Montmorency) was a French operatic
baritone
A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...
, particularly associated with the French and Italian repertories.
Career
Mainly self-taught, Borthayre began his career singing as a soloist in a
Basque choir, touring Europe. In about 1936, he began studying voice with his wife Marie-Louise, daughter of bass Louis Azéma. He made his operatic debut in 1941, at the
Capitole de Toulouse
300px, The Capitole back side
The Capitole de Toulouse ( oc, Capitòli de Tolosa, link=no; ), commonly known as the ''Capitole'', is the heart of the municipal administration of the French city of Toulouse and its city hall.
__NOTOC__
Hi ...
, as Hérode in ''
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 ...
'', where he remained until 1945.
After the war, he began appearing at various opera houses throughout France, Bordeaux, Marseille, Strasbourg, etc. He made his debut at both the
Paris Opéra and 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 1951, as Valentin in ''
Faust'', and Zurga in ''
Les pêcheurs de perles
' (''The Pearl Fishers'') is an opera in three acts by the French composer Georges Bizet, to a libretto by Eugène Cormon and Michel Carré. It was premiered on 30 September 1863 at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris, and was given 18 performances in ...
'', respectively. He was to sing at these two theatres until 1968.
Borthayre was largely based in France, singing little abroad, and became the epitome of the "French Style" of singing, meaning essentially impeccable diction and musical refinement. He also enjoyed considerable success in
Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...
roles, such as
Rigoletto,
Germont
Germont () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Ardennes department
The following is a list of the 449 communes of the Ardennes department of France.
The communes cooperate in ...
,
Renato
Renatus is a first name of Latin origin which means " born again" (natus = born). In Italian, Portuguese and Spanish it exists in masculine and feminine forms: Renato and Renata. In French they have been translated to René and Renée. Renata is ...
, etc., which in his days were mainly sung in the national language in France.
Borthayre can be heard in a few complete opera recordings, notably; ''Les pêcheurs de perles'', opposite
Mattiwilda Dobbs
Mattiwilda Dobbs (July 11, 1925 – December 8, 2015) was an American coloratura soprano and was one of the first black singers to enjoy a major international career in opera. She was the first black singer to perform at La Scala in Italy, the f ...
, ''
Lakmé'', opposite
Mado Robin
Madeleine Marie Robin (; 29 December 191810 December 1960), generally known as Mado Robin, was a French coloratura soprano. A soprano acuto sfogato, she was noted for her extremely high register.
Early life
Robin was born in Yzeures-sur-Creuse ...
, ''Faust'' and ''
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 ...
'', opposite
Victoria de los Ángeles
Victoria de los Ángeles López García (1 November 192315 January 2005) was a Catalan Spanish operatic lyric soprano and recitalist whose career began after the Second World War and reached its height in the years from the mid-1950s to the mid- ...
.
References
Sources
* ''Le Guide de l'opéra, les indispensables de la musique'', Roland Mancini & Jean-Jacques Rouvereux, (
Fayard
Fayard (complete name: ''Librairie Arthème Fayard'') is a French Paris-based publishing house established in 1857. Fayard is controlled by Hachette Livre.
In 1999, Éditions Pauvert became part of Fayard. Claude Durand was director of Fayard ...
, 1986)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borthayre, Jean
1901 births
1984 deaths
People from Soule
French operatic baritones
20th-century French male opera singers