FORGOTTEN OPERA SINGERS

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Jul 8, 2025

FRENCH SOPRANO ALBA CHRÉTIEN-VAGUET (1872-1963) CDR

Hélène

ALBA CHRÉTIEN-VAGUET (PARIS, 8 MARCH, 1872 – PAU, 28 FEBRUARY, 1963)

She studied piano at the Paris Conservatoire and took private singing lessons. In 1891, she made her operatic debut at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels as Alice in Meyerbeer’s Robert le Diable. In 1893, she was engaged by the Paris Grand Opéra, again debuting as Alice in Robert le Diable. At the Grand Opéra, she appeared in the premières of Reyer’s Sigurd (1895), Chabrier’s Briseïs (1899), and on 15 September 1893 in the premiere of Henri Maréchal’s Deïdamie.

In 1894, she performed at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo in Verdi’s Aida, and in 1899, she achieved great success as Isolde in Tristan und Isolde in Aix-les-Bains. From 1896, she was also active as a soloist with the Concerts Lamoureux in Paris.

She was married to the tenor Albert Vaguet (1865–1943). When Vaguet was forced to retire from the stage following a serious accident that resulted in the loss of a leg, she also withdrew from professional music life. The couple settled in Pau, where they occasionally participated in concerts and were active as educators. As of 1955, she was still living in Pau.

Chronology of Selected Appearances:

1891 – Brussels, Théâtre de la Monnaie – Robert le Diable (Alice)

1893 – Paris, Grand Opéra – Robert le Diable (Alice)

1894 – Monte Carlo, Opéra – Aida

1895 – Paris, Grand Opéra – Sigurd

1899 – Paris, Grand Opéra – Briseïs

TRACKLIST

Africaine (Meyerbeer) Air du sommeil 2294 Pathé cylinders, Paris 1902

Sigurd (Reyer) Des présents de Gunther 2297 Pathé cylinders, Paris 1902

Ah, qui brûla d’amour (Tchaikovsky) 0789 Pathé, Paris 1912

Lohengrin (Wagner) Déjà se perd leur voix (w. Vaguet) 0790 Pathé, Paris 1912

Lohengrin (Wagner) Ah, respirons tous deux (w. Vaguet) 0790b Pathé, Paris 1912

Tosca (Puccini) Notre doux nid 0786 Pathé, Paris 1912

FRENCH TENOR RAOUL GIRARD CDR

Duke

RAOUL GIRARD (PARIS, 1893 - ?)

He made his debut at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1928 as Julien in Louise and went on to sing much of the French and Italian lyric repertoire. He was married to Mlle Rainal, a ballerina with the Opéra-Comique.

Chronology of some appearance

1928 Paris Opera-Comique Louise (Julien)

1936 Lyon Opera House Lohengrin (Lohengrin)

TRACKLIST

Carmen (Bizet) Air de la fleur 3508 OW1065 Perfectaphone

Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) O Lola 90016 Pathé, Paris 1931

Manon Lescaut (Puccini) Ange, sirène ou femme X.90045 Pathé 1930

Paillase (Leoncavallo) Me grimer 90016 Pathé, Paris 1931

Werther (Massenet) Pourquoi me révellier 3376 OG 255 Perfectaphone

FRENCH SOPRANO SUZANNE CESBRON-VISEUR (1879-1967) CDR

Nedda

SUZANNE CESBRON-VISEUR (PARIS, FRANCE, 1879 - SEILHAN, FRANCE, 1967)

She received her education at the Conservatoire National de Paris and made her debut in 1902 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, where she enjoyed a successful career spanning more than 25 years. Her repertoire included Nedda in Pagliacci, Charlotte in Werther, Manon, Tosca, Rosenn in Le Roi d'Ys, and Cio-Cio-San. Beginning in 1923, she was also engaged by the Grand Opéra in Paris. In 1924, she appeared at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in the premiere of Léon Sachs’s opera Les Burgraves.

She made frequent guest appearances at the opera houses of Nice, Marseille, Vichy, and Bordeaux, and also sang in Antwerp, Liège, and at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels. In 1924, she appeared at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo as Mélisande in Pelléas et Mélisande.

Following her retirement from the stage, she taught voice at the Conservatoire de Paris from 1927 to 1949; among her notable pupils was the celebrated soprano Régine Crespin.

TRACKLIST

Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) C'est toi Santuzza... O mon Torrido (w. Micheletti) 123.500, 123.500, XXP6500-2, XXP6501-2 Odeon, Paris 1927

L'amour de moi 123.600 XXP6778 Odeon, Paris 1928-12-26

Le colibri (Chausson) 123.599 XXP6776 Odeon, Paris 1928-12-26

Madama Butterfly (Puccini) Ah! Cher petit Dieu 171.020 XXP6482 Odeon, Paris 1927-05-02

Madama Butterfly (Puccini) Sur la mer calmée 171.020 XXP6459 Odeon, Paris 1927

Sapho (Massenet) Viens m'ami 123611 xxP 6857 Odeon, Paris 1929-03-20

Thais (Massenet) Air d'Eros 123611 xxP 6855 Odeon, Paris 1929-03-20

Jul 7, 2025

FRENCH TENOR GEORGES LUCAS CDR

GEORGES LUCAS (? 1868 - ?)

This French tenor was engaged at the Grand Opéra in Paris during the 1899–1900 season, alongside his wife, the soprano Julia Lucas (born in 1869). He made his debut there as Jean in Meyerbeer’s Le Prophète, and subsequently sang the title role in Reyer’s Sigurd, Matho in the same composer’s Salammbô, Kérloù in Paladilhe’s Patrie!, and Énée in Berlioz’s La Prise de Troie (in its Grand Opéra premiere).

His career was primarily centered in provincial French opera houses, where he frequently performed with his wife. The couple also appeared together in Romania.

During the 1907–08 season, he joined the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where he mainly sang character roles, such as the Abbé in Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur, Laërte in Thomas’s Mignon, Spoletta in Tosca, Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Edmondo in Puccini’s Manon Lescaut, and once Radamès in Aida. He also participated in several concerts at the Metropolitan Opera.

No further details about the couple’s later career are available.

Records: Georges Lucas recorded nine Pathé cylinders in Paris in 1904, featuring arias from La Juive, Les Huguenots, Sigurd, Robert le Diable, Le Cid, and Verdi’s Otello.

JULIA LUCAS (? 1869 - ?)

She was the wife of the tenor Georges Lucas (1868–?), who appeared at various French provincial theaters and sang during the 1907–1908 season at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Like her husband, she was engaged by the Grand Opéra in Paris for the 1899–1900 season, where she performed the roles of Marguerite de Valois in Les Huguenots, Hilda in Sigurd, and Mathilde in Guillaume Tell.

Chronology of some appearances

1899-1900 Paris Grand Opera

TRACKLIST

Georges Lucas

Huguenots (Meyerbeer): Plus blanche 0015 Pathé cylinders, Paris 1904?

Juive (Halévy): Loin de son amie 0017 Pathé cylinders, Paris 1904?

Cid (Massenet): Grand air du ténor 0048 Pathé cylinders, Paris 1904?

Julia Lucas

Fille du Régiment (Donizetti): Couplet du 21e 18008 Edison 2-min cylinders, Paris 1908?

Guillaume Tell (Rossini): Sombre forêt 17023 Edison 4-min cylinders, Paris 1909?

AUSTRALIAN SOPRANO AMY CASTLES (1880-1951) CDR

Cio-Cio-San (Madama Butterfly)

AMY ELIZA CASTLES (MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA, 25 JULY 1880 – FITZROY, VICTORIA, 19 NOVEMBER 1951)

Her father and mother were both talented amateur singers. All seven of the family’s children, who moved to Bendigo in the mid-1880s, became well-known singers in Australia, particularly the three daughters: Amy, Eileen (1886–1970), and Dolly Castles (1884–1971). Amy, the best known of them, initially studied with Allen Bindley in Melbourne. She gave her first concert there in 1899 but then went to Paris for further training. There she studied briefly with the famous Mathilde Marchesi de Castrone but left this teacher because Marchesi wished to train her voice as a contralto. Amy instead became a pupil of Jacques Bouhy in Paris.

In 1901, she gave a concert in London under the patronage of the Prince and Princess of Wales. In 1902, she returned to Australia, where she gave 40 concerts as part of a tour arranged by the impresario J.C. Williamson. From 1904 to 1909, she achieved no less brilliant success in Europe, performing in concert halls in England and Germany, but above all in Holland, where she sang in several court concerts before Queen Wilhelmina.

In 1908, the great tenor Enrico Caruso heard her perform at the Kursaal in Ostend and was so enthusiastic that he hosted a reception for the young artist. In Germany, she appeared in Munich, Cologne, Dortmund, Dresden, Frankfurt am Main, Mannheim, Mainz, and Leipzig. From 1909 to 1910, she undertook another major concert tour of her native Australia. During this time, she was engaged by the Williamson Opera Company and appeared with the company for a season in Australia, where she was celebrated as Mimi in La Bohème, Nedda in Pagliacci, Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana, but above all as Butterfly. (After a performance in this role, the Australian Prime Minister presented her with a diamond-studded butterfly.)

In 1911, she gave twenty concerts in New Zealand, then came to London, and in 1912 was engaged by the Vienna Court Opera with a six-year contract. At the outbreak of the First World War, however, she left Vienna and returned to Australia. After completing another concert tour there, she traveled to the USA in 1916 and gave a very successful concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1917.

In 1919, she returned to Australia to take part in a tour with the Slapoffski Opera Company in 1920. She subsequently appeared there as a concert soloist, returned to the USA one last time in 1930, and then remained in Australia, where she gave her final performances in 1941.

She died after a long illness.

Her recordings were issued by G&T as early as 1906–1908, including a brilliantly performed aria “Bel raggio lusinghier” from Semiramide by Rossini, Gilda’s aria from Rigoletto, and songs that could be classified as sophisticated entertainment music. Four Lyrophone recordings were made in the USA in 1917, and Columbia records were produced in Australia in 1926. Electronic recordings of her voice are said to have been made in Australia around 1930.

TRACKLIST

By the Waters of Minnetonka (Lieurance) 0575 WR142 Columbia, Australia 1926-11-18

Four-leafed clover (Willeby) (piano Willeby) 03160 3186f Gramophone, London 1909-06-28

Jocelyn (Godard) Angels guard thee 3740 10019b G&T, London 1907-02-14

My little Violet (Willeby) 03160 3186f Gramophone, London 1909-06-28

Puritani (Bellini) Qui la voce 2-053008 3173f Gramophone, London 1909-06-25

Rigoletto (Verdi) Caro nome 3674 9011b G&T, London 1906-09-18

Semiramide (Rossini) Bel raggio lusinghier 2-053006 3174f Gramophone, London 1909-06-25

Serenade (Gounod) 3654 8579b G&T, London 1906-07-27

The Angel's Serenade (Braga) 3670 9007b G&T, London 1906-09-18

The Perfect Way (Willeby) (piano Willeby) 03158 3177f Gramophone, London 1909-06-25

The Rosary (Nevin) 0575 WR182 Columbia, Australia 1926-12-02

To the Angels (Zardo) 03068 702c G&T, London 1906-07-18

Vêpres Siciliennes (Verdi) Mercè dilette amici 2-053007 3176f Gramophone, London 1909-06-25

Winds in the Trees (Goring Thomas) 3667 9009b G&T, London 1906-09-18

JOSEPH SCHMIDT THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS 6 CDR

JOSEPH SCHMIDT (DAVIDENY, UKRAINE, 4 MARCH, 1904 – GIRENBAD, SWITZERLAND, 16 NOVEMBER, 1942)

Joseph Schmidt was born in 1904, in Davideny, a small town in Austria-Hungary, now a part of Ukraine. Born into a musical family, he showed promise very early, as is so often the case with those who go on to achieve musical greatness. From living in a multi-cultural geographical area, he soon began to acquire more languages than his native German. He was Jewish, and quickly became acquainted with Yiddish and Hebrew. It was natural, therefore, that his first training was in the synagogue. He was presented as a very young man of 20 in his first concert, in Czernowitz, singing a wide variety of Jewish and operatic music. His talent was so evident by that point that he was sent to Berlin to study piano and voice. He was shortly thereafter appointed cantor of the Czernowitz Synagogue.

In 1929 he went back to Berlin, where he was given the opportunity to sing the role, on the radio, of Vasco da Gama in L'Africaine. Normally, this would mark the beginning of an operatic career for most, but Schmidt was an extremely small man, only 4 feet 11 inches tall, hardly bigger than a young boy. This of course made a stage career impossible. For that reason, his world of opportunity was to be found in radio, recordings (of which he made a significant number), the concert stage, and movies, where clever photography made it possible for him to appear more normal in appearance. (Similar, in modern times, to the career adjustments forced upon Alan Ladd and Dudley Moore, for the same reason.)

The tragedy in the Joseph Schmidt story derives from the time and place of his birth. His artistic rise was during Germany's darkest hour, the rise of the Nazis. Even though extremely popular in Germany, the rise of the barbarians soon made it impossible for him to work there. His popularity in other countries seemed, I suppose, to be sufficient compensation for the German turn of events, and he stayed in Europe longer than he should have. He was touring in the United States as late as 1937, and had he stayed here, the horror of his last days would have been prevented. It is so easy in hindsight to see these things, but it is unfair. I know many Jews who lived through that era, and the stories I have heard always point up the fact that most just didn't know how bad it was going to get. Most thought it to be probably for a limited period, something like the pogroms that had historically erupted in Europe. We cannot impose upon them a foresight that few possessed. Also, not everyone had the money or the opportunity to get out. The end of the Schmidt story is painful to recount, and easily consulted, if one has the stomach for it. To be brief: in 1939, he was caught in France by the German invasion, tried to escape to the US but didn't get any further than just across the Swiss border. Interned in a refugee camp near Zurich, he was extremely poorly cared for and died in 1942. He was 38 years old.

TRACKLIST

Africaine (Meyerbeer) Land so wunderbar EG1698 BNR829-1 HMV, Berlin 1929-11-06

Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) Abschied von der Mutter E372 (0)30407Z UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1930-01-15

Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni) O Lola E372 30293Z UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1929-09-27

Die drei Musketiere (Benatzky) Wenn du treulos bist EG1721 (60-732) BLR5930-1 HMV, Berlin 1930-01-09

Drei Tage schon (Nina) (Ciampi, attr. Pergolesi) E373 (0)30423Z UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1930-02-12

El trust de los tenorios (Serrano) Española EG1721 (60-733) BLR5931-1 HMV, Berlin 1930-01-09

La Paloma (Yradier) A614 15165 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1930-09-10

Land des Lächelns (Lehár) Dein ist mein ganzes Herz A242 10378-I UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1929-10-22

Land des Lächelns (Lehár) Immer nur lächeln A242 10388 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1929-10-24

Land des Lächelns (Lehár) Von Apfelblüten einen Kranz E247 30354Z UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1929-10-24

Land des Lächelns (Lehár) Wer hat die Liebe (w. Eisinger) E247 30353Z UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1929-10-22

Marechiare (Tosti) (mx 15116-II) A575 15216 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1930-09-18

Marechiare (Tosti) A575 15116 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1930-08-29

Martha (Flotow) Ach so fromm EG1698 (60-722) BLR5591-1 HMV, Berlin 1929-09-06

Mattinata (Leoncavallo) A314 10559 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1929-12-10

Meine Sonne! (di Capua) A614 15164 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1930-09-10

Tosca (Puccini) Nur deinetwegen wollt' ich nicht sterben (Amaro sol per te) (w. Ljungberg) EJ468 (2-044069) CLR5422-2 HMV, Berlin 1929-05-28

Tosca (Puccini) Und es blitzten die Sterne B119 10070-I UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1929-08-16

Tosca (Puccini) Wie sich die Bilder gleichen B119 10069 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1929-08-16

Trovatore (Verdi) Einsam steh' ich und verlassen EG1835 (60-918) BLR6082-2 HMV, Berlin 1930-02-19

Trovatore (Verdi) Lodern zum Himmel (w. chorus) EG1835 (60-919) BLR6083-2 HMV, Berlin 1930-02-19

Verbotener Gesang (Gastaldon) A575 15117 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1930-08-29

Vorrei morire (Tosti) A314 10558 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1929-12-10

Zigeunerlied (Bürger) E373 (0)30422Z UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1930-02-12

Ballo in maschera (Verdi) Doch heißt dich auch ein Pflichtgebot E978 (0)17043 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1931-06-15

Canzonetta (Film Der Liebesexpreß ()) (Niederberger) A724 15437 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1930-10

Das Zauberlied (Meyer-Helmund) A979 16856 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1931-05-12

Der Emigrant (Über's Meer möcht' ich flieh'n) (Knauer) A1040 16999 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1931-0506

Der Emigrant (Über's Meer möcht' ich flieh'n) (Knauer) A1062 18246 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1932-02-19

Der Favorit (Stolz) Du sollst der Kaiser meiner Seele sein A979 16857-I UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1931-05-12

Der Liebesexpreß (Niederberger) Das alte Wort Ich liebe Dich! A764 15901-I UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1930-12

Der Liebesexpreß (Niederberger) Tausendmal Du! A724 15849 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1930-11

Elisir d'amore (Donizetti) Heimlich aus ihrem Auge (Una furtiva) E855 (0)16497 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1931-03-23

Heimatland (Kistenmacher) A1062 18245 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1932-02-19

Juive (Halévy) Recha, als Gott dich einst zur Tochter mir gegeben E978 (0)17042Z UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1931-06-15

Liebling, nach dem Tango vergiß mich! (Hans Georg) A764 15971-I UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1930-12

Lolita (Buzzi-Peccia) A939 16842 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1931-05-08

Mal d'amore (Buzzi-Peccia) A939 16841 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1931-05-08

Nacht (Strauss) Launisches Glück B48154 133438 1001 Parlophon, Berlin 1932-02-18

Prodana Nevesta (Smetana) Komm, mein Söhnchen... Einer sorgt und sinnt (w. Bohnen) F626, F626, (0)15300Z, (0)15301-IZ UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1930-09-25

Rigoletto (Verdi) Ach wie so trügerisch (La donna è mobile) A779 15913-I UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1930-12-08

Rigoletto (Verdi) Freundlich blick' ich (Questa o quella) 15912 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1930-12-08

Rigoletto (Verdi) Freundlich blick' ich (Questa o quella) A779 16223 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1931-02-12

Traviata (Verdi) Ach ihres Auges Zauberblick (Dei miei ...) A998 17038 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1931-06-15

Trovatore (Verdi) Daß nur für mich dein Herz erbebt A998 17039 UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1931-06-15

Zauberflöte (Mozart) Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön E855 (0)16496-IZ UltraphonTelefunken, Berlin 1931-03-23

Zigeunerbaron (Strauss) Ja, das alles auf Ehr' (w. chorus) B48154 133439 Parlophon, Berlin 1932-02-18

Addio (Tosti) B48802 133547-2 Parlophon, Berlin 1932-06-23

Bohème (Puccini) Kokett ist dieses Mädchen B48185 133486-2 Parlophon, Berlin 1932-03-31

Bohème (Puccini) Wie eiskalt ist dies Händchen B48185 133485 Parlophon, Berlin 1932-03-31

Buona notte, schöne Signorina (Niederberger) B48804 133616 Parlophon, Berlin 1932-09-22

Cid (Massenet) Ach! Alles sinkt hinab (Gebet) B48803 133602(-1A) Parlophon, Berlin 1932-09-01

Einmal glaubt' ich an deine Liebe (Lewinnek) B48806 133681 Parlophon, Berlin 1932-11-25

Eugen Onegin (Tchaikovsky) Wohin, wohin seid ihr entschwunden... Wirst schöne Maid du Tränen B48801, B48801, 133573, 133574 Parlophon, Berlin 1932-06-13

Fanciulla del West (Puccini) Lasset sie glauben B48809 133723-3 Parlophon, Berlin 1933-02-17

Fanciulla del West (Puccini) Nun sind es sechs Monat', daß mein Vater tot ist B48809 133745 Parlophon, Berlin 1933-02-17

Heute Nacht oder nie (Film Das Lied einer Nacht) (Spolianski) B48800 133539 Parlophon, Berlin 1932-05-31

In deinen Augen les' ich ein Märchen (Niederberger) B48804 133615 Parlophon, Berlin 1932-09-22

La Danza (Rossini) B48802 133588-2 Parlophon, Berlin 1932-06-23

L'Ariatella (Biscardi) B48805 133649-2 Parlophon, Berlin 1932-11-11

Manon (Massenet) Flieh', o flieh' B48803 133576-2 Parlophon, Berlin 1932-09-01

Mattinata (Leoncavallo) B48807 133715 Parlophon, Berlin 1933-01-18

Nun mi scetà (Melodia) (Tagliaferri) B48189 133506 Parlophon, Berlin 1932-04-22

Nur dir will ich gehören (Wilczynski) B48800 133540 Parlophon, Berlin 1932-05-26

Piscatore è pusilleco (Barcarolla) (Tagliaferri) B48189 133505 Parlophon, Berlin 1932-04-22

Santa Lucia (Cottrau) B48807 133716 Parlophon, Berlin 1933-01-18

Tosca (Puccini) E lucevan le stelle B48808 133718 Parlophon, Berlin 1933-01-06

Tosca (Puccini) Recondita armonia B48808 133717 Parlophon, Berlin 1933-01-06

Voga, Voga (Serenata) (Labriola) B48805 133648-2 Parlophon, Berlin 1932-11-11

Warum gehst du vorbei an mir (Niederberger) B48806 133680 Parlophon, Berlin 1932-11-25

Africaine (Meyerbeer) Land so wunderbar B48813 133784 Parlophon, Berlin 1933-05-17

Alessandro Stradella (Flotow) Wie freundlich strahlt der tag... Jungfrau Maria B11252 85240-2(A) Parlophon, Wien 1934-02

Der Page des Königs (Goetze) was wär' mein Lied B48810 133753 Parlophon, Berlin 1933-03-10

Ein Lied geht um die Welt (Film Ein Lied geht um die Welt) (May) B48812 133777 Parlophon, Berlin 1933-05-02

Elisir d'amore (Donizetti) Una furtiva lagrima B11251 85245-1 Parlophon, Wien 1934-12-15

Evangelimann (Kienzl) Selig sind, die Verfolgung leiden B48811 133755 Parlophon, Berlin 1933-03-15

Frag' nicht (Film Ein Lied geht um die Welt) (May) B48812 133776 Parlophon, Berlin 1933-05-02

Il est un chant d'amour (Ein Lied geht um die Welt) (May) Odeon 166968 128504 1933-05-17

La paloma (Yradier) (copied 1934-12-04 as 85235-o) B48814 85235-1 Parlophon, Wien 1933-11

La Vallière (von Mory) Ja, du allein B48810 133752 Parlophon, Berlin 1933-03-15

Lisetta (film Wenn du jung bist, gehört dir die Welt) (May) (w. chorus) B11253 85242-3 Parlophon, Wien 1934-03

Lisetta (Film Wenn du jung bist, gehört dir die Welt) (May) B11251 85238-1 Parlophon, Wien 1934-01

Martha (Flotow) Ach so fromm B48815 85241-1 Parlophon, Wien 1934-02

My song goes round the world (Film My song goes round the world) (May) A6037 CE6556-2 Parlophone, London 1934-06-28

Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt (Film Wenn du jung bist, gehört dir die Welt) (May) B11251 85236-2 Parlophon, Wien 1934-01

O sole mio (di Capua) (copied 1934-12-04 as 85234-o) B48814 85234-1 Parlophon, Wien 1933-11

One life, one love (Film My song goes round the world) (May) A6037 CE6557-2 Parlophone, London 1934-06-28

Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Jetzt spielen... Lache Bajazzo B48811 133767 Parlophon, Berlin 1933-04-24

Penso (Tosti) A3731 133785 Parlophon, Berlin 1933-05-17

Rigoletto (Verdi) La donna è mobile R1891 CE6555-2 Parlophone, London 1934-06-28

Tiritomba (film Wenn du jung bist, gehört dir die Welt) (May) (w. chorus) B11253 85243-3 Parlophon, Wien 1934-03

Tiritomba (Film Wenn du jung bist, gehört dir die Welt) (May) B11250 85239-2 Parlophon, Wien 1934-01

Trovatore (Verdi) Di quella pira (w. chorus) R1891 CE6558-1 Parlophone, London 1934-06-29

Turandot (Puccini) Nessun dorma (w. chorus) R2098 CE6560-2 Parlophone, London 1934-06-29

Turandot (Puccini) Non piangere, Liù (w. chorus) R2098 CE6559-1 Parlophone, London 1934-06-29

Wenn du jung bist - Walzerlied (Film Wenn du jung bist, gehört dir die Welt) (May) B11250 85237-1 Parlophon, Wien 1934-01

A star fell from heaven (Film A star fell from heaven) (may) R2248 CE7685-2 Parlophone, London 1936-06-11

Die Liebe siegt (Film Heut' ist der schönste Tag in meinem Leben) B48823 85257-1 Parlophon, Wien 1935-09

Don Cesar (Dellinger) Komm herab, o Madonna Theresa (w. chorus) B49458 85274-2 Parlophon, Wien 1936-05

Du bist die Welt für mich (Film Der singende Traum) (Tauber) B48821 85253-3 Parlophon, Wien 1935-03-11

Ein Stern fällt vom Himmel (Film Ein Stern fällt vom Himmel) (May) (w. chorus) B11259 85248-2 Parlophon, Wien 1934-12-15

Eine Laute mit verblasstem Band (Altmann) B17999 85314-2 Parlophon, Wien 1937-08-27

Es wird im Leben, dir mehr genommen als gegeben (Film Heut' ist der schönste Tag in meinem Leben) (May) B48823 85256-1 Parlophon, Wien 1935-09

Funiculì, funiculà (Denza) (w. chorus) B49484 85276-2 Parlophon, Wien 1936-05

Het vissersmeisje (O marenariello) (Gambardella) (w. chorus) B17991 85311-2 Parlophon, Wien 1937-08-27

Heut' ist der schönste Tag in meinem Leben (Film Heut' ist der schönste tag in meinem Leben) (May) B48822 85254-1 Parlophon, Wien 1935-09

Ich singe dir in Liebeslied (Film Ein Stern fällt vom Himmel) (May) B11257 85244-2 Parlophon, Wien 1934-12-15

Ik hou van Holland (Schootemeyer) B17991 85312-2 Parlophon, Wien 1937-08-27

I'll sing a song of love to you (Film A star fell from heaven) (May) R2248 CE7684-1 Parlophone, London 1936-06-11

I'm happy when it's raining (Film A star fell from heaven) (May) R2249 CE7683-2 Parlophone, London 1936-06-11

Liebe kleine Frau, ich muß dir was gesteh'n (Ernst) B48824 85259-1 Parlophon, Wien 1936-01

Lolita (Buzzi-Peccia) B17999 85313-2 Parlophon, Wien 1937-08-27

Mandulinata a Napule (Film Ein Stern fällt vom Himmel) (Tagliaferri) B11259 85247-2 Parlophon, Wien 1934-12-15

Maria, Mari! (di Capua) B49484 85275-2 Parlophon, Wien 1936-05

Postillon de Longjumeau (Adam) Freunde, vernehmet die Geschichte B49458 85272-2 Parlophon, Wien 1936-05

Simplicius-Walzer (Film Heut ist der schönste Tag in meinem Leben) (Strauss, arr May) B48822 85255-1 Parlophon, Wien 1935-09

Ständchen (Schubert) B49467 85262-2 Parlophon, Wien 1936-05

Tarantella sincera (de Crescenzo) (w. chorus) B11258 85249-2 Parlophon, Wien 1934-12-15

Ungeduld (Schubert) B49467 85263-3 Parlophon, Wien 1936-05

Weisst du was schön wär (Tauber) B48821 85252-1 Parlophon, Wien 1935-03-11

Wenn beim Wein ein Walzer klingt (Film Ein Stern fällt vom Himmel) (May) B11257 85246-1 Parlophon, Wien 1934-12-15

Wenn der alte Brunnen rauscht (Altmann) B48824 85258-1 Parlophon, Wien 1936-01

Wiener Bonbons (Strauss) Heute Nacht (Walzerlied) B35709 85277-2 Parlophon, Wien 1936-05

Zigeunerliebe (Lehár) Ich bin ein Zigeunerkind B35709 85273-2 Parlophon, Wien 1936-05

Jul 6, 2025

BELGIAN TENOR PAUL GOFFIN (1885-1947) CDR

PAUL GOFFIN (TAMINES, 31 JANUARY, 1885 –TAMINES, 17 JANUARY, 1947)

Probably he made his debut in Belgium, then went to France and with success appeared at the Paris Grand Opéra.

Chronology of some appearances

1919 Paris Grand Opéra Faust

1919 Paris Grand Opéra Roméo et Juliette

1920 Paris Grand Opéra Goyescas

1921 Paris Grand Opéra Ascanio

1921 Paris Grand Opéra Aida

1921 Paris Grand Opéra Rigoletto

1922 Paris Grand Opéra 1922 Henry VIII

1922 Paris Grand Opéra Die Walküre

1922 Paris Grand Opéra Lohengrin

1922 Paris Grand Opéra Hérodiade

1923 Paris Grand Opéra Kovanshchina

TRACKLIST

Paul Goffin made 8 recordings (Pathé, Paris 1920/1921)

Aida (Verdi) O céleste Aida 0309 Pathé, Paris 1920/1921

Faust (Gounod) Cavatine 3202 0309 Pathé, Paris 1920/1921

Hérodiade (Massenet) Air de Jean 0325 3515 Pathé, Paris 1920/1921

Pagliacci (Leoncavallo) Pauvre Paillasse 0325 Pathé, Paris 1920/1921

AMERICAN SOPRANO HELENE NOLDI (1874-1962) CDR

HELENE NOLDI-ALBERTI (CHICAGO FEBRUARY 25, 1874 - LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA AUGUST 9, 1962)

Born Helen Russell Ulrich, Noldi is credited with having studied with Mathilde Marchesi. She made her American debut in Chicago in 1897, appearing in concert at the Central Music Hall, where she was cordially received and recalled a number of times.

Active in the early 1900s, Noldi appeared with her husband, baritone Achille Alberti, as a soloist with Victor Herbert’s Orchestra in 1905. Two years earlier, they had performed at the opening of the Columbia Club, at 127th Street and Fifth Avenue in New York, together with violinist Michael Banner and an orchestra conducted by Gustav Hinrichs. The hall had been specially designed with acoustic properties in mind for musical entertainments, and the result was regarded as a triumph.

In opera, Noldi was first engaged by Sofia Scalchi for her touring company and later by Eugenia Mantelli’s troupe. She also appeared with the Castle Square Opera in Boston and in England in 1910, under the baton of Henry Wood.

She appeared at the Metropolitan Opera during the 1905–06 season, replacing Lillian Nordica as Leonora in Il Trovatore and performing on a Sunday Night Concert, where she sang an unidentified selection. On that occasion, she shared the stage with violinist Henri Marteau, bass Pol Plançon, contralto Louise Homer, and conductor Nathan Franko.

Later, she and her husband taught in California.

TRACKLIST

Helene Noldi made 5 recordings (Victor, 1907)

Faust (Gounod) Jewel song 5356 B4945-2 Victor, 1907-11-21

Lustige Witwe (Lehár) Vilia song 31688 B4929-3 Victor, 1907-11-14

Stabat Mater (Rossini) Inflammatus 31694 C4943-2 Victor, 1907-11-21

The last rose of summer (Moore) 5264 B4660-3 Victor, 1907-07-12

FRENCH TENOR HECTOR DUPEYRON (1861-1911) CDR

HECTOR DUPEYRON (BORDEAUX, 10 NOVEMBER, 1861 – PARIS, JULY, 1911)

He received his education at the Paris Conservatory under Boulanger and Obin. In 1887, he made his stage debut at the theatre of Nîmes as Eléazar in Halévy’s La Juive. He remained active at this house for two years, until 1889, and then undertook guest performances on French stages and tours with traveling opera companies, which led him, among other places, to Athens in 1889.

In the 1890–92 seasons, he was engaged by the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, followed by an engagement at the Grand Opéra in Paris. There, his first role was Matho in Reyer’s Salammbô. Until 1895, he appeared at the Grand Opéra in Robert le Diable, Les Huguenots, Lohengrin, La Walkyrie, Sigurd, Samson et Dalila, Otello, and Tannhäuser (1895).

In 1893, he guested at the opera house of Monte Carlo as Don José in Carmen, and in 1903 he appeared there in the premiere of Eugène d’Harcourt’s opera Le Tasse. In 1897, he sang at Covent Garden in London.

From 1906 onward, he worked as a pedagogue in Paris.

Chronology of some appearances

1897 Torino Teatro Regio Tristano e Isotta (Tristano)

1897 Lisbona Teatro San Carlos (Otello)

1898 Lisbona Teatro San Carlos Trovatore (Manrico)

TRACKLIST

Faust (Gounod) Salut ô mon dernier matin 160 Pathé cylinders, Paris 1902?

Juive (Halévy) Dieu m’éclaire 36018 Odéon, Paris 19056

Juive (Halevy) Rachel, quand du Seigneur 158 Pathé cylinders, Paris 1902?

Les huguenots (Meyerbeer) Plus blanche que la blanche hermine 134 Pathé cylinders, Paris 1902?

Jul 5, 2025

CROATIAN BARITONE BOGDAN VULAKOVIĆ (1862-1919) CDR

Figaro

BOGDAN VULAKOVIĆ (VELIKA GORICA, 10 SEPTEMBER, 1862 – ZAGREB, 25 FEBRUARY, 1919)

Bogdan Vulaković was born on 10 September 1862 in Velika Gorica. He studied singing at the school of the Croatian Music Institute in Zagreb with Ivan pl. Zajc. He was engaged at the Opera in the 1888/1889 season, and it is clear that he had already become a respected member when, on 31 May 1889, he participated in the final concert of its first period of activity, where he performed an aria from Gomes’s Il Guarany.

He then went to Vienna to continue his vocal studies at the Conservatory under Joseph Gänsbacher. When he gave a concert in Zagreb in January 1890, the newspaper Hrvatska on 17 January 1890 described him as “a former member of our Opera who, after its dissolution, was forced to go to Vienna to further perfect his singing at the Conservatory there,” adding that “we were truly astonished by the beauty of his voice.”

In Prosvjeta in 1893, it is recorded that as “a graduate of the Vienna Conservatory, he was engaged in Graz from the autumn of 1893, together with pl. Šanta, who came from Darmstadt, and Micika Freudenreich.”

In April 1896, Vulaković appeared as a guest performer in Il Trovatore, Aida, Faust, and Rigoletto. At that time, the principal baritone engaged was the Czech Emanuel Kroupa, whom Miletić held in high esteem and around whom he built much of the repertoire. After Vulaković’s appearance in the first performance of Aida in the new theatre building on 20 April 1896, Hrvatska domovina wrote on 21 April 1896 that his Amonasro had “a very pleasant voice, not especially powerful, but flexible and soft.”

Upon entering permanent engagement, Vulaković took over nearly all the leading baritone roles in the active repertoire, both in the Croatian premieres of works by foreign composers and in the world premieres of operas by Croatian composers. He sang the role of Kocelin in the premiere of Porin on 2 October 1897, and as Miletić writes in the second volume of Hrvatsko glumište, “he put much effort into the rather thankless role of Kocelin, and his fine voice resounded brightly in the great finale of the last act.”

He also appeared as Pizarro in the first Croatian performance of Beethoven’s Fidelio in 1898, with Milka Trnina in the title role. Critics praised his “beautiful, bright, and strong voice” and his “expressive and passionate acting.”

Nevertheless, a beautiful voice and fitting stage presence could not make up for Vulaković’s main shortcoming—insufficient musicality. Thus, in Agramer Zeitung on 26 May 1897, in a review of Lohengrin, in which Lili Lejo appeared as a guest and Vulaković sang Telramund, it was noted that “he still only knows the first act,” and to make matters worse, the bulk of the role is in the second act. In the same year, about his Eugene Onegin, it was written: “a fine baritone, without musicality,” while Miletić nevertheless stated that he was “an excellent Onegin.”

Be that as it may, Vulaković was one of the pillars of the repertoire during the second organized period of the Zagreb Opera’s activity, and continued to be so in the third period, singing the baritone roles that were not taken by Marko Vušković or performing in revivals when Vušković had sung the premieres.

He performed about fifty leading roles—he sang little else—including Nikola Šubić Zrinjski, Tonio in Pagliacci, Alfio in Cavalleria rusticana, Renato in Un ballo in maschera, William Tell, Iago in Otello.

When the Opera again ceased operations in 1902, he went to Olomouc, then to Aachen, and in 1908 to Ljubljana, from where he returned to Zagreb in 1910.

In Ljubljana in 1908, he sang Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Samson in Samson et Dalila, and Escamillo in Carmen in their first Slovenian performances, as well as Nikola Šubić Zrinjski. In 1909, he was the first Slovenian Albert in Werther, and also performed as Eugene Onegin.

In Zagreb, he appeared as Dako in the premiere of Povratak by Josip Hatze in March 1911 and sang Figaro in The Barber of Seville.

In his autobiography My Life’s Journey, Marko Vušković, who was engaged in 1909 as the principal baritone, remembered him in this way:

“The heroic baritone Vulaković, my predecessor in Zagreb, achieved great successes in Germany with his velvety voice. I first heard him in Aachen. I respected him greatly and very much enjoyed his company.”

Bogdan Vulaković apparently had delicate nerves, as he frequently came into conflict with the theatre management. In a petition sent on 12 March 1900 to director Ivo Hreljanović, preserved at the Institute for the History of Croatian Literature, Theatre, and Music in Zagreb, he requested “dismissal because he could not endure under such circumstances.”

His nervous state worsened when his voice began to deteriorate, and he therefore turned to acting in drama.

In 1914, he participated in the premiere of the play Kletva (The Curse), which Marija Jurić Zagorka had written based on Šenoa’s novel of the same name.

After the death of his wife, Vulaković, overcome by grief and in a complete nervous breakdown, took his own life.

He died in Zagreb on 25 February 1919.

TRACKLIST

Blago blago, duet, narodna pjesma (w. Horvat) 21187 Odeon

Maričon (Albini) Valčík Grenadieux 75803 669-01219-e Favorite, Zagreb

Misli moje od Vj. Klaića (w. Cammarota, Huzek & Lesić) C.-2-13179 4318r Gramophone, Zagreb

Napitnica od M. Mayera pjeva (w. Cammarota, Huzek & Lesić) C.-2-13180 4320r Gramophone, Zagreb

Prvi Cjelov G. C.-4-12818 65201 Gramophone, Zagreb

Ustaj davorija od Zajca G. C. 5-12808 Gramophone, Zagreb

Zrinjski (I Zajca) Romanca G. C.-4-12817 55181 Gramophone, Zagreb