Nabokov, Nicolas [Nikolay]

Notula.

A term used by Johannes de Grocheio and in several French lais, apparently describing lai form. See Lai, §1(iii).

Nouguès, Jean(-Charles)

(b Bordeaux, 26 April 1875; d Paris, 28 Aug 1932). French composer. Born into a wealthy family, his overriding aim was to devote his life to the composition of operas and to obtaining their performance, although he also composed songs. Almost entirely self-taught, he studied for a short time with Gaston Sarreau. Le roy du Papagey was written before he was 16. Over 8000 performances of his works took place during his lifetime.

La mort de Tintagiles, a Maeterlinck setting following Debussy's Pelléas by only three years, shows little influence of the declamatory style of that opera. Maeterlinck's mistress, Georgette Leblanc, created the important role of Ygraine. Quo vadis? was Nouguès's most celebrated work and is a large-scale affair dealing with the plight of Christian martyrs in Rome. La danseuse de Pompéï is concerned with the destruction of Pompeii. Criticized for its lack of plot, it was Nouguès's last large-scale opera.

Nouguès's musical style is conventional and he attempted to emulate the style of several other composers. He was considered by some to be little more than an amateur who was trying his hand at naturalistic operas, a judgment hardly borne out by his undeniable success at having his works performed.

WORKS

stage

Yannka [Yannha; Yanuka] (op, H. Nouguès), Bordeaux, Grand, 1897

Le roy du Papagey des papegais (op, 3), Bordeaux, Grand, 22 March 1901

Rêve de Noël (mystère, 1, J. Nouguès), 1902, vs (1902)

Thamyris (conte lyrique, prol., 4 scenes, J. Sardou and J. Gounouilhou), Bordeaux, Grand, 17 March 1904, vs (1904)

La mort de Tintagiles (drame lyrique, 3, after M. Maeterlinck), Paris, Mathurins, 28 Dec 1905, vs (1907)

Le désir, la chimère de l'amour (pantomime, 1, F. de Croisset), Paris, Mathurins, 6 Feb 1906

Quo vadis? (op, 5, H. Cain, after H. Sienkiewicz), Nice, Opéra Municipal, 10 Feb 1909, vs (Paris, 1908)

Chiquito, le joueur de pelote (op, 4, Cain, after P. Loti), Paris, OC (Favart), 30 Oct 1909, vs (1909); after Nouguès: Basque (scène-ballet, 1), 1902

L'auberge rouge (nouvelle lyrique, 2, S. Basset, after H. de Balzac), Nice, Casino Municipal, 16 Feb 1910, vs (Paris, 1910)

La vendetta (drame lyrique, 3, R. de Flers and G.-A. de Caillavet, after Loriot-Lecaudey), Marseilles, Opéra, 25 Jan 1911, vs (Paris, 1911)

L'aigle (épopée lyrique, Cain and L. Payen), Rouen, Arts, 1 Feb 1912, vs (Paris, 1912)

La danseuse de Pompéï (opéra-ballet, 5, H. Ferrare and Cain, after J. Bertheroy), Paris, OC (Favart), 29 Oct 1912, vs (1912)

Narkiss (conte-ballet avec chant, 1, J. Brindejant-Offenbach and Mme Mariquita, after J. Lorrain), Deauville, Casino Municipal, 31 July 1913, vs (Paris, 1913)

L'éclaircie (op, H. de Forge and E. Bertrand), Paris, Antoine, 31 Jan 1914

Le Dante (op, 3, J. Nouguès), 1914, Bordeaux, Grand, 26 Jan 1930

Le mari trop avisé [L'homme qui vendit son âme au diable] (operetta, P. and S. Weber), Paris, Gaîté-Lyrique, 1926

Jean de France (op), Paris, Gaîté-Lyrique, 10 May 1931

Le scarabée bleu (operetta, A. Barde), 1931

Une aventure de Villon, 1932 (farce, 1, P. Cleronc, after F. Villon: Troquez, nippes) unperf.

other works

Songs: Esquisses (J. Nouguès) (1899); Chansons florales (E. Boissier) (1902); Elle a fui! (F. de Croisset) (1902); Triolets d'amour (A. Bernède); Automnales (F. Gregh) (1903); Raru-hu (J. Nouguès) (1907); L'adieu (E. Haraucourt) (1907); Profils antiques (M. de Noailles); Chanson d'amour (1911); La complainte de la Seine (M. Magre) (1920); La gouape (L. Marchand and S. Veber), mélodie-valse (1920); Vos yeux (P. Cartoux and E. Costil), mélodie-valse; Le tapis persan (J. Charles) (1920); Le coeur et la rose (L. Lelièvre) (1925)

Inst: Chanson d'automne, vn, pf (1902); Impressions basques, vc, pf (1902); Csardas, vn, pf

BIBLIOGRAPHY

C. d'Ys: ‘Le Roy du Papegai’, Le théâtre, no.64 (1901), 19–24

Brétigny: ‘Thamyris au Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux’, Musica, no.19 (1904), 315

J. Brindejoint-Offenbach: ‘Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux: Thamyris’, Le théâtre, no.161 (1905), 12–16

J. Copeau: ‘La mort de Tintagiles’, Le théâtre, no.172 (1906), 20–24

P. Locard: ‘Jean Nouguès, Ch. Silver, André Bloch, Francis Bousquet’, Le théâtre lyrique en France (Paris, 1937–9), iii, 242–56 [pubn of Poste National/Radio-Paris]

J. Combarieu and R. Dumnesnil: ‘Réalistes et naturalistes’, Histoire de la musique des origines à nos jours, iv (Paris, 1958), 84–110

RICHARD LANGHAM SMITH