Malherbe, Charles (-Théodore)

Malherbe, Charles (-Théodore), French writer on music and composer; b. Paris, April 21, 1853; d. Cormeilles, Eure, Oct. 5, 1911. First he studied law, and was admitted to the bar, but he then took up music under A. Danhauser, A. Wormser, and J. Massenet. After a tour as Danhauser’s secretary through Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland in 1880–81 to inspect the music in the public schools, he settled in Paris. In 1896 he was appointed asst. archivist to the Grand Opéra, succeeding Nuitter as archivist in 1899. He ed. Le Menestrel and contributed to many leading reviews and musical journals. His collection of musical autographs, which he left to the Paris Cons., was one of the finest private collections in the world. With Saint-Saëns, he ed. an edition of the works of Rameau; also was ed., with Weingartner, of a complete edition of Berlioz’s works. His own works include 4 opéras-comiques and a ballet-pantomime, Cendrillon.

Writings

( all publ, in Paris): With A. Soubies, L’[f:]uvre dramatique de Richard Wagner (1886); with A. Soubies, Précis d’histoire de I’Opéra-Comique (1887); with A. Soubis, Mélanges sur Richard Wagner (1891); with A. Soubies, Histoire de l’Opéra-Comique: La seconde Salle Favart (2 vols., 1892–93); Centenaire de Gaetano Donizetti: Catalogue bibliographique de la section française à l’exposition de Bergame (1897); Programmes et concerts (1898); La caricature de 1830 (1898); Auber (1911).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire