Saujon
Saujon () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Charente-Maritime department
The following is a list of the 463 communes of the Charente-Maritime department of Franc ...
– 28 February 1953, Saujon) 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 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 world premieres, most notably portraying Arkel in the original production of Claude Debussy's '' Pelléas et Mélisande'' in 1902 which he went on to sing 208 times at that house. He possessed a rich voice and a solid technique which helped sustain his career for a long time. His voice is preserved on a number of recordings made on the Odeon, Lyrophon, and Beka labels.
Biography
Vieuille studied 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 ...
with teachers
Léon Achard
Léon Achard (16 February 1831 – 10 July 1905) was a French tenor.
Biography
Born in Lyon, Achard was the son of , modest canut became an artist who has distinguished himself in the world of theatre. He studied at a major Parisian high sc ...
Aix-les-Bains
Aix-les-Bains (, ; frp, Èx-los-Bens; la, Aquae Gratianae), locally simply Aix, is a commune in the southeastern French department of Savoie.
. He joined the Paris Opéra-Comique in 1898 where he initially sang supporting roles until he was made a leading bass in 1902, with his first major role being Arkel in the world première of Debussy's ''Pelléas et Mélisande''. Debussy was evidently pleased with Vieuille’s interpretation of Arkël; in a letter to Dufranne (who sang Golaud) at the time of an early revival, he wrote "you and Vieuille are almost the only two who have maintained your understanding of my artistic aims".
Vieuille continued to perform in leading roles at the Opéra-Comique up until 1940. He notably created roles in more than twenty world premieres, including Gustave Charpentier's '' Louise'' (1900), Henri Rabaud's '' La fille de Roland'' (1904), '' Ariane et Barbe-Bleue'' (1907), Bloch’s Macbeth (1910), Rabaud's '' Mârouf, savetier du Caire'' (1914), and Milhaud’s ''
Le pauvre matelot
(''The Poor Sailor'') is a three-act opera (described as a ' complainte') composed by Darius Milhaud with libretto by Jean Cocteau. It was given its premiere on 16 December 1927 by the Opéra-Comique at the Salle Favart in Paris. ''Le pauvre mat ...
'' (1927) to name just a few. He also sang in the Paris premières of Fauré’s ''
Pénélope
''Pénélope'' is an opera in three acts by the French composer Gabriel Fauré. The libretto, by René Fauchois is based on Homer's ''Odyssey''. It was first performed at the Salle Garnier, Monte Carlo on 4 March 1913. The piece is dedicated ...
'' and
Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...
’s ''
The Snow Maiden
''The Snow Maiden'' (subtitle: A Spring Fairy Tale) ( rus, Снегурочка–весенняя сказка, Snegúrochka–vesénnyaya skázka, italic=yes ) is an opera in four acts with a prologue by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, composed ...
'' (Grandfather Frost, 1908).J.B. Steane: "Félix Vieuille", ''Grove Music Online'' ed. L. Macy (Accessed February 10, 2009) (subscription access) He continued to sing Arkel in performances of ''Pelléas et Mélisande'' at the Opéra-Comique up to 1933, appearing alongside his nephew the baritone Jean Vieuille (as the doctor) from 1930–33. At this point Vieuille had taken up teaching and his nephew was one of his many pupils.
In addition to his appearance at the Opéra-Comique, Vieuille also appeared at the
Manhattan Opera House
The Manhattan Center is a building in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1906 and located at 311 West 34th Street, it houses Manhattan Center Studios, the location of two recording studios; its Grand Ballroom; and the Hammerstein Ballroo ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
from 1908–1909 at the invitation of
Oscar Hammerstein I
Oscar Hammerstein I (8 May 18461 August 1919) was a German-born businessman, theater impresario, and composer in New York City. His passion for opera led him to open several opera houses, and he rekindled opera's popularity in America. He was ...
. While there he notably sang Arkel in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
premiere of ''Pelléas et Mélisande'' among other roles. He also sang in a few productions with Zurich Opera in 1917.
Debussy
(Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...
) 1902
* Charlemagne in ''La fille de Roland'' ( Rabaud) 1904
* Jean-Pierre in ''Les pêcheurs de Saint-Jean'' (
Widor
Charles-Marie-Jean-Albert Widor (21 February 1844 – 12 March 1937) was a French organist, composer and teacher of the mid-Romantic era, most notable for his ten organ symphonies. His Toccata from the fifth organ symphony has become one of th ...
) 1905
* Toussaint in ''L’Enfant Roi'' ( Bruneau) 1905
* Le roi in ''Le roi aveugle'' ( Février) 1906
* Eurylaque in ''Circé'' ( Paul & Lucien Hillemacher) 1907
* Barbe-bleue in '' Ariane et Barbe-bleue'' ( Dukas) 1907
* Maitre Pierre in ''Le chemineau'' ( Leroux) 1907
* Etchemendy in ''Chiquito'' (Jean Nouguès) 1909
* Macduff in ''Macbeth'' ( Bloch) 1910
* Mucien in ''Bérénice'' ( Magnard) 1911
* Mattelinn in ''La lépreuse'' ( Lazzari) 1912
* Chrestus in ''Danseuse di Pompéi'' (
Jean Nouguès
Jean-Charles Nouguès (25 April 1875 – 28 August 1932) was a French composer of operas.
Born in Bordeaux, Nouguès was from a wealthy family, and in his youth he received little formal musical training.Mârouf, savetier du Caire'' (Rabaud) 1914
* L'Evêque in ''Béatrice'' ( Messager) 1917
* The priest Siang in ''Ping-Sin'' (Charles-Henri Maréchal) 1918
* Philippe Strozzi in ''Lorenzaccio'' (Ernest Moret) 1920
* Estéban in ''Dans l'ombre de la cathédrale'' ( Hüe) 1921
* Father-in-law in ''
Le pauvre matelot
(''The Poor Sailor'') is a three-act opera (described as a ' complainte') composed by Darius Milhaud with libretto by Jean Cocteau. It was given its premiere on 16 December 1927 by the Opéra-Comique at the Salle Favart in Paris. ''Le pauvre mat ...
'' (
Milhaud
Darius Milhaud (; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...
) 1927
* Jonathas in ''La peau de Chagrin'' (Charles Levadé) 1929
* Don Pédro in ''Le sicilien'' ( Omer Letorey) 1930.
Wolff, Stéphane. ''Un demi-siècle d'Opéra-Comique 1900–1950.'' André Bonne, Paris, 1953.
Recordings
Félix Vieuille made several recordings. including some unissued excerpts from ''
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 ...
Geraldine Farrar
Alice Geraldine Farrar (February 28, 1882 – March 11, 1967) was an American lyric soprano who could also sing dramatic roles. She was noted for her beauty, acting ability, and "the intimate timbre of her voice." She had a large following a ...