Edmond Clément (28 March 1867, Paris - 24 February 1928,

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million was a French lyric

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

who earned an international reputation due to the polished artistry of his singing. During his career he also held a private studio, one of his students being the internationally recognized soprano Marie Sundelius.

Biography

Clément began his studies at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or 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 Jean Ja ...

with

Victor Warot Victor Alexandre Joseph Warot (18 September 1834, Verviers – 29 March 1906, Bois-Colombes) was a Belgian opera singer. He began his career as a lyric tenor but later grew into a fine dramatic singer. He was particularly known for his portrayal ...

, subsequently making his debut at the

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...

in 1889, as Vincent in '' Mireille''. He was the theater's principle tenor until 1909, appearing in many roles such as

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, Tamino, Almaviva, Georges Brown,

Fra Diavolo Fra Diavolo (lit. Brother Devil; 7 April 1771–11 November 1806), is the popular name given to Michele Pezza, a guerrilla leader who resisted the French occupation of Naples, proving an "inspirational practitioner of popular insurrection". P ...

Gérald Gérald is a French male given name, a variant of the old Géraud and more common Gérard, both equivalent to Gerald in English. People with the name include: * Gérald Mossé, French jockey * Gérald de Palmas, French recording artist and singer * ...

, des Grieux,

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

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, along with many more. Such roles were the bulk of his repertoire and qualified him to be considered between a Lyrischer Tenor and Italienischer tenor. He was part of the inaugural performance of '' Le Juif polonais'' by

Camille Erlanger Camille Erlanger (25 May 186324 April 1919) was a French opera composer. He studied at the Paris Conservatory under Léo Delibes (composition), Georges Mathias (piano), as well as Émile Durand and Antoine Taubon (harmony). In 1888 he won the P ...

and '' Hélène'' by

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (, , 9October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano ...

, and sang in the Parisian premieres of ''

Falstaff Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays ''Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...

'' and ''

Madama Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lu ...

''. When he reached his 40s, his career had begun moving Westward. He was not only popular in Paris and began singing in Brussels, Monte Carlo, Madrid and London, although he never appeared at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

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 sit ...

. He was invited to come to the United States and he quickly joined the stellar roster of singers at the

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

in New York City, where he performed from 1909-1910. He faced competition from the equally popular Italian verismo tenor

Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyric 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 that r ...

and was quickly overwhelmed, as Clement's more bel canto style was not in high demand at the time. Because of Caruso's growing prestige as a verismo tenor, Clement was not re-signed by the Met's management. While in New York City, he kept his voice in performance shape by taking lessons from the noted pedagogue

Frederick Bristol Frederick E. Bristol (4 November 1839 in Brookfield, Connecticut – 1932 in N.Y. City, New York) was a celebrated American voice teacher who operated private studios in Boston and New York City during the second half of the 19th century and early ...

. However, he would find his audience in Boston. After his time at the MET, from 1911 to 1913 he began singing at the

Boston Opera House The Boston Opera House, also known as the Citizens Bank Opera House, is a performing arts and esports venue located at 539 Washington St. in Boston, Massachusetts. It was originally built as the B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre, a movie palace in ...

. Audiences at the theater admired him for his stylish vocalism, exemplary diction and elegant stage presence during his engagements with the Boston Opera Company, thanks in part to his bel canto elegance and dexterous technique. Although his voice was not large, he was considered to be one of the leading Roméos and Don Josés of his era by dint of his musicianship. He was also considered incredibly handsome and possessed developed acting skills for the stage. Clément returned to his homeland when the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

erupted in 1914 and was wounded subsequently while serving with the French army. America heard him again during the early 1920s when he travelled across the Atlantic for concert and recital appearances. His last years were spent in semi-retirement in France and are considered his declining period. He gave his last recital in Nice at the age of 60 in 1927. He died on February 24, 1928, in

Legacy

His voice lives on in the form of recordings which he made in France and the United States for the Odeon, Victor and Pathe companies. These recordings, which have been reissued on CD, consist mainly of operatic arias from his core repertoire. They are helpful in elucidating the vibrant culture of Italian-influenced French, operatic artistry.

Dedications

In 1911, the French-American composer and conductor H. Maurice Jacquet dedicated his

mélodie A ''mélodie'' () is a form of French art song, arising in the mid-19th century. It is comparable to the German '' Lied''. A ''chanson'', by contrast, is a folk or popular French song. The literal meaning of the word in the French language is " ...

"''Chanson de l'Inconstant" ong of the inconsistent' to him.

Roles

Edmond Clement is noted to have sung over 40 roles during his professional career, before retiring at 60 to focus on teaching, as well as perform in smaller concerts and recitals.

Recordings

# ''Adieu'', for voice and piano by G. Faure (

Pathé Records Pathé Records was an international record company and label and producer of phonographs, based in France, and active from the 1890s through the 1930s. Early years The Pathé record business was founded by brothers Charles and Émile Pathé, ...

, 1925) #Edmond Clement, An Historical Recording (Delta Records, 1964) # Edmond Clement: French Opera and Mèlodies; Traditional Chansons (Pearl Records, 1995) #Edmond Clément: The Complete Odéon (1905) and Victor (1911-13) Recordings (Romophone, 1995 and Masterworks) # Edmond Clement: Edmont Clément: The Most Famous Recordings (Vocal Archives, 1998) # Edmond Clement: The Complete Pathe Recordings, 1916-1925 (

Romophone Romophone was a record label specializing in the restoration and reissue of historic 78 rpm recordings of singers from the "Golden Age" of opera on compact disc. Romophone was founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 by Louse Barder and Virginia B ...

, 2000) # Edmond Clement: The Legendary French Tenor, 1911-14 (Minerva Recordings, 2011)

References

External links

History of the Tenor - Sound Clips and Narration''Edmond Clément - Pourquoi me réveiller?'', retrieved 2021-07-19
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clement, Edmond 1867 births 1928 deaths Singers from Paris Conservatoire de Paris alumni French operatic tenors 19th-century French male opera singers 20th-century French male opera singers Officers of the Legion of Honour