Charles louis chevalier biography of albert

English music hall performer (1861–1923)

Albert Chevalier (often listed as Albert Onésime Britannicus Gwathveoyd Louis Chevalier); (21 March 1861 – 10 July 1923), was an English music vestibule comedian, singer and musical opera house actor.

He specialised in londoner related humour based on be as a costermonger in Author during the Victorian era. At the back of to this and his nasty goings-on to write songs, he became known to his audiences owing to the "costers' laureate".

Born security London to a French churchman and Welsh mother, his fame at birth was registered straightforwardly as "Albert Chevalier",^[1] but without fear gained the unusual middle take advantage of "Onésime Britannicus Gwathveoyd Louis" cloth his career.

He showed be over interest in entertainment from spruce up early age through his personal performances to family and blockers. He made his debut variant the amateur stage when smartness was eight, performing in Julius Caesar, at the local County Hall. Soon after, he married a local amateur dramatics objective before changing his stage reputation to "Albert Knight".

Chevalier hitched the music hall circuit assimilate the 1880s and over leadership decade became very successful. Sovereign success meant that from probity early 1890s he was brave to choose which theatres feel perform in and often whole at three or four halls each night. Together with surmount brother Charles Ingle he wrote a number of highly operational coster songs to support her majesty act including "Wot Cher!

Knocked 'em in the Old Painter Road", "The Future Mrs. 'Awkins", "Appy 'Ampstead", and the true love "My Old Dutch". As exceptional as in London, Chevalier became popular with audiences in depiction English provinces which he toured over the length of wreath career.

During the 1910s Cavalier moved from comedy into penalty composition for straight plays.

Familiarize yourself a deteriorating health his last appearance was in My Aged Dutch at the Lyceum Dramaturgy in 1920. The play was based on Chevalier's own theme agreement of the same name stream had some success. The statistic ran for over a crop and Chevalier completed his newest performance in November 1922.

Subside died aged 62 and was buried in Abney Park god`s acre in the same plot makeover his son and father-in-law Martyr Leybourne.

Biography

Early life

Chevalier was citizen at 17 St Ann's Villas, Royal Crescent, London.^{[n 1]} Primacy son of Jean Onésime Arrogant, a French master at Kensington School, and his Welsh helpmeet, Ellen Louisa Mathews;^[3] he esoteric five siblings, two of whom died in infancy.

His extant brothers were Bertram, who production later life became a selfemployed photographer, and Auguste, who was better known as Charles Pierce, a composer of music appearance songs.^[4] Chevalier was educated go in for Clanricarde College, Bayswater, and posterior, St Mary's College, Richmond.^[3] Deviate a young age he showed an interest in acting ray privately performed scenes from The September Gale for his kith and kin when he was eight existence old.^[5]

In 1869 Chevalier made emperor amateur debut on the event performing as Mark Anthony deceive Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, at County Hall in Notting Hill.^[6] A- year later, on 17 Lordly, and at the same guide, he performed some minor scenes from The September Gale, that time to a paying audience.^[5] When he was 14 take action joined a local amateur theater group called the Roscius Glowing Club,^[7] where he adopted magnanimity stage name, Albert Knight.^[8] While in the manner tha he left education, and go on parade pay his drama fees, Arrogant took up a position in that a clerk in a repayment office, and then as dialect trig pupil teacher.

It was subtract that job that his sire introduced him to the scriptwriter Dion Boucicault who arranged add to a friend to mentor Chevalier's start in the theatre.^[9]

Theatrical beginnings

In 1876 Chevalier organised two untrained performances of The Quack Doctor and Handy Andy both livestock which he produced and asterisked in.^{[10][n 2]} In 1877 Royalist beau was engaged as an device under the Bancrofts in Writer, and for some years stricken "legitimate" parts at the Pore over theatre and elsewhere.^[11] Chevalier's cap professional appearance was alongside Madge Kendal and her husband William in An Unequal Match fuzz the Prince of Wales's Scenario, London, on 29 September 1877; Chevalier appeared in the scrap under his chosen stage honour, Albert Knight.^[12] The following origin the Kendals engaged him elect play the part of "Sam Winkle" in the drama The Omadhaun Witness and then respect a small role in high-mindedness comic farceCheckmate.

The following Jan, and owing to Arthur Cecil's introduction of him to glory Kendals, the show's producers, Arrogant toured for the first at the double in the highly successful novel Diplomacy in which he took the small role of "Antoine";^[13] midway through the tour, Arrogant decided to change his fastening name to his real moniker.^[14] The provincial press were baseless of the show and singled out Chevalier in particular parade his role.

A critic fund the Edinburgh Daily Review distinguished that although his part was small, "Mr. Chevalier's Antoine sine qua non be praised",^[15] while a scenario reviewer from the Liverpool Commonplace Post commented "The Parisian quaintness of Antoine, the "major domo of the Parisian ménage comment exactly hit off by Chevalier."^[16]

Chevalier remained until the all through of the tour, after which he was engaged to carve at the Court Theatre, Author in the comedy A Brawl of Paper in which unwind played the role of "Jones".

The show opened on 6 January 1879 and was, according to Chavalier's biographer Brian Daley, "met with unquestioned success".^[17] Rectitude following month he took unadulterated minor part in The Gentry Battle in which he took the role of "Montrichard", top-hole characterisation which Daley describes hoot being "inimitable".^[18] Through the season of 1879 he undertook straight series of small roles preventable the Kendals in Liverpool.^[19] Eminence the end of that best he was chosen by honourableness Kendals to understudy for loftiness main actors in the concise plays M.

le Duc, The Queen's Shilling and A Accepted Fix.^[20]

1880s

In February 1881 Chevalier was chosen to form part preceding a touring company headed strong the cellist and composer Auguste van Biene on a zonal tour of England. The classic plays, La Somnambula and The Grand Duchess were unsuccessful skull the company were forced damage raise funds by staging miniature concerts in rundown theatres interchangeable nearby towns.

It was Chevalier's job to sing comic-songs, attended by a backdrop of authoritative music. They were booed professor hissed from the audience who were leaving the hall hotfoot. At the last minute Cavalier stepped in and performed put in order short ditty as "Sammy Stammers" which, as the title suggests, was a character with boss stutter who sang comic songs.

The audience believed his consideration and ridiculed him as they left. Unperturbed, van Biene outshine Don Giovanni the following nighttime, but the lead singer futile to show. Chevalier offered sovereignty services to van Biene countryside assumed the role with dignity added promise that he could make the show his bring to light.

During a break, Chevalier imported a box of props reject the storeroom and went appal on to impersonate the sound hall star George H. Chirgwin. The show went well weather he stayed with the band for the remainder of decency tour.^[21]

A few months later Blade was recruited for a little tour of Scotland. Among primacy places he visited were Port, Coatbridge and Greenock the modern in which he enjoyed overmuch success in the burlesques False Glitter and the show's pinpoint piece, Peebles.^[22]

Chevalier was engaged unite appear in Arthur Pinero's The Magistrate in 1885 and The Schoolmistress the following year.

Bring 1889 he became the chief comedian at the Avenue Dramaturgy, predominantly in burlesques. Throughout prestige 1880s he was a bountiful writer of songs, including "Our 'armonic Club", which was destined for the burlesque Aladdin, travesty, The Wonderful Scamp in enclosing 1888.^[3]

Introduction to music hall

On 5 February 1891 Chevalier appeared broadsheet the first time on probity music hall stage at high-mindedness New London Pavilion, Piccadilly Circle.

For his costume, Chevalier opted for a peaked cap, far-out check jacket, a necktie, person in charge a pair of bell-bottomed lawsuit. In preparation, he sought relieve from Marie Lloyd, an as of now established music hall singer paddock her own right and who formed part of the consultation on his opening night. Very in the auditorium was orderly curious Lewis Carroll, a resolute opposer of music hall excitement, who had come to observe about Chevalier's debut through alters ego.

Carroll had earlier been fake by Chevalier's performances in honourableness straight theatre.^[23] Writing in dominion memoirs, Carroll thought was "decidedly good as an actor; on the other hand as a comic singer (with considerable powers of pathos owing to well), he [was] quite regulate rate."^[24]

He appeared in character primate a costermonger, and sang "The Coster's Serenade", "The Nasty Focus 'e Sez It", and "Funny Without Being Vulgar".

Chevalier homemade his act upon the archives of Alfred Vance, a londoner comedian from the beginnings be advisable for the English music hall convention. Chevalier also drew inspiration yield the London characters of Physicist Dickens, including Sam Weller, whom Chevalier had played unsuccessfully pride a touring show.

For description tour, he updated the freedom by modernising the dialogue shaft mixing it with the proceeding style used by mid-century londoner performers, including Vance. The vary resulted in Chevalier inventing shipshape and bristol fashion new, sentimental variation of Vance's "criminal coster", which was hurried based on a working-class Londoner.^[3]

Chevalier's failure in the theatre was instrumental in his decision scheduled start performing in music passageway.

The move into music hallway was considered by some critics to be unusual for break off actor in legitimate theatre, on the other hand it was welcomed by euphony hall syndicates who were fanatical to appeal to as various different audiences as they could. Chevalier justified his move stop arguing that audiences were unsettled stomach for something different and benefitted from support by George Physiologist Shaw and the poet President Symons.

From the early Decennary Chevalier agreed to only take pains in the major London music-halls, which he did for inspect a seven-year period, often drama at three or four halls each night. Together with cap brother Charles he wrote well-organized number of highly successful coster songs including "Wot Cher!

Knocked 'em in the Old County Road", "The Future Mrs. 'Awkins", "Appy 'Ampstead", and the science fiction "My Old Dutch". As petit mal as in London, Chevalier arised in various concert halls all the way through the English provinces, as proscribed refused to appear in penalization halls outside of the capital.^[3]

During the 1890s, Chevalier became out highly popular performer on interpretation music hall stage, rivalled sui generis incomparabl by Dan Leno, whose amusement act was based much bonus on gritty working-class realism puzzle Chevalier's aspirational romanticism.

In 1893, Chevalier undertook managerial responsibilities distrust the Trocadero Music Hall; rectitude venture proved disastrous, and keep upright him with a £10,000 duty. On 8 October 1894, good taste married Florence Isabel Leybourne (b. 1868/9) who was the girl of the music hall entertainer George Leybourne; they had pollex all thumbs butte children.^[3] Chevalier travelled to Original York in 1896 where significant repeated his success at Koster and Bial's Music Hall.

Teeth of suffering stage fright, the take shape was a success for dignity comedian, and he was hailed as one of the city's idols.^[23]

Upon his return from Land and Canada in 1896, Thespian decided to reduce his opus hall appearances owing to interpretation unpredictability and inattentiveness of birth genre's audiences, which he came to dislike.

From the rewarding public's point of view, authority style of humour had turn common place within the tune euphony hall. His biggest rival was Gus Elen who had refine a more complex and farcical alternative to Chevalier's. Instead, Histrion decided to concentrate his delay on creating comic characters which he used in one-man sketches which he called his "recitals".^[3] To keep within the audiences gaze, he still performed casual coster songs and performed them alongside his characterisations.

The system jotting included a country vicar unveil "Our Bazaar", a struggling individual in "A Fallen Star", don a west-country peasant in "E Can't Take a Roise anguish of oi". While none advance these pieces earned the generous of success that his coster songs had achieved, Chevalier repaired a successful solo career enforcement them.

His annual engagement continue to do the Queen's Hall in Writer of twice-daily performances began make 1899 and ran in drench of 1000 performances.^[3]

Chevalier returned optimism America in 1906 for clean six-week tour with the Country singer Yvette Guilbert who ostensible her co-star as being "more skilful than actually talented".^[25] At hand the 1900s he became give someone a jingle of the highest paid air hall stars in London, agony up to £450 per workweek.

He played the title portrayal in J. M. Barrie's Buffoon (1906) and in the selfsame year appeared with the Sculpturer chanteuse Yvette Guilbert.^[3]

Final years increase in intensity death

Chevalier continued to compose songs and perform in straight plays. His final appearance was swot the Lyceum Theatre in 1920 in My Old Dutch, which Chevalier co-wrote with Arthur Shirley.

The play was based vacate Chevalier's own song of leadership same name and had any success despite, according to influence biographer Simon Featherstone, its chunk then "dated sentimentality". The field ran for over a day and Chevalier completed his solid performance in November 1922.^[3]

Chevalier monotonous on 10 July 1923 draw on his home, Lake House, be neck and neck 38 Woodberry Down, Stoke Newington at the age of 62.

He was buried in Abney Park Cemetery on 13 July in the same plot hoot his son and father-in-law Martyr Leybourne. He was survived alongside his wife.^[3]

Legacy

Albert Chevalier was drop some ways an innovative accepted performer who established the coster style of performance, wrote coronate own material, and exploited leadership commercial opportunities of the booming music-halls in the 1890s.

Soil made commercial recordings of climax songs, and appeared in distinct early films, including the 1915 British silent My Old Dutch.^[3]

The English theatre critic Clement Player noted Chevalier for his authorization to interact with his audiences on a working class bank and to modernise the sonata hall: "Albert Chevalier has difficult to understand much – very much – to do with the healthgiving reform of the modern sound hall.

An artist by insight, he left the stage suffer, with laudable courage, he gave his talent to the commonplace people. He understood that in the matter of was a warm heart descend a corduroy jacket, a seam of sentiment even in authority lowly costermonger and he gave us the ballads which peal now household words."^[26] The penny-a-liner Richard Anthony Baker highlighted rectitude "snobbery" of some theatre critics who thought that music foyer entertainment was "innately inferior harmony the legitimate theatre".

However, Baker opined that although Chevalier was an "entertainer and lyricist be beaten considerable talent", the sentimentality advance his act would, when compared to modern entertainment, be exposure of as outdated."^[27]

Notes and references

Notes

References

Sources

External links