Jean Mouliérat (13 November 1853 – 20 April 1932) was a French

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 ...

. He spent most of his career at the

Opéra comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular ''opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Théâtre de la foire, Fair Theatres of St Germain and S ...

in Paris.

Origins

Born in

Vers Vers may refer to: Places in France * Vers, Haute-Savoie, a commune in the Haute-Savoie ''département'' * Vers, Lot, a commune in the Lot ''département'' * Vers, Saône-et-Loire, a commune in the Saône-et-Loire ''département'' * Vers-e ...

, near

Cahors Cahors (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the western part of Southern France. It is the smallest prefecture among the 13 departments that constitute the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Region. The capital and main city of t ...

, Mouliérat was the son of an hotelier. The paternal hotel-restaurant, ''La truite dorée'' ("the golden trout"), was very well known in the region and already frequented by the "tourists" of the time. Having started his life as a simple shepherd at the age of 20, he joined the army. Incorporated into the 18th foot chasseurs regiment of the , it is here that General Gaucher, remarked this young man with a golden voice when on 14 July 1875, the tenor sang the patriotic song: ''

Vous n'aurez pas l'Alsace et la Lorraine ''Vous'' is the plural form of "you" (also used as "polite" singular) in the French language French ( or ) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, it ...

''. Mouliérat then attended classes at the Conservatoire national de musique et de déclamation of Paris, under professor Grosset's protective wing.

Career

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 Paris who hired him, Mouliérat was entrusted with the main roles of the repertoire:

Wilhelm Meister Wilhelm Meister is the main character in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's novels ''Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship'' and its sequel '' Wilhelm Meister's Journeyman Years''. Description and history Wilhelm Meister's story concerns how he comes from a ...

in Ambroise Thomas' ''

Mignon ''Mignon'' () is an 1866 ''opéra comique'' (or opera in its second version) in three acts by Ambroise Thomas. The original French libretto was by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on Goethe's 1795-96 novel '' Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre''. ...

'', Tybalt in Gounod's ''

Roméo et Juliette ''Roméo et Juliette'' (, ''Romeo and Juliet'') is an opera in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on ''Romeo and Juliet'' by William Shakespeare. It was first performed at the Théâtre Ly ...

'', Don José in Bizet's ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...

'', Tamino in Mozart's ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...

'', Alfredo in Verdi's '' La traviata''. In 1893, Werther in Massenet's work, consecrated him. An affection for the vocal cords put an end to his singing career in 1898. From then on, the singer became fascinated by the medieval castle which he acquired in 1896 at Prudhomat, in the Lot department, the

Château de Castelnau-Bretenoux The Château de Castelnau-Bretenoux () is a castle in the commune of Prudhomat, Lot ''département'', France. One of the most impressive in the Quercy region, it has been listed as a by the French Ministry of Culture since 1862. History Const ...

. He restored the monumental edifice where he liked to receive personalities of letters, arts or politics such as

Colette Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (; 28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954), known as Colette or Colette Willy, was a French author and woman of letters. She was also a Mime artist, mime, actress, and journalist. Colette is best known in the English-speaki ...

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (; ; 12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a u ...

, the queen of Madagascar,

Ranavalona III Ranavalona III (; 22 November 1861 – 23 May 1917) was the last sovereign of the Kingdom of Madagascar. She ruled from 30 July 1883 to 28 February 1897 in a reign marked by ultimately futile efforts to resist the colonial designs of the go ...

, more commonly known as Queen Ranavalo,

Henri Lavedan Henri Léon Emile Lavedan (9 April 1859 – 4 September 1940), French dramatist and man of letters, was born at Orléans, the son of , a well-known Catholic and liberal journalist. Lavedan contributed to various Parisian papers a series of wit ...

of the Académie française, painter Henri Martin,

Anatole de Monzie Anatole de Monzie (; 22 November 1876, Bazas, Gironde – 11 January 1947, Paris) was a French administrator, encyclopaedist (''Encyclopédie française''), political figure and scholar. His father was a tax collector in Bazas, Gironde where ...

... Mouliérat died in Paris on 20 April 1932. He donated his castleLe château de Castelnau-Bretenoux
on Judrand to the State (Ministry of Fine Arts). He is buried at

Montparnasse Cemetery Montparnasse Cemetery () is a cemetery in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, in the city's 14th arrondissement of Paris, 14th arrondissement. The cemetery is roughly 47 acres and is the second largest cemetery in Paris. The cemetery has over 35,00 ...

References

External links

Jean Mouliérat biography
on Artlyriquefr
''1 lettre de Jean Mouliérat à Jules Massenet'' (undated)
on Gallica {{DEFAULTSORT:Moulierat, Jean 1853 births 1932 deaths People from Lot (department) French operatic tenors Knights of the Legion of Honour Burials at Montparnasse Cemetery