Jean-Étienne-Auguste Massol (also known as Eugène Massol) (23 August 1802 – 30 October 1887) was a French operatic

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 ...

and later

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

who sang in the world premieres of many

French opera French opera is both the art of opera in France and opera in the French language. It is one of Europe's most important operatic traditions, containing works by composers of the stature of Rameau, Berlioz, Gounod, Bizet, Massenet, Debussy, Ra ...

s. Massol was born in

Lodève Lodève (; , ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Hérault, in the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, southern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, subprefe ...

and trained at the

Paris Conservatory 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 ...

under

Charles-Henri Plantade Charles-Henri Plantade (14 October 1764 – 18 December 1839) was a French classical composer and singing professor. His compositions included several operas, numerous Romance (music), romances, sacred music, and a sonata for harp. He taught singi ...

. He won the conservatory's first prize in singing in 1825 and that same year made his stage debut as Licinius in Spontini's ''

La vestale ''La vestale'' (''The Vestal Virgin'') is an opera composed by Gaspare Spontini to a French libretto by Étienne de Jouy. It takes the form of a '' tragédie lyrique'' in three acts. It was first performed on 15 December 1807 by the Académie Imp ...

'' at 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 kn ...

. He sang primarily secondary tenor roles until the late 1830s when he increasingly gravitated to baritone roles. In 1845 he went to Brussels where he sang leading baritone roles including the title role of ''

Nabucco ''Nabucco'' (; short for ''Nabucodonosor'' , i.e. "Nebuchadnezzar II, Nebuchadnezzar") is an Italian-language opera in four acts composed in 1841 by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera. The libretto is based on the biblic ...

'' in its first performance at the

Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie The Royal Theatre of La Monnaie (, ; , ; both translating as the "Royal Theatre of the Mint") is an opera house in central Brussels, Belgium. The National Opera of Belgium, a federal institution, takes the name of this theatre in which it is ho ...

and went on to serve as the theatre's director from 1848 to 1849. During that period he also sang in London with the

Royal Italian Opera 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 ...

at Covent Garden. In 1850 he returned to the Paris Opera and remained there as a principal baritone until his retirement from the stage in 1858. Massol died in Paris at the age of 85.

Roles created

*Lorenzo (tenor) in ''

La muette de Portici ''La muette de Portici'' (''The Mute Girl of Portici'', or ''The Dumb Girl of Portici''), also called ''Masaniello'' () in some versions, is an opera in five acts by Daniel Auber, with a libretto by Germain Delavigne, revised by Eugène Scri ...

'', 1828 *Second knight (tenor) in ''

Le comte Ory ''Le comte Ory'' (''Count Ory'') is a comic opera written by Gioachino Rossini in 1828. Some of the music originates from his opera ''Il viaggio a Reims'' written three years earlier for the coronation of Charles X. The French libretto was by Eug� ...

'', 1828 *Rodolphe (tenor) in ''

Guillaume Tell William Tell (, ; ; ; ) is a legendary folk hero of Switzerland. He is known for Shooting an apple off one's child's head, shooting an apple off his son's head. According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a cro ...

'', 1829 *Herald (tenor) in ''

Robert le diable ''Robert le diable'' (''Robert the Devil'') is an opera in five acts composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer between 1827 and 1831, to a libretto written in French by Eugène Scribe and Germain Delavigne. ''Robert le diable'' is regarded as one of the first ...

'', 1831 *Christian (tenor) in '' Gustave III'', 1833 *First drinker (tenor) in ''

La Juive ''La Juive'' (, ) is a grand opera in five acts by Fromental Halévy to an original French libretto by Eugène Scribe; it was first performed at the Opéra National de Paris, Opéra de Paris, on 23 February 1835. Composition history ''La Juive'' ...

'', 1835 *Cossé (tenor) in ''

Les Huguenots () is an opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer and is one of the most popular and spectacular examples of grand opera. In five acts, to a libretto by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps, it premiered in Paris on 29 February 1836. Composition history '' ...

'', 1836 *Quasimodo (tenor) in '' La Esmeralda'', 1836 *Michael (tenor) in '' Stradella'', 1837 *Fortebraccio (tenor) in ''

Guido et Ginevra ''Guido et Ginevra, ou La Peste de Florence'' (French: ''Guido and Ginevra, or the Plague at Florence'') is a grand opera in five acts by Fromental Halévy to a libretto by Eugène Scribe. It was premiered on 5 March 1838 by the Paris Opera at t ...

'', 1838 *Fieramosca (baritone) in ''

Benvenuto Cellini Benvenuto Cellini (, ; 3 November 150013 February 1571) was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and author. His best-known extant works include the ''Cellini Salt Cellar'', the sculpture of ''Perseus with the Head of Medusa'', and his autobiography ...

'', 1838 *Sévère (baritone) in ''

Les Martyrs ''Les martyrs'' (, ''The Martyrs'') is a four-act grand opera by Gaetano Donizetti set to a French libretto by Eugène Scribe. The libretto was based on one written by Salvadore Cammarano for an original Italian version known as ''Poliuto'', whic ...

'', 1840 *Bronzino (baritone) in ''Le comte de Carmagnola'', 1841 *Mocénigo (baritone) in ''

La reine de Chypre ''La reine de Chypre'' (, ''The Queen of Cyprus'') is an 1841 grand opera in five acts composed by Fromental Halévy to a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges. Performance history ''La reine de Chypre'', first performed at the Salle Le ...

'', 1841 *L'Inconnu (baritone?) in ''Le guérilléro'',opera in 2 acts by Ambroise Thomas to a libretto by

Théodore Anne Théodore Anne (7 April 1797 – 12 August 1869) was a French playwright, librettist, and novelist. Engaged in the army in 1814, until the July Revolution of 1830 he was a member of the compagnie de Noailles then, still faithful to the Bourbons ...

1842 *L'homme de la forêt du Mans (tenor) in '' Charles VI'', 1843 *Abayaldos (baritone) in ''

Dom Sébastien ''Dom Sébastien, Roi de Portugal'' (''Don Sebastian, King of Portugal'') is a French grand opera in five acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe, based on Paul Foucher's play ''Don Sébastien de Portugal'' which pr ...

'', 1843 *Ruben (baritone) in ''

L'enfant prodigue The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a parable of Jesus in the Bible. The Prodigal Son or Prodigal Son may also refer to: Film * ''L'Enfant prodigue'' (1907 film) (The Prodigal Son), by Michel Carré, based on his play * , a short silent film by ...

'', 1850 *Ahasvérus (baritone) in ''

Le Juif errant ''The Wandering Jew'' () is an 1844 novel by the French writer Eugène Sue. It tells the story of the descendants of a persecuted Huguenot whose fortune had been entrusted to a Jewish banker for 150 years. Scattered across the globe, they have ...

'', 1852

References

Notes Sources * *Kuhn, Laura (ed.) (2000). "Massol, Eugène Étienne Auguste", ''Baker's Dictionary of Opera'', Schirmer Books, p. 499. *Meyerbeer, Giacomo (2001)
''The Diaries of Giacomo Meyerbeer: 1840-1849''
translated, edited and annotated by Robert Ignatius Letellier. Associated University Presse. {{DEFAULTSORT:Massol, Jeanetienneauguste 1802 births 1887 deaths French operatic tenors French operatic baritones 19th-century French male opera singers