Clairville (Louis François Nicolaïe)

Biography

Clairville was the son of Alexandre-Henri Nicolaïe, also called Clairville (died 1832). The younger Clairville was a theatre artist and dramaturge of theatres in Lyon, who made his debut in Paris at the Théâtre du Luxembourg as an actor and dramaturge. He later joined the Théâtre de l'Ambigu-Comique, playing small roles and developed his craft as a playwright, finding that to be his true vocation. He first conceived a revue titled 1836 dans la lune, the success of which would launch his career. His plays included comedies, serious plays, revues, féeries, satires and parodies.

He is credited with at least 230 plays of which 50 had an runs of at least 100 consecutive performances. He was particularly known for his comédies en vaudeville. He was assisted, from the beginning of his career, by his friend Edward Miot. His group of his collaborators grew to include Dumanoir, Dennery, Nicot and Cordier. They drew inspiration from the news of the day. Clairville collaborated with other authors, including the Cogniard brothers, Lambert-Thiboust, Paul Siraudin, Victor Koning, Henri Chivot and Alfred Duru, Édouard Plouvier, Alfred Delacour for plays and operettas.

Clairville was an active member of the fourth Société du Caveau, of which he was president in 1871.

"Clarville doesn't not compose, he makes ... kind of literary thrift store, where old threadbare words and buried puns are dressed to the nine," wrote Henri Rochefort; but he added, "not an administrative measure, not a weird ad, not a new invention that Mr. Clarville has not set in a script or turned into couplets. This is the man of the review and parody par excellence."

In 1853, he published Chansons et Poésies, a collection of rhymes, from the ribald songs, "which are sung in the desert" according to Albert Blanquet, to the touching simplicity of the poems. He was awarded the cross of Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur in 1857.

In 1870, he composed the song Les Deux Canailles, in response to the song La Canaille by Alexis Bouvier. In 1871, he wrote at least two anti-communard songs: L'Internationale where he gave his vision of the "Internationale ouvrière" as a collection of bandits, and La Commune in which he called for the massacre of Communards.

Clairville died of pneumonia on 8 February 1879. After the funeral at Église Saint-Eugène-Sainte-Cécile in Paris on 10 February, he was buried at Montmartre Cemetery.

Family

Clairville had two sons. The composer Édouard-François Nicolaïe, known as Clairville fils (1854–1904) was from his marriage with Angélique Gabrielle Pagès. Charles-Albert Nicolaïe, known as "Clairvoyance" (1833–1892), an employee at the Comptoir d'Escompte de Paris, was born of an affair with Augustine Philippon. Claiville was the uncle of the playwright and librettist Charles-Victor Nicolaïe, known as Charles Clairville (1855-1927).

Selected works

Clairville's plays written in collaboration with leading playwrights of his time or that continue to be presented, include the following: