LECOCQ

lecocq, alexandre charles (1832- ), french musical composer, was born in paris, on the 3rd of june 1832. he was admitted into the conservatoire in 1849, being already an accomplished pianist. he studied under bazin, halevy and benoist, winning the first prize for harmony in 1850, and the second prize for fugue in 1852. he first gained notice by dividing with bizet the first prize for an operetta in a competition instituted by offenbach. his operetta, _le docteur miracle_, was performed at the bouffes parisiens in 1857. after that he wrote constantly for theatres, but produced nothing worthy of mention until _fleur de the_ (1868), which ran for more than a hundred nights. _les cent vierges_ (1872) was favourably received also, but all his previous successes were cast into the shade by _la fille de madame angot_ (paris, 1873; london, 1873), which was performed for 400 nights consecutively, and has since gained and retained enormous popularity. after 1873 lecocq produced a large number of comic operas, though he never equalled his early triumph in _la fille de madame angot_. among the best of his pieces are _girofle-girofla_ (paris and london, 1874); _les pres saint-gervais_ (paris and london, 1874); _la petite mariee_ (paris, 1875; london, 1876, revived as _the scarlet feather_, 1897); _le petit duc_ (paris, 1878; london, as _the little duke_, 1878); _la petite mademoiselle_ (paris, 1879; london, 1880); _le jour et la nuit_ (paris, 1881; london, as _manola_, 1882); _le coeur et la main_ (paris, 1882; london, as _incognita_, 1893); _la princesse des canaries_ (paris, 1883; london, as _pepita_, 1888). in 1899 a ballet by lecocq, entitled _le cygne_, was staged at the opera comique, paris; and in 1903 _yetta_ was produced at brussels.