François-Adrien Boieldieu, genius of opéra-comique, was born in Rouen,
France, on December 16, 1775. After studying music with Charles Broche,
Boieldieu became a church organist in Rouen in his fifteenth year. Two
years later his first opera, _La fille coupable_, was successfully given
in the same city. In 1796 he came to Paris where from 1797 on his operas
began appearing in various theaters, climaxed by his first major
success, _Le Calife de Bagdad_ in 1801. In 1798 he was appointed
professor of the piano at the Paris Conservatory. From 1803 until 1811
he lived in Russia writing operas for the Imperial theaters and
supervising musical performances at court. After returning to Paris in
1811, he reassumed his significant position in French music. From 1817
to 1826 he was professor of composition at the Paris Conservatory, and
in 1821 he was made Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. All the while he
kept on writing operas and enjoying considerable popularity. His most
significant work was the opéra-comique, _La Dame blanche_, a sensation
when introduced in Paris in 1825. Ill health compelled him to abandon
his various professional activities in 1832. Supported by an annual
government grant, he withdrew to Jarcy where he spent the last years of
his life devoting himself mainly to painting. He died there on October
8, 1834. Boieldieu, with Adam and Auber, was one of the founders of
French comic opera, and his best works are still among the finest
achieved in this _genre_.
The Overture to _The Caliph of Bagdad_ (_Le Calife de Bagdad_) is
Boieldieu’s most famous piece of music. The opera was a triumph when
introduced at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on September 16, 1801. The
libretto, by Saint-Just, is set in Bagdad where Isaaum is a benevolent
Caliph, but given to mischievous pranks and tricks, including parading
around the city in various disguises. Once, as an army officer, he meets
and makes love to Zeltube. Her mother, suspicious of him, orders his
arrest. When the Caliph reveals himself, he also discloses his
intentions were honorable and that he intends making Zeltube his bride.
The overture opens with a mellow song for strings. When the tempo
changes, a sprightlier tune is heard in strings and brought to a
forceful climactic point. The music now assumes a dramatic character
after which a new subject, again in a sensitive lyrical vein, is offered
by the strings.
The Overture to _La Dame blanche_ (_The White Lady_) is also popular.
_La Dame blanche_ is the composer’s greatest work in the opéra-comique
form. It was received with such sensational acclaim when introduced in
Paris on December 10, 1825 that, temporarily at any rate, the sparkling
comic operas of Rossini (then very much in vogue) were thrown into a
shade. In time, _La Dame blanche_ received universal acceptance as a
classic in the world of opéra-comique. Between 1825 and 1862 it enjoyed
over a thousand performances in Paris; by World War I, the total passed
beyond the fifteen hundred mark. The libretto, by Eugène Scribe, is
based on two novels by Sir Walter Scott, _The Monastery_ and _Guy
Mannering_. The setting is Scotland, and the “white lady” is a statue
believed to be the protector of a castle belonging to the Laird of
Avenel. The castle is being administered by Gaveston who tries to use
the legend of the white lady for his own selfish purposes, to gain
possession of the family treasures. Anna, Gaveston’s ward, impersonates
the white lady to help save the castle and its jewels for the rightful
owner.
The vivacious overture is made up of several of the opera’s principal
melodies. The introduction begins with a motive from the first-act
finale, and is followed by the melodious and expressive “Ballad of the
White Lady.” The Allegro section that follows includes the drinking song
and several other popular arias, among these being the ballad of “Robin
Adair” which appears during the hero’s first-act revery and as a concert
piece in the third act.