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Irène Joachim (13 March 1913 - 20 April 2001) was a French
soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...
, and later a vocal teacher.


Early life

Daughter of German officer Herman Joachim and French violinist Suzanne Chaigneau, and granddaughter of the violinist Joseph Joachim, she learnt violin and piano as a child. She was bilingual in German and French. Just before the outbreak of 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 ...
she and her parents left Paris for Berlin, staying in a pension in the Lutherstrasse for the remainder of the war. Her father died of
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
in 1917, and due to the hardships of life in the German capital Joachim was sent back to France in the autumn of 1918, living with an aunt before her mother returned in 1920.Massin B. ''Les Joachim – Une famille de musiciens.'' Fayard, Paris, 1999. Due to health problems and her mother's professional life-style, Joachim was educated privately, firstly by Jeanne Favart. Afternoons were devoted to music studies :
violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
,
piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
and
solfège In music, solfège (British English or American English , ) or solfeggio (; ), also called sol-fa, solfa, solfeo, among many names, is a mnemonic used in teaching aural skills, Pitch (music), pitch and sight-reading of Western classical music, W ...
. As a child she heard musicians such as Emanuel Feuermann, Claire Croiza, Germaine Lubin, Marya Freund and the Capet Quartet. Through the social circle of Jean Gehret the 12-year-old Joachim went to plays and attended the last seasons of the Diaghilev Ballet. During the summer of 1926 and for several months in 1927 Irène accompanied her mother who undertook two visits as a teacher with the Yanker family in
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
. This again brought the young Joachim into close contact with leading musicians, such as Thibaud, Tansman, Casals and
Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...
. Back in France she stopped her violin studies but continued with the piano. She married firstly Roger Weber on 29 July 1929 and on 3 July 1930 her son Alain was born. However, she divorced Weber soon after, and suffered a period of depression and uncertainty about the direction of her life. She married secondly Jean Gehret and thirdly Jean-Louis Lévi Alvarès (great-grandson of David Lévi Alvarès) film producer, in November 1955. At the instigation of Jean Gehret, in 1933 Joachim began singing lessons, with Germaine Chevalet; her progress was such that she entered the competition to enrol 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 ...
, joining the class of Suzanne Cesbron-Viseur in October 1935, later studying with Georges Viseur (solfège) and Pierre Chéreau. During her Conservatoire years Joachim supported herself by singing in choirs, and also sang at the Concerts du Societe du Conservatoire.


Career

In her final months at the Conservatoire in 1938 Joachim made her first audio recordings, of
lieder In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch, but among English and French speakers, is often used interchangea ...
by
Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, often set within studied ye ...
and
Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
. She would follow these during the Second World War with not only the first complete recording of '' Pelléas et Mélisande'', but vocal music by
Yves Nat Yves Philippe Avit Nat (29 December 1890 – 31 August 1956) was a French pianist and composer. Biography Nat was born in Béziers and showed an early aptitude for both piano and composition. By the age of seven he was allowed to improvise each ...
and excerpts from ''
Les Indes galantes is a ''ballet héroïque'', a type of Baroque music#Late baroque music (1680–1750), French Baroque opera-ballet, by Jean-Philippe Rameau with a libretto by Louis Fuzelier. In its final form it comprised an allegory, allegorical prologue and fou ...
''. Joachim 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 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 ...
on 2 February 1939 as Nanthilde in ''Le Bon Roi Dagobert'' by Samuel-Rousseau. She then sang Micaëla, Hélène (''
Une éducation manquée (, ''An Incomplete Education'') is an in one act and nine scenes by Emmanuel Chabrier. The French libretto is by Eugène Leterrier and Albert Vanloo. Composed in 1878–79, the work, which is set in the 18th century, is in a lively, light oper ...
''), Marguerite (''Fragonard''), the Countess (''
The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' (, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienn ...
''), Mélisande (''Pelléas et Mélisande''), the wife ('' Le pauvre matelot''), Rosenn ('' Le roi d'Ys'') and Sophie (''
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 ...
''). She also created Léda (''Amphytrion 38''), Ginèvra (''Ginèvra''), Isabelle (''Guignol''), Madeleine (''Marion'') and Azénor (''Le Rossignol de Saint-Malo''). At the German invasion in 1940, along with many other Parisians she fled the city, but returned to the capital after the armistice. Joachim is particularly remembered for her interpretation of Mélisande in '' Pelléas et Mélisande''Blyth A. Pelléas et Mélisande, in ''Opera, Thirty all-time great recordings''. ''
Opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
'', London, 2002.
which she first sang at the Opéra-Comique on 12 September 1940, reprising it in France and abroad up to 1952; she recorded the role in April and May 1941 under
Roger Désormière Roger Désormière () (13 September 1898 – 25 October 1963) was a French conducting, conductor. He was an enthusiastic champion of contemporary composers, but also conducted performances of early eighteenth century French music. Life and career ...
. She had studied Mélisande with Georges Viseur, who had worked alongside
André Messager André Charles Prosper Messager (; 30 December 1853 – 24 February 1929) was a French composer, organist, pianist and conductor. His compositions include eight ballets and thirty , opérettes and other stage works, among which his ballet (1 ...
during the opera's premiere run, and she also had several meetings in Paris with
Mary Garden Mary Garden (20 February 1874 – 3 January 1967) was a Scottish-American operatic lyric soprano, then mezzo-soprano, with a substantial career in France and America in the first third of the 20th century. She spent the latter part of her chil ...
, who created Mélisande and who particularly helped Joachim with stage deportment for the role. Her first performance alongside
Jacques Jansen Jacques Jansen (né Toupin; born Paris, 22 November 1913 – 13 March 2002) was a French ''baryton-martin'' singer, particularly associated with the role of Pelléas in the opera by Debussy, but also active in operetta and on the concert platfor ...
as Pelléas took place at the Opéra-Comique on 20 April 1941. Joachim's fame in ''Pelléas et Mélisande'' brought about an invitation from the Propagandastaffel to sing in Berlin, which she refused. During the war years, especially from 1942 she joined other artists in the Front National; her home was used for passing messages among the group. She sang Rozenn ('' Le roi d'Ys'') at both the Salle Favart and the Salle Garnier, as well as Mélisande in ''
Ariane et Barbe-bleue ''Ariane et Barbe-bleue'' (, ''Ariadne and Bluebeard'') is an opera in three acts by Paul Dukas. The French libretto is adapted (with very few changes) from the symbolist play of the same name by Maurice Maeterlinck, itself loosely based on the ...
'' at the Opéra. While her operatic career continued, the post-war years saw Joachim develop a fruitful relationship in recital with
Jane Bathori Jane Bathori (14 June 1877 – 25 January 1970) was a French mezzo-soprano. She was famous on the operatic stage and important in the development of contemporary French music. Life and career Born Jeanne-Marie Berthier, she originally studied ...
; later in the 1950s, with other accompanists she made several broadcasts for French radio. She participated in the premiere of ''
Le Soleil des eaux (''The Sun of Waters'') is a two-movement cantata for soprano, choir and orchestra by Pierre Boulez, based on two poems by René Char, and having a total duration of about nine minutes. Background Boulez first encountered Char's poetry in 1945 ...
'' by Pierre Boulez as well as of works by
Henri Dutilleux Henri Paul Julien Dutilleux (; 22 January 1916 – 22 May 2013) was a French composer of late 20th-century classical music. Among the leading French composers of his time, his work was rooted in the Impressionistic style of Debussy and R ...
, Wiener and Nigg. She was renowned for her impeccable diction. Irène Joachim also sang German
lieder In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch, but among English and French speakers, is often used interchangea ...
such as Schubert, Schumann, Berg: she won a '
Grand Prix du Disque Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation), ...
' in 1959 for her recording of lieder by
Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (5 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and Music criticism, critic in the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Best known for List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, h ...
. In 1956 Joachim's contract at the Opera-Comique concluded, but she went on to be active in broadcasting and recitals. From 1954 to 1962 Joachim taught singing at the
Schola Cantorum The Schola Cantorum de Paris ( being ) is a private conservatory in Paris. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Bordes, Alexandre Guilmant and Vincent d'Indy as a counterbalance to the Paris Conservatoire's emphasis on opera. History The Schol ...
; from 1963 she was a professor at the
Paris Conservatoire 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 ...
.


Recordings

As well as the classic recording of Pelléas et Mélisande, Joachim's commercial discography includes excerpts from ''Ginèvra'' by Delannoy (title role), lieder by Berg (
Grand Prix du Disque Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation), ...
1950), Brahms, Schumann, and Weber (Grand Prix du Disque 1959) with Hélène Boschi at the piano, art songs by Debussy (Grand Prix du Disque 1949), Gounod and Nat, as well as anthologies of songs by
Les Six "Les Six" () is a name given to a group of six composers, five of them French and one Swiss, who lived and worked in Montparnasse. The name has its origins in two 1920 articles by critic Henri Collet in '' Comœdia'' (see Bibliography). Their mu ...
, and traditional French and German songs. Radio broadcasts covered another Opéra-Comique performance of ''Pelléas et Mélisande'' with Jansen, conducted by
Jean Fournet Jean Fournet (14 April 1913 – 3 November 2008) was a French flautist and conducting, conductor. Biography Fournet was born in Rouen in 1913. His father was a flutist who gave him some instruction on the flute and music theory. Fournet was t ...
(12 February 1955), plus many songs and recitals, particularly of 20th century repertoire.Nectoux, J-M, Discographie d’Irène Joachim. Appendix in Massin B. ''Les Joachim – Une famille de musiciens.'' Fayard, Paris, 1999.


Filmography

Joachim's first films date from her time at the Conservatoire; she took part in
Jean Renoir Jean Renoir (; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. His '' La Grande Illusion'' (1937) and '' The Rules of the Game'' (1939) are often cited by critics as among the greate ...
's '' Les bas fonds'' (the voice of a cabaret singer) in 1936, and in ''La Marseillaise'' in 1937 (Madame de Saint-Laurent, singing and accompanying herself). She appeared and sang in the 1943 film ''
Les anges du péché ''Angels of Sin'' (French: ''Les Anges du péché'') is a 1943 French film directed by Robert Bresson, in his feature directorial debut. Made in 1943, nine years after his comedy short ''Les affaires publiques, Public Affairs'', it was Bresson's ...
'' (
Robert Bresson Robert Bresson (; 25 September 1901 – 18 December 1999) was a French film director. Known for his ascetic approach, Bresson made a notable contribution to the art of cinema; his non-professional actors, Ellipsis (narrative device), ellipses, an ...
), and in 1951 ''La dernière étape'' by
Wanda Jakubowska Wanda Jakubowska (10 November 1907 – 25 February 1998) was a Polish film director. Although she directed as many as 15 films over 50 years, Jakubowska is best known for her work on the Holocaust. Her 1948 film '' The Last Stage'' was an early a ...
. In 1946 she became one of the first people to sing ' Feuilles mortes' by Kosma, with
Yves Montand Ivo Livi (; 13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), better known as Yves Montand (), was an Italian-born French actor and singer. He is said to be one of France's greatest 20th-century artists. Early life Montand was born Ivo Livi in Stignano, a ...
, in '' Les Portes de la nuit'' by
Marcel Carné Marcel Albert Carné (; 18 August 1906 – 31 October 1996) was a French film director. A key figure in the poetic realism movement, Carné's best known films include ''Port of Shadows'' (1938), ''Le Jour Se Lève'' (1939), ''Les Visiteurs du Soi ...
.


References


External links


Irène Joachim sings Karl Maria von Weber Lieder
(Grand Prix du Disque, 1959) with the pianist Hélène Boschi. {{DEFAULTSORT:Joachim, Irene Academic staff of the Schola Cantorum de Paris French operatic sopranos 1913 births 2001 deaths Musicians from Paris French people of German descent 20th-century French women opera singers Academic staff of the Conservatoire de Paris French music educators French women music educators