French writer and librettist.

His life was entirely dedicated to the theatre: as a writer (Mademoiselle Rose, 1843; La comtesse d'Altenberg, 1844), composer and translator of opera librettos, director of the Paris theatre l'Odéon from 1853-56, and thereafter of the Opéra, and finally, as a historian.
His historical works were monumental: Histoire universelle du théatre (1869-70); Histoire de l'opéra (1875) and Histoire du théâtre contemporaine (1878).
In collaboration with Gustave Vaëz he wrote for Verdi the libretto for Jérusalem, a reworking of I Lombardi alla prima crociata.