Franc-Nohain
Illustration — Franc-Nohain Maurice Étienne Legrand, who published under the pseudonym Franc-Nohain (25 October 187218 October 1934), was a French librettist and poet. He is best known for his libretti for Maurice Ravel's opera L'heure espagnole and for numerous operettas by Claude Terrasse.
Also recorded as Legrand, Maurice-Étienne
Franc-Nohain

Agence Rol. Agence photographique (commanditaire) · Bibliothèque nationale de France · Public domain
- Full name
- Maurice Étienne Legrand.
- Born
- 1872. · Corbigny.
- Died
- 1934. · 7th arrondissement of Paris.
- Nationality
- France.
- Occupation
- writer, poet, librettist, lawyer and theatre critic.
- Education
- Lycée Janson-de-Sailly.
- Honours
- Grand prix de littérature de l'Académie française, Commander of the Legion of Honour and Alfred Née Award.
- Languages
- French.
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Documentary summary
Illustration — Franc-Nohain Maurice Étienne Legrand, who published under the pseudonym Franc-Nohain (25 October 187218 October 1934), was a French librettist and poet. He is best known for his libretti for Maurice Ravel's opera L'heure espagnole and for numerous operettas by Claude Terrasse.
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Authority files
getty · 500139703 · gnd · 131767461 · wikidata · Q447103 · wikipedia · Franc-Nohain
In this article
Life
Life
Franc-Nohain studied at Lycée Janson-de-Sailly. The recorded working language is French. Positions recorded include editor-in-chief. Work by Franc-Nohain is recorded in the collections of Minneapolis Institute of Art. Distinctions recorded are Grand prix de littérature de l'Académie française, Commander of the Legion of Honour and Alfred Née Award.
Maurice Étienne Legrand was born in 1872 in Corbigny; his father was an overseer-agent. He attended the Lycée Janson de Sailly. In the late 1880s he contributed poems to the literary magazine Potache-Revue (potache being slang for 'schoolkid'), along with André Gide, Léon Blum, Pierre Louÿs, Maurice Quillot and others. Later, he published in the journal Le Chat noir. He also founded Le Canard sauvage and became the editor of L'Écho de Paris. He also became a lawyer and deputy prefect. His literary pseudonym Franc-Nohain was derived from the Nohain river, where he had spent many happy hours as a child. With Alfred Jarry and Claude Terrasse he co-founded the Théatre des Pantins, which in 1898 was the site of marionette performances of Jarry's Ubu Roi. He is best remembered now as the librettist for some operettas by Terrasse, and for the opera L'heure espagnole by Maurice Ravel, adapted from his own comedy. He had two sons: the actor Claude Dauphin, and the songwriter and television producer/director Jean Nohain (aka Jaboune). He died in Paris in October 1934, aged 61.
Libretti
Libretti
• L'Heure espagnole, 1904 • Un jardin sur l'Oronte, 1922, adapted from a novel of the same name by Maurice Barrès • Le Chapeau chinois, 1931
Identity and origins
Identity and origins
Franc-Nohain was recorded at birth as Maurice Étienne Legrand. He also worked under the names Franc-Nohain, Pickwick and Oncle Bertrand. The authorities additionally record the heading Legrand, Maurice-Étienne. His recorded language was French. He married Marie-Madeleine Franc-Nohain. 2 children are recorded: Jean Nohain and Claude Dauphin.
Identity
Identity
Franc-Nohain is recorded as having received Grand prix de littérature de l'Académie française, Commander of the Legion of Honour and Alfred Née Award. Recognition and collections. Franc-Nohain received Grand prix de littérature de l'Académie française, Commander of the Legion of Honour and Alfred Née Award.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1872
Franc-Nohain born at Corbigny.
1934
Franc-Nohain died at 7th arrondissement of Paris.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Corbigny.
Birth place
7th arrondissement of Paris.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 131767461, Franc-Nohain.
Unverified · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
- Getty Union List of Artist Names 500139703, Franc-Nohain, Marie-Madeleine.
Unverified · The Getty Research Institute
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q447103: Franc-Nohain
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “Franc-Nohain”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q447103: Franc-NohainWikimedia Foundation
Verifiedauthority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 131767461, Franc-Nohain.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Partially resolvedauthority file
Getty Union List of Artist Names 500139703, Franc-Nohain, Marie-Madeleine.The Getty Research Institute
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
39,285 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Fran LevstikAuthor
- Fran Saleški FinžgarAuthor
- Fráňa ŠrámekAuthor
- Franc RoddamAuthor
- Franca FaldiniAuthor
- Franca TreurAuthor
- Franca ValeriAuthor
- France BalantičAuthor
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