Later Queens of the French Stage
Part 25
Saint-Huberty, Madame, Gluck’s prediction concerning her, 265, 266; her birth and parentage, 267; her early years at Strasburg, 267; Lemoine’s kindness to her, 267, 268; meets Saint-Huberty, 268, 269; accompanies him to Berlin, 269; marries him, 270; ill-treated and deserted by him, 270; rejoins him at Warsaw, 271; her success in _Zémor et Azor_, 271; procures her husband’s release from prison, 272; deserted and robbed by him, 272; befriended by the Princess Lubomirska, 272; obtains a separation from her husband in respect of property, 273; rejoins him in Vienna, 274; deserted by him for the third time, 274; obtains an _ordre de début_ at the Paris Opera, 275; receives lessons from Gluck, 274, 275 and note; makes her _début_, 275; persecuted and robbed by her husband, 276; lodges a complaint against him before the Châtelet, 277, 278; shamefully ill-treated by him, 278, 279; her professional earnings claimed by him through fictitious creditors, 280; obtains judgment in her favour, 280; and a dissolution of her marriage, 281; steadily making her way to the front, 281, 282; becomes a permanent member of the Opera, 283; her triumph as Angélique in Piccini’s _Roland_, 283, 284; further successes, 284; her efforts on behalf of Lemoine’s _Électre_, 285; endeavours to promote the reform of theatrical costumes, 286; her success in _Ariane dans l’Île de Naxos_, 287; saved by Piccini from being expelled from the Opera, 287; her success in Grétry’s _l’Embarras des richesses_, 288, 289; and in Sacchini’s _Renaud_, 289; her personal appearance, 289, 290; “effects a well-nigh physical transformation on the stage,” 290; her dispute with the authorities of the Opera over her salary and privileges, 290-294; all her demands conceded, 294; sings her part in Piccini’s _Didon_ at Marmontel’s country-house, 297; goes on a provincial tour, 297; modesty not one of her failings, 298; insists on a radical change in costume, 299, 300; her brilliant triumph in _Didon_, 300-306; extraordinary enthusiasm aroused by her in the provinces, 306; her receptions at Marseilles, Toulouse, and Strasburg, 306-308; fresh successes in Paris, 308, 309; obtains precedence for Lemoine’s _Phèdre_ over the _Œdipe_ of Sacchini, 310, 311; her character less agreeable than her talent, 311, 312; her passion for the tenor Saint-Aubin, 312, 313; her arrogance and capriciousness, 313-315; goes to Strasburg without permission, 315; encourages the younger members of the Opera in insubordination, 317-319; her disputes with the administration over her costumes, 317-319; her private life comparatively free from scandal, 319, 320; her relations with the Comte d’Antraigues, 320-323; her charming letter to him, 323, 324; her health undermined by her exertions, 324, 325; leaves Paris and joins the Comte d’Antraigues in Switzerland, 326; secretly married to him, 326, 327; bears him a son, 327; acknowledged as his wife by the count, 328; assists him to escape from Milan, 329; receives the Order of Saint-Michel from the Comte de Provence, 329, 330; and a pension from the Emperor of Austria, 330 note; accompanies her husband to England, 330; assassinated with him by their servant Lorenzo, 331-343; “the greatest lyric _tragédienne_ whom France has ever possessed,” 343
Sainval, Mlle. the elder, intrigues against Mlle. Raucourt, 153; her quarrel with Madame Vestris, 167, 168; insults the Duc de Duras, 168, 169; expelled from the Comédie-Française and exiled, 169; indignation which her punishment arouses, 169; received in the provinces with frantic enthusiasm, 169; believed to be responsible for the hostile demonstrations against Mlle. Raucourt, 174; her _bon mot_ about Mlle. Raucourt, 181
Sainval, Mlle. the younger, takes the place of Mlle. Raucourt at the Comédie-Française, 165; adversely criticised, 165 note; scene during her impersonation of Aménaïde in _Tancrède_, 169
Sedaine, 217
Salieri, his _Danaïdes_, 309
Sully, Duc de, Sophie Arnould’s _bon mot_ about him and Choiseul, 34
Soubise, Prince de, _amant en titre_ of Mlle. Guimard, 110; his predilection for the ladies of the Opera, 110; his liberality, 110; gives Mlle. Guimard a New Year’s gift of 6000 livres, 114; compels her to give La Borde his _congé_, 120, 121; replaces her by Mlle. Zacharie, 129, 130; the pensions which he allows her and other _danseuses_ resigned by them, 130, 131
T
Talma sympathises with the Revolution, 182; withdraws from the Comédie-Française and founds the Théâtre de la République, 182; joins the Théâtre-Feydeau on the closing of his own theatre, 188
Talma, Madame, 251
_Tancrède_, incident during a performance of, 169
Taravel (painter), 117
Terrai, Abbé, Sophie Arnould’s _bon mot_ about him, 34
V
Vallayer Coster, Madame, her portrait of Madame Saint-Huberty, 290
Vandreuil, Comte de (dancer), his wager with M. de Miromesnil, 230 note; his efforts on behalf of the _Mariage de Figaro_, 230, 231, 232
Vestris, Auguste (dancer), 126
Vestris Gaetano (dancer), 61, 62
Vestris, Madame, disobliges Mlle. Clairon, 147 note; organises a cabal against Mlle. Raucourt, 153; her quarrel with Mlle. Sainval the elder, 167-170; urges the reinstatement of Mlle. Raucourt at the Comédie-Française, 170; attacked in _La Vision du prophète Daniel_, 176
_Vision du prophète Daniel, la_, satire on Mlle. Raucourt and her friends, 176, 177
Vigée Lebrun, Madame (cited), 208, 220, 235
Voisenon, Abbé de, 41
Voltaire, a friend of Madame Arnould, 4; his letter to Sophie Arnould, 5, 6; visited by Lauraguais at Ferney, 35; his pretended admiration of Lauraguais’s _Clytemnestre_, 35 note; visits Sophie Arnould, 79; Madame du Barry’s message to him, 121; besmirches the spotless reputation of Mlle. Raucourt’s 156-158; pours the balm of his flattery upon the wound he has inflicted, 158
W
Wallace Collection, the, 19
Walpole, Horace (cited), 44 note, 117 note
X
Ximenès, Marquis de, 157
Z
Zacharie, Mlle. (_danseuse_), replaces Mlle. Guimard in the affections of the Prince de Soubise, 129, 130
Printed by BALLANTYNE & CO. LIMITED Tavistock Street, London
* * * * *
PIQUANT MEMOIRS OF 18TH CENTURY FRANCE
QUEENS OF THE FRENCH STAGE
BY H. NOEL WILLIAMS
_Illustrated by Portraits, etc._ _10s. 6d. net_ (_post free 11s._)
“Mr. Williams knows how to spread a full table for the cultured and romantic appetite. One has only to recall his ‘Madame de Montespan’ and ‘Madame Pompadour’ to be sure that ‘Queens of the French Stage’ will be full of good things. He infuses a vivid and brilliant interest into names and careers which, to the majority of us, are vague outlines of shadowy association. As illustrations to the social history of France, they perform an invaluable and delightful service, and they have just the rare and susceptible touch which gives work of this kind its crowning finish and charm.”
_Pall Mall Gazette._
HARPER & BROTHERS
45 ALBEMARLE ST., LONDON, W.
MADAME DE MONTESPAN
BY H. NOEL WILLIAMS
_Bound in buckram and gold, with 16 fine Photogravures. Demy 4to._
_Price 25s. net. Edition limited to 500 copies._
The first complete life of the celebrated favourite of Louis XIV. ever offered to English readers.
“A full and complete history of a most remarkable career. There can be no doubt that the closing episode will attract the most attention and arouse the greatest interest. Mr. Williams’s volume is a thing of beauty, and the photogravures add to its value and interest.”
_Glasgow Herald._
“Mr. Williams’s French researches are unequalled for their scientific completeness.... He has made good use of a great deal of valuable material, and his own enthusiastic interest for his work attracts and holds the reader’s attention.”--_Spectator._
MADAME DE POMPADOUR
BY H. NOEL WILLIAMS
_Uniform with the above._
_Original price 25s. net. This work is now out of print._
HARPER & BROTHERS
45 ALBEMARLE ST., LONDON, W.
MADAME DU BARRY
BY H. NOEL WILLIAMS
_Bound in buckram and gold, with 16 fine Photogravures. Demy 4to._
_Price 25s. net. Edition limited to 500 copies._
This is the first illustrated life of the celebrated mistress of Louis XV. which has ever been offered to English readers.
“This is the third of the large and handsome books which Mr. Noel Williams has devoted to the memory of famous ‘reines de la main gauche’ in France, and it is by no means the least curious and interesting, for it illustrates specially, and in some unexpected ways, the state of French society immediately before the great Revolution.... Will be found most interesting by many readers.”--_Spectator._
“Mr. H. Noel Williams has made the Court of 18th Century France his monopoly as surely as Julia Cartwright has made the Princesses of the House of Este hers. When Louis XV. is mentioned one thinks at once of Mr. Noel Williams and his sumptuous books.”--Mr. DOUGLAS SLADEN in the _Queen_.
MADAME RECAMIER
AND HER FRIENDS
BY H. NOEL WILLIAMS
_Original price, 30s. net. This work is now out of print._
HARPER & BROTHERS
45 ALBEMARLE ST., LONDON, W.
THE HAND OF LEONORE
A ROMANCE
BY H. NOEL WILLIAMS
_Price 6s._
An historical romance in which Madame de Pompadour plays a prominent part.
“A most enthralling romance; we would rather compare it with the works of Dumas himself than with those of his recent imitators.”--_Morning Post._
“The novel is a charming one ... there are passages so charming that I could take up pages with quotations had I the space.”--_The Queen._
“Mr. Williams is evidently quite at home in his period, and has produced an excellent book which is a happy combination of history and romance.”--_Pall Mall Gazette._
“Mr. Williams has used his materials in a particularly exciting manner ... a stirring tale of adventure being the result.”--_Birmingham Daily Post._
“It has force and vivacity, the characters are alive and attractive, while an atmosphere of chivalry and romance hangs over all.”--_Daily News._
“A romance of the times of the Seven Years War, which is invested with singular vigour, charm, and distinction. Mr. Williams turns his material to the best account, matching forcible fact with fanciful fiction in a manner which compels the reader’s attention whilst it stimulates his imagination.”--_Liverpool Mercury._
“The tale makes capital reading.”--_Scotsman._
“Mr. Williams never allows the interest to flag for a single instant.”--_The King._
HARPER & BROTHERS
45 ALBEMARLE ST., LONDON, W.
<tb<
Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber:
protector at=> protector as {pg 29}
Duc de Choiseul-Praslin as Minister of Marine, in 1670=> Duc de Choiseul-Praslin as Minister of Marine, in 1760 {pg 34}
Princesse de Beauveau=> Princesse de Beauvau {pg 157}
Marie Antoniette=> Marie Antoinette {pg 168}
which brough the Terror=> which brought the Terror {pg 186}
Notwishstanding the laxity=> Notwithstanding the laxity {pg 216}
that a Bouvelard=> that a Boulevard {pg 230, n.}
occurred on the Bouvelards=> occurred on the Boulevards {pg 230, n.}
Moniseur=> Monsieur {pg 246}
Hereux=> Heureux {pg 257}
Castil-Blaize=> Castil-Blaze {pg 304}
serait encor sauvage=> serait encore sauvage {pg 308}
Bouvelard Saint-Martin=> Boulevard Saint-Martin {pg 324}
had pentrated four inches=> had penetrated four inches {pg 342}
overcome by Beaumerchais’s=> overcome by Beaumarchais’s {pg 348}
has a narrow escape of his life, 128;=> has a narrow escape of her life, 128; {pg 352}
* * * * *
FOOTNOTES:
[1] At the time when they wrote their monograph on the singer, Sophie’s _Mémoires_ were in possession of the Goncourts; it is uncertain where they now are.
[2] Here is her _acte de naissance_, which also disposes of Castil-Blaze’s assertion that her real name was Anne Madeleine, and that she had adopted that of Sophie “as being more sweet and harmonious.”
“The year one thousand seven hundred and forty, 14th of February, Magdeleine Sophie, daughter of Jean Arnould, here present, and of Rose Marguerite Laurent, his wife, born yesterday, Rue Saint-Louis in this parish, has been baptized.
“Godfather: Louis Le Vasseur, manager of the King’s farms, Rue Coq-Héron, parish Saint-Eustache; godmother: Magdeleine Chevalier, spinster, Rue du Mail, of the above-mentioned parish.”
[3] When the Opera-house was burned down in April 1763, a lady of the Court asked Mlle. Arnould if she could give her any particulars about CETTE _terrible incendie_. “All that I can tell you, Madame,” replied Sophie, “is that _incendie_ is a masculine noun.”
[4] E. and J. de Goncourt, _Sophie Arnould_, p. 10.
[5] E. and J. de Goncourt, _Sophie Arnould_, p. 23.
[6] The song, it may be mentioned, began with the words, “_Charmant amour_,” a not inappropriate omen, remarks the lady’s latest biographer, Mr. Douglas, for one who was to become notorious for her gallantries.
[7] The opera, or rather its libretto, was an old one, having been first produced so far back as 1690, with music by Colasse, a pupil of Lulli. Fontenelle, who lived to be nearly a hundred, was still alive when Dauvergne informed him of his intention to write fresh music for the opera. “Monsieur,” he replied, “you do me too much honour. It is now well-nigh sixty years since that opera was first performed; it was a failure, but I never heard that that was the fault of the composer.”
[8] The music was by one composer, Mondonville, the choirmaster of the royal chapel at Versailles, but the three acts, which, as was not infrequently the case at this period, had little or no connection with one another, were by as many different pens; the first, entitled _Vénus et Adonis_, being by Collet; the second, called _Bacchus et Érigone_, by La Bruère; while the third, the title of which is not given, was believed to be the work of the Abbé de Voisenon.
[9] Catherine Nicole Le Maure (1704-1783). She made her _début_ in 1724, in _l’Europe galante_, and at once took high rank as a singer. To an admirable voice she joined unusual talent as an actress, although she had received hardly any dramatic training. In 1743 she was imprisoned in For l’Évêque, for having refused to sing when ordered to do so, and, out of pique, quitted the stage, though she consented to reappear for a few evenings during the festivities in honour of the Dauphin’s first marriage in 1745.
[10] _Journal et Mémoires_, ii. 147.
[11] E. and J. de Goncourt, _Sophie Arnould_, p. 33.
[12] “As for my figure, truth compels me to admit that I am not tall, though I am slender and well-proportioned. I have a graceful frame, and my movements are easy. I have a well-formed leg and a pretty foot; hands and arms like a model; eyes well-set, and a frank, attractive, and intellectual face.”
[13] Jeze, _L’État ou le tableau de Paris_, 1760, cited by E. and J. de Goncourt.
[14] The Comédie-Française owed to him an improvement, the importance of which can hardly be over-estimated. He it was who first proposed the abolition of the custom of allowing the _gens à la mode_ to occupy seats upon the stage itself, a custom which not only interfered with the movements of the actors, but was utterly destructive of all scenic illusion. The reconstruction of the auditorium which this change rendered necessary occupied nearly two months, and cost 40,000 livres, towards which the count himself subscribed 12,000 livres.
[15] Lauraguais, who affected Anglomania among his other eccentricities, may be said to have introduced horse-racing into France. The first race was run on February 28, 1766, on the Plaine de Sablons, at Neuilly. It was a match between Lauraguais and Lord Forbes, the former riding his own horse, and was witnessed by an immense crowd, which had the mortification of seeing the French champion vanquished. The contest led to a great deal of unpleasantness, for, a few days later, the count’s horse died, and the surgeons whom the disconsolate owner called in to dissect it declared that the animal had been poisoned. The English visitors were, of course, suspected, and so great was the outcry against them that another match, which had been arranged between the Prince of Nassau and Mr. Forth, was forbidden by the King.
[16] Collé, _Journal et Mémoires_, iii. 47 _et seq._ Collé declares that there was a scene in this play worthy of Molière himself. King Pétaud appears dressed as a cook, with a white cap on his head and a knife by his side. He has just made some _pâtés_, which he hands round to his obsequious courtiers, who pronounce them divine, delicious, inimitable, and so forth. One grey-haired old gentleman however refrains from joining in the general chorus of admiration, and when the King, piqued by his indifference, inquires the reason, replies: “Pardon me, Sire; the _pâtés_ are indeed excellent. But, if your Majesty will permit me to speak without flattery, I would venture to observe that the woodcock-pie which you made the day before yesterday appeared to me infinitely superior to them.” Thereupon the King’s brow clears, and, clapping the astute old man on the shoulder, he exclaims: “That is right; I always like people to tell me the truth.” Louis XV., as every one knows, was very fond of preparing dishes with his own royal hands, and decidedly vain of his culinary skill, and no one with any acquaintance with the Court could possibly have missed the point of the satire.
[17] Diderot, _Mémoires et Correspondance_, ii. 62.
[18] _Mémoires et Correspondance_, ii. 42.
[19] Campardon, _Académie Royale de Musique au XVIIIe siècle_: Article, “Arnould.”
[20] Here, according to that princess, was one of _le Grand Monarque’s_ feats in gastronomy: “Four platefuls of different soups, a whole pheasant, a partridge, a plateful of salad, mutton hashed with garlic, two good-sized slices of ham, and afterwards fruit and sweetmeats.”
[21] Some writers declare that, in his passions, he would destroy everything breakable within his reach; others, that he went so far as to strike and even, occasionally, to _bite_ the unfortunate Sophie.
[22] He had previously written a _Clytemnestre_, which Diderot, having had the privilege of hearing the author read it, tells us contained some very fine verses, the work, however, not of the count, but of a “ghost” in his employ, named Clinchant. This play Lauraguais endeavoured to prevail upon the Comédie-Française to produce. The actors found themselves in a somewhat embarrassing position, as the count had just subscribed the 12,000 livres already mentioned towards the alterations in the theatre necessitated by the removal of the seats on the stage, and, from motives of gratitude, they did not like to refuse. On the other hand, the tragedy was so utterly opposed to all the canons of dramatic art that to produce it would be to court not only failure but ridicule. Eventually, however, they persuaded him to withdraw his offer. Notwithstanding its rejection by the Comédie-Française, Lauraguais thought so highly of his _Clytemnestre_ that he caused it to be printed, and sent a copy to Voltaire, who wrote back that his own _Oreste_ was but “_une plate machine_” in comparison with M. le Comte’s superb masterpiece. The noble author, says Diderot, took the poet quite seriously, and his delight and pride knew no bounds.
[23] Diderot, _Correspondance et Mémoires_, ii. 69. Diderot, who had a high opinion of Sophie and was also a friend of Lauraguais, was much distressed by her conduct. Under date October 7, 1761, he writes to Mlle. Voland: “This affair displeases me more than I can tell you. This girl had two children by him (Lauraguais); he was the man of her choice; there had been no constraint, no self-interest, none of those things which go to make ordinary engagements. If ever there was a sacrament, this was one; so much the more so, since it is not in the nature of a man to espouse only one woman. She forgets that she is married. She forgets that she is a mother. It is not only a lover; it is the father of her children whom she is leaving. Mlle. Arnould is something more in my eyes than a little baggage.”
[24] Favart, _Mémoires et Correspondance_, i. 195. Several writers refuse to accept this letter as genuine, believing that Favart invented it. It must be admitted, however, that its dry humour is very characteristic of Sophie.
[25] Mr. Sutherland Edwards, in his “Idols of the French Stage” (vol. i. p. 181), falls into a singular error. He states that, on his return to Paris, Lauraguais found that Sophie “had placed herself under the protection of M. de Saint-Florentin, for whom, however, she had no affection.” Sophie did certainly place herself under the protection of Saint-Florentin; but it was not his private but his official protection, as Minister for Paris and Chief of the Police; a not altogether unnecessary precaution, since Lauraguais had threatened to poison her.
[26] _Mémoires secrets de la République des Lettres._
[27] Grimm, _Correspondance littéraire_, iii. 297.
[28] _Arnoldiana._ According to another account, Choiseul came to Sophie’s dressing-room, on the conclusion of the performance, to compliment her and assure her of the great pleasure she had afforded the King. “Ah well!” she replied, “tell his Majesty that, if he is satisfied with Iphise, he should restore to her Dardanus!”
[29] _Correspondance littéraire_, v. 431.
[30] _Correspondance littéraire_, vi. 145. Mlle. Heinel seems also to have made a very favourable impression upon Horace Walpole, who mentions her several times in his letters, and always in terms of admiration. After seeing her for the first time, on the occasion of his visit to Paris, in 1771, he writes to the Earl of Strafford: “There is a finer dancer [than Mlle. Guimard], whom M. Hobart is to transplant to London; a Mademoiselle Heinel, or Ingle, a Fleming. She is tall, perfectly made, very handsome, and has a set of attitudes copied from the classics. She moves as gracefully slow as Pygmalion’s statue when it was coming to life, and moves her leg round as imperceptibly as if she was dancing in the Zodiac. But she is not Virgo.” The lady came to London that same winter, and danced for some months at Covent Garden, where she created as much enthusiasm as in Paris. On April 21, 1772, Walpole writes again: “I am just going to the Opera to hear Milice sing. I do not believe he will draw such audiences as Mlle. Heinel has done. The town has an idle notion that she made so much impression upon a very high heart, that it is thought prudent to keep it out of her way. She is the most graceful figure in the world, with charming eyes, beautiful mouth, and lovely countenance; yet I do not think we shall see a Dame du Barri on this side the Channel.”
The staid Dr. Burney was another of Mlle. Heinel’s admirers, and informs us that, besides the six hundred pounds salary she received from the management of Covent Garden, she was “complimented with a _regallo_ of six hundred more from the Macaroni Club.”
[31] This prince is said to have had sixty acknowledged mistresses, besides occasional and “imperceptible” ones.
[32] In her _Mémoires_, Sophie writes: “The prince had, for a moment, the idea of devoting himself to me. But he wished me to be entirely his own, without any distraction or reserve. I never had any taste for exaggerated grandeurs, and am of the opinion of that philosopher who said that happiness is only to be found in moderation.”