Eugène Scribe
also Augustin Eugène Scribe
Birthplace: Paris, Kingdom of FranceSmith, C. (1992) 'Scribe, (Augustin) Eugène', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 4, pp. 275-277.Wikipedia (2026) Eugène Scribe. (Accessed: 30 September 2026).
Eugène Scribe was a French dramatistSmith, C. (1992) 'Scribe, (Augustin) Eugène', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 4, pp. 275-277.Wikipedia (2026) Eugène Scribe. (Accessed: 30 September 2026). and one of the most influential librettists of the nineteenth centurySmith, C. (1992) 'Scribe, (Augustin) Eugène', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 4, pp. 275-277.. Trained for the law, he turned to the theatreSmith, C. (1992) 'Scribe, (Augustin) Eugène', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 4, pp. 275-277.Wikipedia (2026) Eugène Scribe. (Accessed: 30 September 2026). and learned his trade doggedly, first in comédies-vaudevilles and then in "well-made" plays such as Le verre d'eau, built on the deft management of plotSmith, C. (1992) 'Scribe, (Augustin) Eugène', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 4, pp. 275-277.. He worked with collaborators all his lifeSmith, C. (1992) 'Scribe, (Augustin) Eugène', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 4, pp. 275-277.Wikipedia (2026) Eugène Scribe. (Accessed: 30 September 2026).. His librettos shaped French grand operaSmith, C. (1992) 'Scribe, (Augustin) Eugène', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 4, pp. 275-277., from Auber's La muette de Portici to Meyerbeer's Robert le diableSmith, C. (1992) 'Scribe, (Augustin) Eugène', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 4, pp. 275-277.Wikipedia (2026) Eugène Scribe. (Accessed: 30 September 2026)., Les HuguenotsSmith, C. (1992) 'Scribe, (Augustin) Eugène', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 4, pp. 275-277. and Le prophèteWikipedia (2026) Eugène Scribe. (Accessed: 30 September 2026)., and he also wrote for Boieldieu, Halévy, Donizetti and VerdiSmith, C. (1992) 'Scribe, (Augustin) Eugène', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 4, pp. 275-277.Wikipedia (2026) Eugène Scribe. (Accessed: 30 September 2026).. He was elected to the Académie française in 1836Smith, C. (1992) 'Scribe, (Augustin) Eugène', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 4, pp. 275-277.Wikipedia (2026) Eugène Scribe. (Accessed: 30 September 2026)..
Works
- Les vêpres siciliennes — Librettist
Source works
- Gustave III, ou Le bal masqué (1833)
- Le duc d'Albe
Written from
- Smith, C. (1992) 'Scribe, (Augustin) Eugène', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 4, pp. 275-277.
- Wikipedia (2026) Eugène Scribe. (Accessed: 30 September 2026).