Forgotten Opera Singers

Forgotten Opera Singers

Jan 30, 2015

Rūdolfs Tunce (Tunze) (Tenor) (Latvia ? 1892 - Latvia ? 1963)


                                                                    Faust

Rodolfo

                                                                 Lensky

                                                                    Duke

In the 1920-1930's he appeared at the Latvian National Opera in Riga. His repertoire included the title role in ''Faust'', Rodolfo in ''La Boheme'', Pinkerton in ''Madama Butterfly'', Lensky in ''Eugene Onegin'', Duke in ''Rigoletto''.

Chronology of some appearances

1920-1930's Riga Latvian National Opera

RECORDINGS FOR SALE








Metropol
Pagliacci (Leoncavallo): Vesti la giubba 176
Eugen Onegin (Tchaikovsky): Aria 154

Vox
The Queen of Spades (Tchaikovsky): Duet with Dagmara Rozenberg 4066  209D

Leone Fischer-Ferry (Tenor) (? - Riga 1941)

He was of Jewish origin. He studied singing in Italy under Giovanni Battista Lamperti and appeared at the Berlin Opera.

Chronology of appearance

Berlin Opera

RECORDINGS FOR SALE








Beka, Berlin, early 1911 with Orchestra
Aida (Verdi): Holde Aida (Celeste Aida) 13440  B.3660

Beka, Berlin, early 1911 with Orchestra
Eugen Onegin (Tchaikovsky): Whither, whither have you gone 13457
Carmen (Bizet): La fleur que tu m’avais jetée 13455

Anker, Berlin, late 1919 with Piano Felix Günther
Pagliacci (Leoncavallo): Lache, Bajazzo (Ridi, Pagliacco) 2552
Tosca (Puccini): Und es blitzten die Sterne (È lucevan le stelle) 2554
Tosca (Puccini): Wie sich die Bilder gleichen (Recondita armonia) 2555 



















Antonio Laffi (Baritone) (Vergato di Bologna 1887 - Milano 1982)



He was trained by the pedagogue Villa in Naples. In 1911 he made his debut at the Teatro Quirino in Rome as De Siriex in ‘’Fedora’’of  U. Giordano. During the 1920’s he had a significant career at the famous opera houses of Parma, Genoa, Florence, Naples, Turin and Bologna. He also appeared at the Teatro Alla Scala in Milano. In 1924 he took part in an Australia tour with an opera troop which famous prima donna Nellie Melba had put together. He spent his old age in the Casa di riposo Verdi in Milan.

Chronology of some appearances

1911 Roma Teatro Quirino Fedora (De Siriex)
1913 Vicenza   Teatro Verdi Lucia di Lammermoor (Enrico)
1919 Torino Teatro Scribe Trovatore (Conte)
1922 Piacenza Teatro Municipale Wally (Pedone)
1925 Bergamo Teatro Donizetti Boheme (Schaunard)
1928 Milano Teatro alla Scala Andrea Chenier (Roucher)
1931 Reggio Emilia Politeama Ariosto Lucia di Lammermoor (Enrico)
1936 Milano Teatro Lirico Il Piccolo Marat (Soldato)
1939 Brescia Teatro Grande Hansel e Gretel (Pietro)
1942 Catania Teatro Bellini Boheme (Schaunard)

RECORDINGS FOR SALE








Fonotipia, Milano 1928-01-17
Gioconda (Ponchielli): O monumento 120116 XXPh6120

Fonotipia, Milano 1928-03-22
Rigoletto (Verdi): Cortigiani, vil razza dannata  120155 XXPh6219

Fonotipia, Milano 1928-05-29
Carmen (Bizet): Con voi ber 120155 XXPh6290




Edmond Tirmont (Tenor) (Abbeville 1883 – Paris 1985)




He was a pupil of the  Paris Conservatoire and began his career as as an operetta singer before 1910. In 1912 he appeared at the Paris Scala in Leo Fall's ''Dollar princess''. In 1913 he joined to the Opéra-Comique in Paris. In 1914 he appeared at the Opéra-Comique in the title role of the biblical opera ''Joseph'' of Méhul. In 1913 he sang at the Théâtre of the Champs Elysées in Paris the role of Dimitri in ''Boris Godunov'' with Eugenio Giraldoni in the title part. His career stretched till the 1930's and still in 1932 he appeared in Amsterdam in J. Offenbach's "Les Contes d'Hoffmann".

Chronology of some appearances

1912 Paris Scala
1913 Paris Théâtre of the Champs Elysées
1914 Paris Opéra-Comique

RECORDINGS FOR SALE








Gramophone, Paris 1911-07-08
Fille du Tambour-Major (Offenbach): C'est un billet de logement with Régis, Dupouy & Payan 34284 16532u

Gramophone, Paris 1911-07-13
Mireille (Gounod): O Magali with Martyl 034106 01992v

Gramophone, Paris 1912-05-03
Robert le diable (Meyerbeer): Ah, l'honnête homme with P. Payan 034130 02385v

Gramophone, Paris 1912-05-22
Madame Sherry (Hoschna): Je n'sais comment 0232189 02442v

Gramophone, Paris 1912-06-13
Je vous aime... et j'en meurs (Dickson) 0232192 02462v

Gramophone, Paris 1912-06-25
Valse d'un jour (Fragson-Christiné) 0232193 02476½v

Charles Richard (Tenor) (Paris 1901 – Paris 1960)

                                                                Cavaradossi

The child of American parents, Charles Richard grew up in England and after brief voice training began singing in variety in France. He then turned to operetta and eventually moved into opera at the end of the 1930's. He appeared in various houses in the French provinces, sang from 1943 to 1945 at the Opera in Marseille and in 1945 was invited to the Opéra-Comique in Paris, where his debut was as des Grieux in Massenet's ''Manon''. He remained one of the leading tenors in the house until 1956, specializing in the French and Italian repertoire including Vincent in ''Mireille'', Wilhelm Meister in ''Mignon'', Gérald in ''Lakmé'', Jean in ''Le jongleur de Notre Dame'', Alfredo in ''La traviata'', Rodolfo in ''La bohème'', Pinkerton, Cavaradossi, and the title rôle in ''Werther''. He continued to make guest appearances, including the Opera at Monte Carlo in 1947 (as Nicias in Massenet's Thaïs), in 1950-51 at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, and also in the major houses in the French provinces. He frequently took part in opera productions on French radio.

Chronology of some appearances

1943-1945 Marseille Opera
1947 Monte Carlo Opera
1945-1956 Paris Opéra-Comique
1950-1951 Brussels Théâtre de la Monnaie

RECORDINGS FOR SALE 








Columbia, 1930-04-24
Contes d'Hoffmann (Offenbach): Scintille diamant RFX10 WLBX1

HMV, Paris 1944-05-11 
Mignon (Thomas): Adieu Mignon DB11119 2LA4283
Mignon (Thomas): Elle ne croyait pas DB11119 2LA4284
Mireille (Gounod): Anges du paradis   

Edison Bell
Un soir de réveillon (Moretti): Ninon (ne me dites pas non) FS 1151 PR 612

Ion Băjenaru (Tenor) (Căciulați, Ontario 1863 - Bucharest 1921)



After graduating from the Bucharest Conservatory, where he was a pupil of Gh Stephănescu, he received immediate engagements by the various operetta companies where, due to his exceptional vocal qualities and artistic stage talent, enjoyed a great success. Then he went to Italy, to supplement the theoretical studies and vocal technique, obtained an engagement at La Scala in Milan. Sang at the San Carlo in Naples, but mostly at the State Opera in Vienna.

Chronology of some appearances

1886-1887 Bucharest Nazionale (-)
1898 Bucarest Lirico Aida (Radames)
1904 Bucarest Nazionale Lohengrin (Lohengrin)

RECORDING FOR SALE








Gramophone, Bucharest 1903
Dormi in pace 12553

Ifor Thomas (Tenor) (Pentraeth, Anglesey 1892 - New York 1956)



In 1895 he went to Pentraeth Board School and at the age of 13 became a carpenter with Huw Parry of Pentraeth. He won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music in London in 1914. He met his wife, Ceridwen, and they moved to Milan, Italy; he sang in the opera houses of Milan, Nice and Monte Carlo. In 1928 he joined the Metropolitan Quartet in New York, USA, with Frances Alda. He worked with the Radio Atwater Kent Company and he sang in two Newark Music Festivals. He recorded several operas for HMV. When his musical career ended in 1933 he became a photographer for Collier's Magazine, his subjects over the next 15 years including Frank Sinatra, Ingrid Bergman, Tommy Dorsey and Franklin D. Roosevelt. In the 1940s he took up painting and exhibited in London, New York and a number of colleges in the United States, signing his work as Ifor o Fôn. A patriotic Welshman, he founded the Cymric Society of New York in 1945. Mildred Unfried was his second wife.

Chronology of some appearances

1925 Milano Teatro Alla Scala
1927 Paris Grand Opera
1928 Philadelphia Opera Company

RECORDING FOR SALE








I wish to thank John Thomas for providing me this record

Duophone, London 1925
Pagliacci (Leoncavallo): Vesti la giubba GS 7003 DC 7425

Gustav Walter (Tenor) ( Bilin/Bílina, Czech Republic 1834 - Vienna, Austria 1910)




He was a Bohemian operatic tenor who sang leading roles for more than 30 years at the Vienna Staatsoper in Austria. He was a highly regarded interpreter of the vocal music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the lighter tenor roles composed by Richard Wagner. Walther also created the role of Assad in the world premiere of Karl Goldmark's Die Königin von Saba and performed in some Italian and French operas. After retiring from the stage in 1887, Walter toured Europe as a lauded recitalist of lieder, premiering numerous songs by Johannes Brahms and Antonín Dvořák. He became a celebrated pedagogue, teaching voice at the Vienna Conservatory for more than two decades. As a young man, Walter studied violin at the Prague Conservatory. However, under pressure from his parents, he abandoned his musical pursuits and entered the Prague Polytechnic Institute to study engineering. After finishing his studies, he became the engineer for a sugar factory in his hometown of Bílina. He sang part-time in a male quartet in Prague while working as an engineer. His excellent natural voice was discovered by Franz Vogl who immediately offered to become his teacher. For many years, music historians believed he had studied with Johann Friedrich Samuel Johann but recent scholarship has confirmed that his studies were entirely with Vogl. In 1855, in Brno, Walter made his operatic début as a lyric tenor in the role of Edgardo in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. The following year he moved to Austria due to the persuasion of soprano Rosa Czillag. He promptly joined the Vienna Staatsoper, singing there for the next thirty one years in primarily leading roles. His first role with the company was Gomez in Conradin Kreutzer's Das Nachtlager in Granada. Walter became a highly popular Mozart singer and notably performed the role of Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni in 1869 for the opening of the new opera house in Vienna. He also found success in several Wagner roles. He sang Walther von Stolzing in the somewhat ill-fated Viennese première of Wagner's Die Meistersinger (1870), the title role in Lohengrin, and the role of Loge in both Das Rheingold and Die Walküre. In 1875 he origninated the role of Assad in the world premiere of Karl Goldmark's Die Königin von Saba opposite Amalie Materna as the Queen of Sheba. In 1882, he sang Alfonso in Vienna's first performance of Franz Schubert's Alfonso und Estrella. His other notable roles with the company included Manrico in Verdi's Il trovatore (1859), the Duke of Mantua in Verdi's Rigoletto (1860), Riccardo in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera (1866), and Vasco da Gama in Meyerbeer's L'Africaine (1866) among others. Walter also periodically performed in opera houses in Germany and Bohemia. He sang with the Munich Court Opera in 1868, with Oper Frankfurt in numerous operas between 1864–1882, the Wiesbaden Opera House in 1874-75, the opera house in Brno in 1875, and the National Theatre in Prague in 1885. Some of the roles he sang in these houses include Raoul de Nangis in Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots, George Brown in Boïeldieu's La dame blanche, Tamino in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Florestan in Beethoven's Fidelio, and the title role in Gounod's Faust. Walter retired from the stage in 1887, with his last performance being as Wilhelm Meister in Ambroise Thomas's Mignon at the Vienna Staatsoper. He was appointed an honorary member of the Vienna Staatsoper upon his retirement. Walter then embarked on a famous series of lieder recitals throughout Europe, notably premiering several songs by Johannes Brahms and Antonín Dvořák. He had previously sang in the premiere of Brahms' Liebeslieder-Walzer and Dvořák dedicated his Cigánské melodie (Gypsy Songs, 1880) to him. His recital tour took him to London in 1872 and he appeared with the London Philharmonic in a concert of songs by Mozart, Carl Riedel, and Anton Rubinstein. In 1891, Walter performed at the Salzburg Festival for the celebration of the 200th anniversary of Mozart's death. He gave numerous concerts in Munich and Dresden between 1881-1888. One of his last recitals was in Graz in 1897. Although he stopped giving solo recitals in the late 1890s, he continued to perform with others well into the next century and the beauty of his voice remained with him into the latter years of his life. At the age of 71, in 1905, he made three recordings, including one of an aria from Mignon. Although past his prime, "the voice is well preserved and the style both expressive and elegant". Music historians value these discs highly because in addition to their artistic merits, they preserve authentic 19th-century performance practices and singing styles. In addition to performing, Walter spent much of his time teaching after his retirement from the operatic stage. He was a professor of voice at the Vienna Conservatory from 1882 until just a few years before he died in 1910, in Vienna. His children, Raoul Walter (1865–1917) and Minna Walter (1863–1901), were also successful opera singers.

Wikipedia.org

Chronology of some appearances

1855 Brno Opera 
1856-1887 Vienna Staatsoper

RECORDING FOR SALE








Grammophon, Wien, 1904
Am Meer (Schubert) 042097 332i

Wiener Phonogrammarchiv, Wien 1906
Lohengrin (agner): Nun sei bedankt 238

Gustav Rödin (Tenor) (Stockholm 1898 - Stockholm 1949)


He studied singing under Gillis Bratt in Stockholm, after he had appeared first as a ballet dancer. He made his debut in 1922 at the Royal Opera in Stockholm. Then he came to Germany and was engaged by the Städtischen Oper in Berlin. Later he was a member of the Staatsoper in Berlin. Here he sang among other things on 26. 11. 1938 in the premiere of the opera ‘’Peer Gynt’’ by W. Egk, on 28. 1. 1939 in "Die Bürger von Calais" by R.Wagner-Régenys. In 1928 he appeared at the Bayreuth Festival. Since that time he appeared there up to the last festival in the Second World War in 1944, mostly as comprimario. During the long years of his work in Germany he guested regularly in his Swedish native country as well as at the leading German opera houses. In 1945 he returned to Stockholm, where he continued successfully his career, also as a concert and oratorio singer.

Chronology of some appearances

1922-1925 Stockholm Royal Opera
1928 Bayreuth Festival
1938-1939 Berlin Staatsoper

RECORDING FOR SALE








Gramophone, Stockholm 1921-01-24
Fanciulla del West (Puccini): Låt henne tro (Ch'ella mi creda) V96 995Am

Georges Jouatte (Tenor) (Monaco 1892 - Paris 1969)




He was the son of a brewer. To finance his studies, he appeared on stage at the Casino de Paris as a dancer. He completed his singing training in Germany. After he had initially only appeared in the concert hall, Georges Jouatte made his stage debut in 1932 at the Théâtre Mogador in Paris. Retraining as a tenor by Paul Cabanel and Louis Fourestier. In 1934 he came to the Grand Opéra of Paris (inaugural role Charles Gounod's ''Faust''). He had great success at this theater in 1936 as an Italian singer in ''Der Rosenkavalier'' by R. Strauss at a performance in the presence of the composer. At the Grand Opéra he was estimated mainly for his Florestan in ''Fidelio'', Admete in ''Alceste'' by Gluck, Don Ottavio in ''Don Giovanni'', Erik in ''The Flying Dutchman'' (1937), Ulysses in ''Penelope'' by Gabriel Fauré and Armal in ''Gwendoline'' by E. Chabrier. Since 1937, Georges Jouatte was also a member of the Opéra-Comique in Paris, where he introduced himself as Belmonte in ''Entführung aus dem Serail'' and then in Monteverdi's ''Incoronazione di Poppea''. This was followed by tours of the artist in Austria and Italy. At the Covent Garden Opera he was heard in 1937 as Admete in ''Alceste'' by Gluck; at the Salzburg Festival in 1933 and 1936 in concerts; at the Montreux Festival he sang the tenor solo in Verdi's Requiem conducted by Bruno Walter. In 1946, he sang Tamino in ''Die Zauberflote'' in his farewell performance at the Opéra-Comique. At an early stage Georges Jouatte also appeared as an actor in movies; in 1923 in the German film Land ohne Frauen (Country Without Women) starring Brigitte Helm, and Conrad Veidt. Most recently he worked as a teacher in Paris; the major soprano Régine Crespin was his pupil.

Chronology of some appearances

1932 Paris Théâtre Mogador 
1934 Paris Grand Opéra
1937 Paris Opéra-Comique

RECORDINGS FOR SALE








Odeon, Paris 1930/1932
L'Attaque du moulin (Bruneau): Adieux à la forêt  123804
Le Barbier de Séville (Rossini): Des Rayons de l'Aurore 188874 Ki 5568
La Juive (Halevy): Rachel quand du seigneur 188874 Ki 5569

Pathe, Paris 1934/1935
Mandrin (Szulc): Les Yeux des femmes  PA 446 CPT1658

Maurice d'Oisly (Tenor) (1882 - London, England 1949)




He studied piano and singing at London's Royal Academy of Music. In 1909 at Covent Garden he was singing Froh, David, De Cossé (''Gli Ugonotti''), and the Philistine Messenger. In 1910 Thomas Beecham offer him parts in ''Elektra'' and ''L'Enfant Prodigue''. A versatile performer, he was also performed in ''Tristan und Isolde'' and ''Ivanhoe'', singing operas in English, German, and French in fast order. In 1919 he married soprano Rosina Buckman, both of whom performed with Beecham's Opera Company.

Chronology of some appearances

1909-1910 London Covent Garden

RECORDING FOR SALE








Columbia, London 1915?
Rigoletto (Verdi): Fairest daughter of the graces with Buckman, Clegg & Austin L1025 6674
Faust (Gounod): Prison scene with Buckman & Ranalow L1025 6683

Columbia, London 1916?
Traviata (Verdi): Far from the busy throng with Rosina Buckman L1400 6936
Bohème (Puccini): Lovely Maid in the moonlight with Rosina Buckman L1076 6927
Amico Fritz (Mascagni): Cherry duet with Rosina Buckman L1400 6982

HMV, London 1924
Complete Madama Butterfly (Puccini): with Rosina Buckman as Cio-Cio-San

Jan 29, 2015

Max Lipmann (Tenor) (Stolzenau a. Weser 1881 - ?)


He made his debut in 1905 at the Stadttheater in Heilbronn as Max in ‘’Freischütz’’, then appeared as a concert and oratorio singer. He took up his stage career only in 1909 with an engagement at the Stadttheater in Aachen. Afterwards he gave guest performances and appeared among other things in 1912 at the Teatro Alla Scala in Milan as David in ‘’Die meistersinger von Nürnberg’’ and in the 1912-1913 season at Boston Opera in the USA. From 1913 to 1923 he was a member of the Court Theatre and National Theatre in Mannheim. In the 1923-1924 season he took part in the North America tour of a German opera troop. After 1924 he appeared again primarily in the concert hall. Nevertheless, till 1932 he still appeared in operatic stage of Mannheim. His repertoire included Belmonte in "Entführung aus dem Serail", Tamino in "Zauberflöte", Max in ‘’Freischütz’’, Pedro in ‘’Tiefland’’, Manrico in ‘’Il Trovatore’’, Turiddu in ‘’Cavalleria Rusticana’’, De Grieux in ‘’Manon Lescaut’’ and Rodolfo in ‘’La Bohème’’. As a Jew since 1933 he never appeared at the German opera houses.

Chronology of some appearances

1905 Heilbronn Stadttheater
1909 Aachen Stadttheater
1912 Milan Teatro Alla Scala
1912-1913 Boston Opera
1913-1923 Mannheim Court Theatre

RECORDING FOR SALE








Grammophon, Berlin 1913-08-26

Rigoletto (Verdi): O, wie so trügerisch 4-42549 12852r

Grammophon, Berlin 1914-02-04
Rigoletto (Verdi): Freundlich blick' ich auf diese und jene 4-42548 13534r

Grammophon, Berlin 1914-02-04
Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner): Morgenlich leuchtend 042472 1334s

Vox, Berlin 1922
Pagliacci (Leoncavallo): O Colombine 3120 555B
Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni): Trinklied 3120 554B


Heinrich Bötel (Tenor) (Hamburg 1854 - Hamburg 1938)



                                                                  Turiddu

His voice was discovered by Bernhard Pollini, the manager of the Opera House in Hamburg. He studied singing under Zumpe and Franz Krückl in Hamburg. In 1883 he made his debut at the Stadttheater in Hamburg as Manrico in ‘’Il Trovatore’’. He made guest appearances at the Hofoper in Wien (1884 and 1887), Openhaus in Frankfurt a. M. (1884-1893), Berlin Kroll Opera (1884-1892), Opernhaus in Leipzig (1886), Hoftheater in Schwerin (1887), Stadttheatern in  Bremen (1887) and Basel (1892), Theater des Westens in Berlin (1898), Deutschen Opernhaus in Rotterdam (1890), also in Cologne, Stuttgart, Wroclaw and Thalia Theater in New York (1887). His extensive repertoire included Arnoldo in ''Wilhelm Tell'', Enzo in ''La Gioconda'', Turiddu in ''Cavalleria Rusticana'', Canio in ''Pagliacci'', Masaniello in ''La Muette de Portici'', Raoul in ''Les Huguenots'', Lyonel in ''Martha''. The career of the singer lasted long; still in 1911 he  appeared at the Theater in Altona as Lyonel. His son Bernhard Bötel (1883-1953) also had a successful career as tenor.

Chronology of some appearances

1883 Hamburg Stadttheater
1884-1893 Frankfurt a. M.Openhaus
1884-1892 Berlin Kroll Opera
1886 Leipzig Opernhaus
1887 Schwerin Hoftheater
1887 Bremen Stadttheatern
1887 New York Thalia Theater
1890 Rotterdam Deutschen Opernhaus
1892 Bremen Stadttheatern
1898 Berlin Theater des Westens

RECORDINGS FOR SALE








Grammophon, Berlin, 1908
Der Troubadour (Verdi): Lodern zum Himmel she' ich die 4-42150 12524u

Gaston Dehousse (Tenor)


He appeared at he Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liège and at the Casino in Spa.

Chronology of some appearances

Liège Opéra Royal de Wallonie
Spa Casino


RECORDING FOR SALE








I wish to thank to Jean Dehousse for providing me this record

Reneyphone, 1925
Tosca (Puccini): O de beautés égales F42610 2094at

François-Xavier Mercier (Tenor) (Québec, Canada 1867 - Québec, Canada 1932)



He sang in Quebec City from his early childhood, especially at the Church of the Congregation of Notre-Dame (now Jacques-Cartier). He performed as a soloist in the hall of the Académie commerciale and thus came to the notice of the school's director, who accepted him as a non-paying student at the institution and in 1891 found a position for him as bookkeeping teacher at the Collège Mont-St-Louis, Montreal. Mercier lived 1892-4 in Toronto, where he studied elocution with J. H. Cameron and solfège with Adèle Lemaître. In Boston he performed the role of the Duke inRigoletto at Castle Square but soon returned to Toronto to open a voice studio. y means of a subscription and the proceeds of some concerts given at Massey Hall, Mercier went to Paris and studied voice for five years with Jacques Bouhy and solfège and stage techniques with T. Valdejo. In January 1899 he was chosen from among 18 tenors to sing at the Opéra-Comique; he made his debut in Méhul's ''Joseph''. Le Gauloiscommented: 'Mercier's tone was superb. A powerful voice, perfect diction, expressive features; he is actor and singer rolled into one.' Later he sang in ''Carmen'', ''Mireille'', and ''Manon''. In 1901 Mercier performed in ''Faust'', ''Les Huguenots'', ''Carmen'', ''Roméo et Juliette'', and ''Le Roi d'Ys'' at Covent Garden, London, in casts which included Calvé, Journet, Melba, Plançon, Scotti, and Tamagno. He returned to Paris to learn the role of Arnold in ''William Tell'', which he later sang in Bordeaux and in Rouen, where according to Le Nouvelliste, he received seven curtain calls for his performance of the aria 'Asile héréditaire.' After singing in Faust, L'Africaine, Les Huguenots, Sigurd, and La Juive on tour in France, he visited Italy and Switzerland. He repeated his roles in ''Les Huguenots'' at The Hague and ''William Tell'' at Spa with Noté. In December 1906, while preparing for a season at the theatre in Lyons, he had to return to Quebec City because of his mother's death. In 1907 he sang in Toronto and in Quebec City, and that November he left once again for Paris. Mercier spent the 1908-19099 season in Constantine (Algeria), where he triumphed in ''Les Hugenots'', and then in ''Werther'', ''Carmen'', ''La Navarraise'', ''I Pagliacci'', ''Marie-Magdeleine'', ''Sigurd'', and ''Hérodiade''. In Algiers and Oran, he sang ''William Tell'' and ''La Juive''. His next undertaking was to participate in 22 opera and oratorio concerts at Queen's Hall, London, under Sir Henry Wood. After another tour of France and Algeria, he returned to Quebec City in August 1913 with his wife, the singer Isabelle de Besson (Mlle Jeynevald), whom he had met in Constantine and married in Lyons in 1909. In 1914 Mercier founded the Institut d'art vocal. He taught there until his death. In 1931 he was named honorary president of the newly founded Association des chanteurs de Québec. He wrote a series of articles, 'Classement et pose de la voix,' which appeared in La Musique in 1919, and in 1923 he published Souvenirs de ma carrière artistique, reprinted under the title 'Gerbe de souvenirs' in his study Technique de musique vocale (Quebec City 1928). He composed numerous songs, including 'Ce que je chante,' Opus 65, which was published in 1918, and 'France et Canada,' Opus 106, published in 1929. A number of his works are held at the ANQ in Quebec.

Chronology of some appearances

1899 Paris Opéra-Comique 
1901 London Covent Garden

RECORDINGS FOR SALE








Colombia, New York 1915
Les Huguenots (Meyerbeer): L'entrée de Raoul E2376 45649
Chanson de l'adieu (Tosti)  E2377 45659
France  E2380 45652
La Huronne E2377
Marie Magdeleine (Massenet): Heureux ceux qui vivront E2375
Mireille (Gounod): La foi de son flambeau divin with Isa Jeynevald  E2375
Musette du XVIIe siècle E2378 45658
Ô Canada, mon pays, mes amours! E2378
Tosca (Puccini): Oh! de beautés égales
Zingarella  E2380 45656

Emil Borgmann (Tenor) (Dortmund 1874 - ?)


                                                                      Erik

He studied singing at the Konservatorium in Weimar and made his debut in 1896 at the Hofoper in Vienna. In  the 1897-1898 he was engaged by the Stadttheater in Lübeck, from 1898 to 1900 he appeared at the Theater des Westens in Berlin, in  the 1900-1903 seasons he sang at the Stadtthater in Hamburg. Here he appeared among other things in 1903 in the premiere of ‘’Der zerbrochene Krug’’ by Josef Jarno. Then  in the 1908-1911 seasons he appeared at the Theater in Graz, in  the 1912-1913 season at the Kurfürstenoper in Berlin and from 1913 to 1915 at the Hoftheater in Dessau. In 1906 and 1908 he made guest appearances among other things as Walther von Stolzing in ‘’Die meistersinger von Nürnberg’’at the Hofoper in Vienna. At the Bayreuth Festival of 1902 he sang the role of Erik in ‘’Fliegenden Holländer’’, which counted his special star role. During the First World War he was to be heard a tenor in Berlin. During the 1920’s he appeared in Rhineland. His repertoire included Lohengrin, Walther von Stolzing, Florestan in ‘’Fidelio’’, Raoul in ‘’ Les Huguenots’’, Jean in ‘’Le Prophet’’, Turiddu in ‘’Cavalleria Rusticana’’, Canio in ‘’Pagliacci’’ and Hüon in ‘’Oberon’’. 

Chronology of some appearances

1896 Vienna Hofoper
1897-1898 Lübeck Stadttheater
1898-1900 Berlin Theater des Westens
1900-1903 Hamburg Stadtthater
1908-1911 Graz Theater
1912-1913 Berlin Kurfürstenoper
1913-1915 Dessau Hoftheater

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I wish to thank Willi  Borgmann for providing me this recording

Beka-Idéal 1904
Der fliegende Holländer (Wagner): Willst jenes Tags 7282