Pauline Thys

Pauline Marie Elisa Thys [-Lebault] (1835–1909) was a French composer and librettist. She was born in Paris. Her father was the opéra comique composer Alphonse Thys (1807–1879). Initially she composed salon romances and light piano music in the tradition of Loïsa Puget, and, by the age of 20, had published her work with the music publisher Heugel. During Thys's lifetime, commentators viewed her as one of the best composers of the salon romance.

She subsequently turned to writing larger-scale musical works for the stage including operettas, opéra-comiques, and operas, including several for which she authored the libretto. These works were staged at the ''Opéra-Comique'' and at the ''Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens'' among other venues. Her four-act opera ''Judith'' is cited in American essayist Theodore Stranton's ''The Woman Question in Europe'' as an example of French women's achievements in music. Excerpts from ''Judith'' were frequently performed in public. Her opera ''Le Marriage de Tabarin'' was staged to great success on December 5, 1855, at the ''Theatre Royal'' in Florence and in numerous other cities.

In addition to her musical work, Thys was also a novelist: she published the novel ''Les bonnes bêtes'' under the pseudonym Mme. M. Du Coin.

In 1877, she founded the ''Association des femmes artistes et professeurs'', an organization whose aim was to address the obstacles faced by women and to draw attention to their work. The group's first concert, presented on March 11, 1877, featured the work of composers Delphine Ugalde, Clémence de Grandval, Amélie Perronnet, and excerpts from Thys's comic opera ''Le Mariage de Tabarin''. In 1883, she became a ''Chevalier de l'Ordre des Palmes académiques''.

Thys married Charles Lebault in June 1860 and the couple divorced in 1886.{{Cite web |title=Visionneuse - Archives de Paris |url=https://archives.paris.fr/arkotheque/visionneuse/visionneuse.php?arko=YTo2OntzOjQ6ImRhdGUiO3M6MTA6IjIwMjAtMDMtMTUiO3M6MTA6InR5cGVfZm9uZHMiO3M6MTE6ImFya29fc2VyaWVsIjtzOjQ6InJlZjEiO2k6NDtzOjQ6InJlZjIiO2k6MjAzOTE5O3M6MTY6InZpc2lvbm5ldXNlX2h0bWwiO2I6MTtzOjIxOiJ2aXNpb25uZXVzZV9odG1sX21vZGUiO3M6NDoicHJvZCI7fQ Provided by Wikipedia