Vaudeville, French word, possibly a corruption of Vau (or Val) de Vire, meaning ‘songs from the Valley of Vire’ (in Normandy), where in the 15th century Olivier Basselin composed satirical couplets, sung to popular airs, against the English invaders; or, alternatively, ‘voix des villes’ (‘songs of the city streets’). In 1674
Boileau, in his
Art poétique, used it in its present form to describe a satirical, often political ballad. It acquired its later meaning of ‘a play of a light or satiric nature, interspersed with songs’ by way of the little theatres in the Paris
fairs. Owing to the monopoly of the
Comédie-Française, plays in such theatres (sometimes no more than
booths) could only be given in dumb-show, with interpolated choruses on well-known tunes, often parodying the productions at the legitimate theatre. These
pièces en vaudevilles were the staple fare of the
Opéra-Comique, and were written by many well-known dramatists, including
Lesage. Their popularity paved the way for the immense vogue of light opera and operetta in mid-19th-century Paris, with librettos written by such men as the prolific
Scribe and his numerous collaborators. When this particular kind of light comedy lost its popularity, the use of the term was extended to sketches on the
variety stage, whence its present-day meaning in the USA (see below).
