Germaine Cernay, born Germaine Pointu (28 April 1900,

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...

– 19 September 1943, Paris) was a French

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

who was active both in the opera house and on the concert platform.Kutsch KJ, Riemens L. ''Unvergängliche Stimmen: Sängerlexikon.'' Francke Verlag, Bern und Munchen, 1982.

Life and career

Cernay studied the piano before entering 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 vocal studies under Albers and Engel, winning first prizes in 1925.Gourret J. ''Dictionnaire des Cantatrices de l'Opéra.'' Editions Albatros, Paris, 1987. She made her debut at the

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief rival, the Comédie-Italienne ...

in Paris on 16 May 1927 as la Bossue in the Paris premiere of Alfano's '' Risurrezione'' (in French).Wolff S. ''Un demi-siècle d'Opéra-Comique (1900–1950).'' André Bonne, Paris, 1953. Other creations at the Salle Favart were Floriane in ''Éros Vainqueur'' (de Bréville), la Tour in ''Le Fou de la Dame'' (Delannoy), a fairy in ''Riquet a la Houppe'' (Hue), and Léonor in ''Le Sicilien'' (Letorey). Her other principal roles at the Opéra-Comique included Sélysette ('' Ariane et Barbe-bleue''), a sister (''

Béatrice Béatrice is a French feminine given name. Notable people with the name include: * Béatrice Bonifassi (born c. 1971), French-born vocalist * Béatrice Dalle (born 1964), French actress * Béatrice de Camondo (1894–1944), French socialite and a H ...

''), Gertrude (''Le roi Dagobert''), la fantôme ('' Les Contes d'Hoffmann''), Mallika ('' Lakmé''), Javotte (''

Manon ''Manon'' () is an ''opéra comique'' in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel '' L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut'' by the Abbé Prévost. It was first ...

''), title role in '' Mignon'', Souzouki ('' Madame Butterfly''), Vincenette/Taven (''

Mireille Mireille () is a French given name, derived from the Provençal Occitan name ''Mirèio'' (or ''Mirèlha'' in the classical norm of Occitan, ). It could be related to the Occitan verb ''mirar'' "to look, to admire" or to the given names ''Miriam'' " ...

''), Geneviève ('' Pelléas et Mélisande''), Cléone (''

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 to ...

''), Charlotte (''

Werther ''Werther'' is an opera (''drame lyrique'') in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Édouard Blau, Paul Milliet and Georges Hartmann (who used the pseudonym Henri Grémont). It is loosely based on Goethe's epistolary novel ''The S ...

'') and one of the voices in ''

Masques et bergamasques ''Masques et bergamasques'', Op. 112, is an orchestral suite by Gabriel Fauré. It was arranged by the composer from incidental music he provided for a theatrical entertainment commissioned for Albert I, Prince of Monaco in 1919. The original scor ...

''. She was invited to many provincial centres in France and also appeared in North Africa, Switzerland, Belgium, England, Ireland and Italy. Broadcasting on French radio allowed Cernay to enlarge her repertoire to roles in ''Carmen'', ''Le roi d’Ys'', ''Le Chemineau'', ''La damnation de Faust'', ''Don Quichotte'' and ''La Lépreuse''. She also sang in the first performance of surviving fragments of Chabrier's ''

Vaucochard et fils Ier is an unfinished by Emmanuel Chabrier of which only some numbers survive. The French libretto was by Paul Verlaine.Delage R. ''Emmanuel Chabrier''. Paris, Fayard, 1999 (Catalogue des Oeuvres). Background In the early 1860s Chabrier was a close ...

'' on 22 April 1941 at the Salle du Conservatoire. Cernay was one of the best-known concert altos of her generation and highly considered as a Bach interpreter. She appeared regularly with the Orchestre de la Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire from 1931 to 1942. Her first and last appearances with the orchestra were as alto soloist in the Bach Magnificat, and in 1936 she sang in two performances of the Mass in B minor. Other works in which she sang at the concerts included Trois Duos by

Raymond Loucheur Raymond Loucheur (1 January 1899 – 14 September 1979) was a French composer. Life Very early, he left the town of Tourcoing where he was born to study at Le Havre with Henri Woollett who had Arthur Honegger among his students. Then, he enter ...

, an excerpt from '' Couronnement de Poppée'', Trois Poèmes by Philippe Gaubert, the Duo from ''Béatrice et Bénédict'', Duos by Dandelot (premiere), Szymanowski's ''Stabat mater'', excerpts from ''

Prométhée ''Prométhée'', Op. 82, (''Prometheus'') is a ''tragédie lyrique'' (grand cantata) in three acts by the French composer Gabriel Fauré with a French libretto by the Symboliste poets Jean Lorrain and (1865–1940). It was partly based on the o ...

'', '' Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien'', Jeanne d’Arc (oratorio in seven parts by

Louis Beydts Louis Beydts was a French composer, music critic and theatre director, born 29 June 1895 in Bordeaux and died on 15 August 1953 at Caudéran in Gironde. Life and career His father was a wine-merchant who played the flute, while his mother played ...

George Dandelot Georges Édouard Dandelot (2 December 1895 – 17 August 1975) was a French composer and teacher. Biography Dandelot was born in Paris. His father was Alfred Dandelot, and his mother was the daughter of a piano maker. Dandelot studied at the Pari ...

, Loucheur,

Tony Aubin Tony Louis Alexandre Aubin (8 December 1907 – 21 September 1981) was a French composer. Career Aubin was born in Paris. From 1925 to 1930, he studied at the Paris Conservatory under Samuel Rousseau (composer), Samuel Rousseau (music theory), ...

, Jacques Chailley, Pierre Capdevielle, and André Jolivet), and the Mozart Requiem. She retired in 1942 to become a nun. A year later she died of

status epilepticus Status epilepticus (SE), or status seizure, is a single seizure lasting more than 5 minutes or 2 or more seizures within a 5-minute period without the person returning to normal between them. Previous definitions used a 30-minute time limit. The s ...

Discography

Cernay's many recordings, made from February 1928 to June 1942, for Odéon and Columbia include: * JS Bach: Christmas Oratorio – Sion tiens-toi prête; Cantata for the 14th Sunday after Trinity * Berlioz: L'Absence; ''La damnation de Faust'': Il était un roi de Thulé, D'amour, l'ardente flamme * Bizet: ''Carmen'': Excerpts – L'amour est enfant de bohême, Quintet, Seguidilla, Les tringles des sistres tintaient, Melons! Coupons!; Complete (from radio broadcast, title role) * Borodin: ''Prince Igor'': Lentement baisse le jour, Sur la terre lasse * Brahms: Deux cantiques op. 91 n °1 et 2 * Charpentier: ''Louise'': L'enfant serait sage, Ah! N'est ce plus mon enfant, O jolie, Il va venir bientôt, O mon enfant, o ma Louise * Dandelot: Chanson de Bilitis * Debussy: ''Pelléas et Mélisande'' (Geneviève); L’Enfant prodigue – Recit et air d'Azael * Délibes: ''Lakmé'' – Sous le dôme épais (with Solange Delmas, soprano) * Duparc: La manoir de Rosemonde (with

Gustave Cloëz Gustave Cloëz (3 August 1890 – 15 March 1970)''Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014''. Social Security Administration. was a French conductor who was particularly active at the Paris Opéra-Comique in the mid-20th century, and made a significa ...

, piano) * Fauré: En Prière, Un parfum impérissable, Pleurs d'or, op. 72, Tarentelle, op. 10, no. 2, Salve Regina; ''Pénélope'' – C'est sur ce banc, Je l'attends, Minerve le protégé; Cantique de Jean Racine * Ganne: ''

Les saltimbanques ''For Pablo Picasso's 1905 painting, see La famille de saltimbanques'' ''Les saltimbanques'' (''The Acrobats'') is an opéra-comique in three acts, libretto by Maurice Ordonneau, music by Louis Ganne, first performed at the Théâtre de la Gaît� ...

'' – C'est l'amour * Godard: ''Jocelyn'' – Berceuse * Gounod: ''Faust'' – Faites-lui mes aveux; ''Mireille'' – Vincenette, votre âge * Grieg: Peer Gynt, op. 23 – Solvejgs sang * Hue: Nous deux (with Gustave Cloëz, piano) * Lalo: ''Le roi d'Ys'': Air de Margared, Margared, o ma sœur (with Bernadette Delprat, soprano) * Lecocq: ''La fille de Madame Angot'': Voyons, monsieur, raisonnons politique; Des lettres (with

Victor Pujol The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

, tenor) * Lehar: ''Lustige Witwe'' – Chanson de Vylja, Je ne connais votre Jeanette, Heure exquise, Final du 1er acte, C'est la valse * Mascagni: ''Cavalleria rusticana'' (Santuzza; with Gaston Micheletti, tenor,

Arthur Endrèze Arthur Endrèze (28 November 1893, in Chicago – 15 April 1975, in Chicago) was an American opera singer who enjoyed a popular career in Paris and sang in many premieres.Alain Pâris. ''Dictionnaire des interprètes et de l'interprétation mus ...

, baritone, Alice Hena, soprano, Mady Arty, contralto) * Massenet: '' Sapho'': Air le la Lampe ; ''

'': (Charlotte, highlights) Prière, Air des lettres, Oui, c'est moi (with

Charles Friant Auguste Charles Paul Friant (12 January 1890 – 22 April 1947) was a French tenor. Friant was born in the Montmartre district of Paris. His father was a principal ballet dancer, and his grandfather a professor of ballet at the Paris Opéra. ...

, tenor), Albert est de retour, Mort de Werther, Air je dit vrai, Va, ma laisse couler mes larmes, Ah! Ce premier baiser ; ''

Hérodiade ''Hérodiade'' is an opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Paul Milliet and Henri Grémont, based on the novella ''Hérodias'' (1877) by Gustave Flaubert. It was first performed at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels o ...

'': Ne me refuse pas ; '' Thérèse'': Le devoir, Jour de juin, tour d'été, Oui je t'aime André, je te vénère ; '' Don Quichotte'' – J'ai bien assez de mon tristesse, Oui je souffre, votre tristesse, Marchez dans mon chemin, Quand apparaissent les étoiles (with Roger Bourdin, baritone) ; ''

Le Cid ''Le Cid'' is a five-act French tragicomedy written by Pierre Corneille, first performed in December 1636 at the Théâtre du Marais in Paris and published the same year. It is based on Guillén de Castro's play ''Las Mocedades del Cid''. Castro' ...

'': Pleurez, pleurez mes yeux * Mozart: ''Le nozze di Figaro'' – Ouvre, ouvre bien vite (with Emma Luart, soprano) * Offenbach: ''Les contes d'Hoffmann'': Barcarolle (with Emma Luart, soprano) * Planquette: ''Rip'': Si je la veux immense richesse * Puccini: ''Madama Butterfly'': Sur ma joue, la brise, Jetons comme à brassees (with Emma Luart, soprano) * Rachmaninoff: Lilacs / Rose and the nightingale (with Gustave Cloëz, piano) * Ravel : ''L'enfant et les sortilèges'', excerpts * Renauld : Pater noster – Ave maria * Saint-Saëns : ''Samson et Dalila'' – Printemps qui commence, Samson toi mon bien, Se pourrait-il ? (with

Georges Thill Georges Thill (14 December 1897 – 17 October 1984) was a French opera singer, often considered to be his country's greatest lyric-dramatic tenor. Born in Paris, his career lasted from 1924 to 1953, peaking during the 1930s. Career A pupil of ...

, tenor); La cloche * Schutz : Exauce-moi (with

Martha Angelici Martha Angelici (22 May 1907 – 11 September 1973), was a French operatic soprano of Corsican origin, particularly associated with the French lyric repertoire. Angelici was born in Cargèse. While still very young she moved with her family ...

, soprano) * Thomas : ''Mignon'': Connais-tu le pays?, Elle est là, Près de lui, Romance de Mignon, As-tu souffert, as-tu pleuré?, Prière et Final O Vierge Marie, Melodrama et Duo Je suis heureuse, Duo des hirondelles, Styrienne, Légères hirondelles * Wagner : Rêves Discographical data mainly from The CHARM Discography, Centre for the History and Analysis of Recorded Music, , accessed 8 August 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cernay, Germaine French operatic mezzo-sopranos 1900 births 1943 deaths Musicians from Le Havre Conservatoire de Paris alumni 20th-century French women opera singers Neurological disease deaths in France Deaths from epilepsy People with epilepsy