File:Léon Pillet - Grand dictionnaire Universel du XIXe siècle, vol12 p1015 - Internet Archive.jpg

English: Article on Léon Pillet (1803–1868), French journalist, government official, and Director of the Paris Opera, from Pierre Larousse's Grand dictionnaire universel du XIXe siècle, vol. 12, p. 1015.

Translation of the text:

PILLET (Raymond-François-Léon), man of letters, publicist, and administrator, son of the preceding [Fabien Pillet (1772–1855)], born in Paris in 1803, died in 1868. When he finished his studies in law, Pillet spent some time studying to become an attorney and in the office of Mauguin. In 1827, he took part in the foundation of the Nouveau Journal de Paris, where he was in charge of the theatre column. When this literary paper transformed itself into a political journal, Pillet became editor-in-chief and manager and made it one of the more advanced organs of liberal opinion. He was hit with many condemnations when he signed, in 1830, the protest of the journalists against the ordinances. During the three days of the July Revolution, he published the Journal de Paris several times each day in order to spread the proclamations. After the accession of Louis-Philippe, this journal, having been sold by some capitalists favorable to the new government, Léon Pillet took over its direction and defended ministerial policies. He followed, in 1832, the Duke of Orleans to the Siege of Antwerp at the level of Officer of Ordinance, and was decorated that same year, becoming maître des requêtes in extraordinary service (1834), Royal Commissioner of the Théâtre de l’Opéra (1838), and was associated, in 1840, as director of this theatre, with Duponchel, who abandoned the administration of the Opéra entirely to him in 1841. Léon Pillet mounted and produced quite a great number of pieces, notably: Le drapier (1840), La favorite (1840), La reine de Chypre (1841), Don Sébastien (1843), Charles VI (1843), Othello (1844), etc. He revived, in addition, Le philtre, Gustave III, La Juive, Les Huguenots, etc. In 1847, in the aftermath of the stormy representation of Robert Bruce, Mme Stoltz, whose influence predominated at the Opera, having quit the theatre, Léon Pillet resigned his duties at the theatre and was replaced by Duponchel. During his active administration, he had suffered several lawsuits brought by various artists, Duprez, Gardoni, Baroilhet, Mmes Elssler and Dupont, and had been far from enriched. In 1849, he was named French Consul to Nice, then he served the same functions at Cagliari and Palermo (1861). In addition to many newpaper articles, some Lettres, some Mémoires in response to a mass of attacks, one had from him: L’obstiné ou Les Bretons (1837), vaudeville in one act, under the pseudonym of Renaud; the Liste de mes maîtresses, Un mari du bon temps, the Cabaret de la veuve, the Mazurka ou Les clarinettes et les marionnettes, vaudevilles, with various collaborators; the Vendetta, opera iin 3 acts (1830), De la situation actuelle de l’Académie de musique (1844, in 4 volumes), etc. – His brother, Gustave-Fabien Pillet, became Division Chief at the Ministry of Public Instruction. He had a drama in five acts and in verse, the École des veuves (1826) presented at the Odéon.