In 1887, Gustave Charpentier (1860-1956) was awarded the coveted Prix de Rome, one part of which consisted of support for a year's study in Rome. It was there, while living at the Villa Medici, that Charpentier began work on Louise. The composer himself created the scenario, based on his own time in Montmartre; Charpentier maintained that he was the sole author of the final libretto, but research has shown that he paid the poet Saint-Pol-Roux to write at least some of the text.

Charpentier once explained that in Louise he attempted to capture the voice of his generation, which may explain his extensive efforts at realism. After returning to Paris in 1890, he read the libretto to friends who suggested cutting down on the realistic tone and increasing the lyricism. Charpentier heeded this advice; but this may have weakened the work, since the most effective sections of the opera revolve around its verismo elements—elements that appeared before any of the so-called verismo operas of Puccini or Mascagni had been staged.

Nearly four years elapsed between the composition of Louise and its first performance. The main cause of the delay was the director of the Opéra-Comique, Léon Carvalho, who disliked the realism of the work and wanted to move the setting back to the era of Louis XV; he also wanted a "happy" ending, with total reconciliation of all characters. Charpentier would have none of this, waiting instead until 1898, when Albert Carré decided to produce Louise as written; sets were by Lucien Jusseaume, and André Messager conducted. Louise received its premiere at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on February 2, 1900. The vocal score was published in 1900; the full score followed in 1905.

A great success, Louise was performed a hundred times during its first season; undoubtedly, this success was due in large part to its proto-feminist theme. This is best seen in moments such as the final scene of Act One, when Louise's father suggests that "experience" is the best way to choose a good husband. Furthermore, statements spiced with political overtones that point up the inequalities in contemporary society struck a chord with young leftists. Because of these themes, Louise caused a stir even before its premiere; people talked and wrote of the "revolutionary" score and "immoral" subject matter.

Musically, however, the work is hardly revolutionary; it bears similarities to earlier works by Gounod and Massenet (who both admired Louise). This does not, however, mean that the score is unoriginal; there are many brilliant moments, such as the harmonically intriguing end of the first section of Act Two, in which a street vendor tries to sell his artichokes amid the hustle and bustle of Montmartre street life. The unbridled chromaticism of the duet between Louise and her mother in the third scene of Act One is also forward-looking. Charpentier's use of unusual instruments, such as the viola d'amore and, especially, a sewing machine, both promoted the realist cause and have insured Louise a place in the standard repertory.

Paul Dukas once wrote of Louise: "The first and last acts are those of a master; the other two are those of an artist; the whole is the work of a man."

© John Palmer, Rovi