Alfred-Auguste Giraudet (28 March 1845,

Seine-et-Oise Seine-et-Oise () was the former department of France encompassing the western, northern and southern parts of the metropolitan area of Paris.) was a French

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

tic bass,

voice teacher A voice teacher or singing teacher is a musical instructor who assists adults and children in the development of their abilities in singing. Typical work A voice teacher works with a student singer to improve the various skills involved in singi ...

, and writer on

singing Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or with ...

. He was one of the earliest exponents of the role of Méphistophélès in

Charles Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

's ''

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...

''; a role he portrayed many times at the Paris Opera where he was a principal artist for over two decades. He was also a regular performer at the Opéra-Comique and taught singing at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

for 15 years. On 10 May 1869 he portrayed the title role in the world premiere of Ernest Boulanger's ''Don Quichotte'' at the

Théâtre Lyrique The Théâtre Lyrique was one of four opera companies performing in Paris during the middle of the 19th century (the other three being the Opéra, the Opéra-Comique, and the Théâtre-Italien). The company was founded in 1847 as the Opér ...

. In 1876 he created the role of Vulcan in the world premiere of the revised version of Gounod's ''

Philémon et Baucis (''Philemon and Baucis'') is an opera in three acts by Charles Gounod with a libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. The opera is based on the tale of Baucis and Philemon as told by La Fontaine (derived in turn from Ovid's ''Metamorphoses'' ...

''. In the Fall of 1908 he joined the voice faculty of the Institute of Musical Art (now the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

) where he taught for two school years. He died suddenly of

pulmonary edema Pulmonary edema, also known as pulmonary congestion, is excessive liquid accumulation in the tissue and air spaces (usually alveoli) of the lungs. It leads to impaired gas exchange and may cause hypoxemia and respiratory failure. It is due t ...

at his home on

Claremont Avenue Claremont Avenue is a short avenue in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It begins at 116th Street and runs north for a length of eleven blocks until it ends at Tiemann Place (the western segment of 127th Street ...

in Manhattan on 18 October 1911, shortly after beginning his third year of teaching in New York. As a singing teacher and writer on singing, Giraudet was greatly influenced by

François Delsarte François Alexandre Nicolas Chéri Delsarte (19 November 1811 – 20 July 1871) was a French singer, orator, and coach. Though he achieved some success as a composer, he is chiefly known as a teacher in singing and declamation (oratory). Applie ...

and his theory of voice gymnastics which was an important precursor to the development of

modern dance Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance which included dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th ...

. Giraudet had studied singing with Delsarte at the Conservatoire de Paris and was one of his most distinguished students. His notable pupils included

Mariska Aldrich Mariska Aldrich (née Horvath; March 27, 1881 – September 28, 1965) was an American dramatic soprano singer and actress. Life She was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She was a pupil of Alfred Giraudet (1906–1909) and George Henschel. She m ...

Lucia Dunham Lucia Dunham (died April 3, 1959, Paramus, New Jersey) was an American voice teacher, classical soprano, and academic writer on singing and diction who is chiefly remembered as a longtime professor of vocal performance at the Juilliard School fr ...

Charles Rousselière Charles Rousselière (17 January 1875 – 11 May 1950) was French operatic tenor who performed primarily at the Paris Opera, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, and the Opéra-Comique. He sang in the world premieres of several operas, including the tit ...

, and

Félix Vieuille Félix Vieuille (15 October 1872, Saujon – 28 February 1953, Saujon) was a French operatic bass who sang for more than four decades with the Opéra-Comique in Paris during the first half of the twentieth century. He created roles in numerous ...

References

;Cited sources * Walsh, T. J. (1981). ''Second Empire Opera: The Théâtre Lyrique Paris 1851–1870''. New York: Riverrun Press. .

External links

Alfred Giraudet at the Bibliothèque nationale de France
{{DEFAULTSORT:Giraudet, Alfred 1845 births 1911 deaths Academic staff of the Conservatoire de Paris Conservatoire de Paris alumni 19th-century French male opera singers Juilliard School faculty