anges Purs, Anges Radieux, which Christine sings at the managers’ gala and wows the world. She is also singing this in Chapter 14 when she is kidnapped onstage by the Phantom. And, of course, Carlotta’s famous “croak” takes place in the middle of the Act III love scene.
Other Operas
La Juive – In Chapter 12, Christine scares Raoul to death by disappearing and “renewing her triumph” without the help of Erik by singing Halvey’s La Juive. Although it was immensely popular during the 19th century, the work has now been completely forgotten except for the soprano aria Il Va Venir.
Le Prophète – It is not surprising Leroux makes no reference to the music from Meyerbeer’s Le Prophète, but rather only to the “white horse” which Erik uses to help convey Christine down to his lair for the first time. Le Prophète is a terrible work (a roller-skating ballet in Act III?!?) which has easily been forgotten. However, a white horse is needed for the coronation scene in Act IV and provides a wonderful plot device in Leroux’s novel.
Otello – Verdi’s Otello was written well after the events in this novel, Fan purists believe that Leroux meant Rossini’s Otello to be the one referenced to in Chapter 13 and due to it’s nature of being a comedic adaptation it is usually overlooked.
Verdi’s Otello has been accepted by most to be the version making the brief cameo in the work.
But however brief it may be, it is chilling: Before the unmasking scene, Christine and Erik sing the Act III duet, Esterrefatta Fisso lo Sguardo Tuo Tremendo, which appropriately translates to “I am shocked by your dreadful look”.
When Erik kidnaps Christine the first time, he confesses he deceived her by saying he was the Angel of Music. The only way he keeps her from going is by singing “Desdemona’s love song” from Otello. Desdemona does not have an aria until the end of the opera and it is far from romantic. Most likely what Leroux is referring to is her part in the Act III ensemble when she sings “Se inconscia, contro the, sposo, ho peccato” or “If unconscious, against you, husband, I have sinned”.
Roméo et Juliette – Before singing Faust at the managers’ gala, Christine sings “a few passages from Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette”. Leroux makes another reference which specifies that one of these passages was final duet as the lovers are dying. She also more than likely sang the Act I aria Je veux vivre, as the optional aria in Act IV would have been too heavy for her voice type.
In Chapter 10, Erik also uses Roméo et Juliette to lure a half-willing Christine away from the masked ball by singing the duet from the wedding night.
Le Roi de Lahore – Although this opera made Jules Massenet a star, it is now a completely forgotten work. In Chapter 1 of The Phantom of the Opera, Joseph Buquet’s body is found hanging from the scenery for Le Roi de Lahore. However, like the entire story, there is much more to this than meets the eye:
Le Roi de Lahore or “The King of Lahore” is a melodramatic tale built out of forbidden love, supernatural beings, and hidden trapdoors. If that on its own doesn’t sound like a Phantom allegory, get this: Lahore is the capital of PUNJAB, Pakistan!
The Resurrection of Lazarus
The Resurrection of Lazarus is almost as important in The Phantom as Faust. The only problem is that no one has any idea what Leroux is talking about. Since every other piece of music in the novel is traceable, it seems unlikely Leroux would have made this one up as a plot device. Franz Schubert’s unfinished cantata Lazarus, or the Celebration of the Resurrection (D. 689) has been presented as a possibility. However this seems unlikely for several reasons:
1. The police report in Chapter 6 as well as Christine’s description in Chapter 13 makes reference to Jesus calling Lazarus from the tomb. Jesus does not play an active role in Schubert’s work
2. Nearly every other piece of music discussed in The Phantom of the Opera was written by a French composer. It seems unlikely Leroux would have departed from this unwritten rule to dredge up an unknown work by an Austrian.
3. If The Resurrection of Lazarus was not written by a Frenchman, it is more likely it was written by some unknown Scandinavian composer. Come to think of it, The Resurrection of Lazarus is really known only by Christine and Raoul, and this because they heard it played by Daddy Daaé. Erik knows it, but he is a musical genius who traveled all over the world. Now, it would probably take both a trip around the world and a séance to figure out what Leroux had in mind.
~Written by Alexiel de Ravenswood 1999
The Managers’ Farewell Gala – Chapter 2
The Funeral March of a Marionette, Charles Gounod – This has been a perennial favorite with horror fans, particularly since it was used as the opening music for Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Gounod originally intended for the composition to be a piano solo; but I think we’re all grateful he changed it to a full orchestral work – it wouldn’t be half so creepy if it was played on piano.
Overture to Sigurd, Ernest Reyer – The opera Sigurd was a sort of precursor to Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen. Reyer made the mistake, however, of not having his work staged until 1884, nearly twenty years after it was completed and fifteen years after the premiere of Wagner’s Ring. Consequently, Sigurd has almost always been overlooked. Selections from the work were performed intermittently before the premiere. Sigurd was surprisingly successful for several decades before dropping into obscurity.
Danse Macabre and Rêverie Orientale, Camille Saint-Saëns - Everybody knows Danse Macabre (Saint-Saëns Op. 40). This is one of the most popular pieces of Classical music ever written. However, it was a total flop at its premiere in 1874 because the audience was too creeped-out by its dissonance. It is unlikely Danse Macabre would really have been played at a prestigious gala; however, Leroux most likely included this as it fits in with the theme of Erik being described as a “living corpse”.
If you attempt to research Saint-Saëns’ Rêverie Orientale, you will very likely come up with NOTHING. In and of itself, the Rêverie Orientale no longer exists: what Leroux describes in the novel was an 1875 composition which Saint-Saëns later reworked as the theme for his Op. 60, the Suite Algérienne. This is the closest we can now come to hearing the original. It doesn’t exactly have a horror movie sound, but it’s exotic and seems appropriate with Erik’s connection to the Orient.
Marche Hongroise Indèit, Jules Massenet – This one is pretty hard to track down. The title translates to “Hungarian March Unpublished” and it is most likely part of Massenet’s obscure Scènes Hongroise. However, it is also possible that Leroux at some point attended a concert which included a previously unperformed (and still unknown) march by Massenet.
Carnaval, Ernest Guiraud – The Carnaval Leroux refers to is the ballet from Guiraud’s 1876 opera Piccolino. And talk about plagiarizing yourself! – Guiraud “recycled” this tune from one of his earlier orchestral works.
Guiraud never gained much recognition as a composer. However, he was a well-known figure around the Paris theaters since he was nearly always called in to finish operas left incomplete by the untimely deaths of more lauded composers (e.g. Guiraud put the finishing touches on Bizet’s Carmen)
Pizzicati from Coppèlia and Valse Lente from Sylvia, Lèo Delibes – Unless I am terribly mistaken, Leroux made a little error when listing Lèo Delibes’ contributions to the managers’ farewell gala: There is indeed a Valse Lente (Slow Waltz) in the ballet Sylvia, but there is not a Pizzicati in Coppèlia. I think Leroux (or his editor) accidentally got the two reversed and meant to say that the Valse Lente from Act I of Coppèlia and the Pizzicati from Act III of Sylvia were performed at the gala.
Mercé, Dilette Amiche from I Vespri Sciliani, Giuseppe Verdi – In the novel, Leroux refers to this aria as the “bolero”. This is a notoriously difficult piece of music, due in no small part to the fact that it isn’t sung until Act V of the opera! The soprano, after undergoing several hours of operatic trauma, sings this aria when she briefly believes she will live happily-ever-after. But, alas, the opera isn’t over yet…
Gaston Leroux does not let Christine Daaè sing this song, but rather lists the performer as Marie Gabrielle Krauss (1842-1904), an Austrian soprano who would have been at her peak during the time the novel is set in. Leroux was not demeaning Daaè’s vocal ability: the soprano role in Verdi’s opera calls for a much heavier voice than Christine (or Carlotta) would have had.
Drinking Song from Lucrezia Borgia, Gaetano Donizetti – Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia was never successful and is now rarely performed. However, the brindisi or drinking song from Act III has always been a popular showpiece for mezzo-sopranos.
Faust
Nothing is more important to The Phantom of the Opera than Gounod’s Faust. A lot of people think this is because there are some sort of weird occult undertones to the novel. However, the real reason is that there is nothing more appropriate than to have a bunch of opera singers in France during the late 19th century performing what, at the time, was the most popular French opera ever written (Bizet’s Carmen was still considered a bit too seedy by most audiences).
Because Faust is performed several times throughout The Phantom of the Opera, pretty much all of the music is discussed; for example, Chapter 8 makes reference to the rather odd drinking song Vin ou Bière, as well as to the fact that Marguerite has only about four lines when she makes her entrance in Act II and has to wait until after the intermission for her part to really get started. However, the most lauded Phantom/Faust connection is the Act V trio Anges Purs, Anges Radieux, which Christine sings at the managers’ gala and wows the world. She is also singing this in Chapter 14 when she is kidnapped onstage by the Phantom. And, of course, Carlotta’s famous “croak” takes place in the middle of the Act III love scene.
Other Operas
La Juive – In Chapter 12, Christine scares Raoul to death by disappearing and “renewing her triumph” without the help of Erik by singing Halvey’s La Juive. Although it was immensely popular during the 19th century, the work has now been completely forgotten except for the soprano aria Il Va Venir.
Le Prophète – It is not surprising Leroux makes no reference to the music from Meyerbeer’s Le Prophète, but rather only to the “white horse” which Erik uses to help convey Christine down to his lair for the first time. Le Prophète is a terrible work (a roller-skating ballet in Act III?!?) which has easily been forgotten. However, a white horse is needed for the coronation scene in Act IV and provides a wonderful plot device in Leroux’s novel.
Otello – Verdi’s Otello was written well after the events in this novel, Fan purists believe that Leroux meant Rossini’s Otello to be the one referenced to in Chapter 13 and due to it’s nature of being a comedic adaptation it is usually overlooked.
Verdi’s Otello has been accepted by most to be the version making the brief cameo in the work.
But however brief it may be, it is chilling: Before the unmasking scene, Christine and Erik sing the Act III duet, Esterrefatta Fisso lo Sguardo Tuo Tremendo, which appropriately translates to “I am shocked by your dreadful look”.
When Erik kidnaps Christine the first time, he confesses he deceived her by saying he was the Angel of Music. The only way he keeps her from going is by singing “Desdemona’s love song” from Otello. Desdemona does not have an aria until the end of the opera and it is far from romantic. Most likely what Leroux is referring to is her part in the Act III ensemble when she sings “Se inconscia, contro the, sposo, ho peccato” or “If unconscious, against you, husband, I have sinned”.
Roméo et Juliette – Before singing Faust at the managers’ gala, Christine sings “a few passages from Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette”. Leroux makes another reference which specifies that one of these passages was final duet as the lovers are dying. She also more than likely sang the Act I aria Je veux vivre, as the optional aria in Act IV would have been too heavy for her voice type.
In Chapter 10, Erik also uses Roméo et Juliette to lure a half-willing Christine away from the masked ball by singing the duet from the wedding night.
Le Roi de Lahore – Although this opera made Jules Massenet a star, it is now a completely forgotten work. In Chapter 1 of The Phantom of the Opera, Joseph Buquet’s body is found hanging from the scenery for Le Roi de Lahore. However, like the entire story, there is much more to this than meets the eye:
Le Roi de Lahore or “The King of Lahore” is a melodramatic tale built out of forbidden love, supernatural beings, and hidden trapdoors. If that on its own doesn’t sound like a Phantom allegory, get this: Lahore is the capital of PUNJAB, Pakistan!
The Resurrection of Lazarus
The Resurrection of Lazarus is almost as important in The Phantom as Faust. The only problem is that no one has any idea what Leroux is talking about. Since every other piece of music in the novel is traceable, it seems unlikely Leroux would have made this one up as a plot device. Franz Schubert’s unfinished cantata Lazarus, or the Celebration of the Resurrection (D. 689) has been presented as a possibility. However this seems unlikely for several reasons:
1. The police report in Chapter 6 as well as Christine’s description in Chapter 13 makes reference to Jesus calling Lazarus from the tomb. Jesus does not play an active role in Schubert’s work
2. Nearly every other piece of music discussed in The Phantom of the Opera was written by a French composer. It seems unlikely Leroux would have departed from this unwritten rule to dredge up an unknown work by an Austrian.
3. If The Resurrection of Lazarus was not written by a Frenchman, it is more likely it was written by some unknown Scandinavian composer. Come to think of it, The Resurrection of Lazarus is really known only by Christine and Raoul, and this because they heard it played by Daddy Daaé. Erik knows it, but he is a musical genius who traveled all over the world. Now, it would probably take both a trip around the world and a séance to figure out what Leroux had in mind.
~Written by Alexiel de Ravenswood 1999
Masquerade ball
le Bal de l'Opéra
Bal Masqué
February 7 , 1875 , the famous bal masqué et travesti de l'Opéra/masquerade and travesti ball of the Opera , main event chic annual Carnival of Paris , takes place in the room of Nouvel-Opéra and gathers eight thousand participant . The last edition of this ball, created in 1715 , will take place there in 1903.
The masquerade ball was held at opera of the rue de Richelieu (until 1820), at the Louvois room (1820-1821), at the Opéra Le Peletier (from 1821 to 1873) and at the Opéra Garnier ( from 1875 to 1903). By the end of the 19th century, there could be up to 4 "grands bals masqués" per season (January to March) were held at the (new) Théâtre de l'Opéra.
The masquerade ball was held at opera of the rue de Richelieu (until 1820), at the Louvois room (1820-1821), at the Opéra Le Peletier (from 1821 to 1873) and at the Opéra Garnier ( from 1875 to 1903). By the end of the 19th century, there could be up to 4 "grands bals masqués" per season (January to March) were held at the (new) Théâtre de l'Opéra.
working notes
newspaper L'Epoque
newspaper L'Epoque