Marcel Journet (25 July 1868 – 7 September 1933), was a French operatic

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

. He enjoyed a prominent career in England, France and Italy, and appeared at the foremost American

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 librett ...

houses in New York City and Chicago.

Biography

Journet was born in the town of Grasse,

Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes (; oc, Aups Maritims; it, Alpi Marittime, "Maritime Alps") is a department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the Italian border and Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, it ...

, and studied at the Paris Conservatory. He made his operatic debut at

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

in 1891. Journet went on to sing a wide range of roles in operas by

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

and major French and Italian composers during a distinguished, 40-year career. The

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...

at London's

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

, Milan's

La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

, the

Paris Opera The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be ...

and the New York

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

, were some of the famous venues graced by Journet's presence during the first quarter of the 20th century.

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...

was just one of the celebrated conductors under whose baton he performed. His on-stage colleagues included such renowned singers as Nellie Melba, Luisa Tetrazzini,

Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyrical tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles (74) ...

, Giovanni Martinelli, Titta Ruffo,

Giuseppe De Luca Giuseppe De Luca (25 December 1876 – 26 August 1950), was an Italian baritone who achieved his greatest triumphs at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. He notably created roles in the world premieres of two operas by Giacomo Puccini: Sha ...

and Feodor Chaliapin. Journet died in Vittel, of kidney failure, aged 66. He possessed a beautiful, cultured voice and a fine technique—hitting the absolute peak of his powers as a singer and an actor during the 1915-1925 period, during which time he became La Scala's principal bass. Numerous recordings testify to Journet's outstanding vocal attributes and the high standard of his interpretative powers. Many of these recordings have been re-issued on various CDs, most notably on the Marston and Preiser labels.

References

* Warrack, John and Rosenthal, Harold, ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera'', London, second edition, 1980. * Scott, Michael, ''The Record of Singing'', Volume II, Duckworth, London, 1979. *Jean-Pierre Mouchon, "Marcel Journet" in "Étude", n° 6, 1997 (Association internationale de chant lyrique TITTA RUFFO, site: titta-ruffo-international.jimdo.com). *Jean-Pierre Mouchon, "Marcel Journet" in "The Record Collector", volume 47, n°1, March 2002. * Jean-Pierre Mouchon: "Une basse française d'exception: Marcel Journet, two volumes, Édilivre, Saint-Denis, France, vol. I (Life, career, discography, and index), 314 pages, ill, 2015. ISBN paper: 978-2-332-89248-5, ISBN pdf: 978-2-332-89249-2, ISBN epub: 978-2-332-89247. Vol. II (chronology, index, bibliography), 445 pages, ill. 2015. ISBN paper: 978-2-332-89251-5, ISBN pdf: 978-2-332-89252-2, ISBN epub: 978-2-332-89250-8

External links

Marcel Journet recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Journet, Marcel 1868 births 1933 deaths People from Grasse French basses 19th-century French male opera singers Operatic bass-baritones Victor Records artists 20th-century French male opera singers