Marcel Merkès (7 July 1920 – 30 March 2007) 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 ...

operetta singer. Merkès was born in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

. After receiving several prizes in singing at the Conservatoire de Bordeaux, he started at the age of 22 years at the

Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux 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 the role of Des Grieux in ''

Manon ''Manon'' () is an ''opéra comique'' in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel '' L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut'' by the Abbé Prévost. It was f ...

'', an opera by

Jules Massenet Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are ''Manon'' (1884 ...

. He often performed an operetta duo with his wife Paulette Merval, a singer and violinist, who he had met at the Conservatoire de Bordeaux. They totaled more than 10,500 performances and recorded many records in their careers. He was a prolific performer at the

Théâtre Mogador Théâtre Mogador (), founded in 1913 with design by Bertie Crewe, is a Parisian music hall theatre located at 25, Rue de Mogador in the 9th arrondissement. It seats 1,600 people on three tiers (orchestra: 787 seats, boxes: 432 seats, balconies ...

in Paris. Merkès was married to violinist and singer Paulette Merval. Their son, Alain Merkès, also pursued a career as singer under the name Alain Valmer. Marcel died in

Pessac Pessac (; ) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a member of the metropolis of Bordeaux, being the second-largest suburb of Bordeaux and located just southwest of it. Pessac is also home to ...

Notable performances

Notable performances, debut of performance is given: *'' Rêve de Valse'' by Oscar Straus –

, Paris, 22 March 1947 *'' Imperial Violets'' by Vincent Scotto – Théâtre Mogador, Paris, 31 January 1948 *''

Annie du Far-West ''Annie du Far-West'' is a French operetta, adapted from '' Annie Get Your Gun'' by André Mouëzy-Éon and Albert Willemetz. It debuted at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on 19 February 1950. It starred Marcel Merkès and Lily Fayol and h ...

'' by

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Isidore Beilin; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-born American composer and songwriter. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Berlin received numerous honors including an Acade ...

–

Théâtre du Châtelet The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a ...

, Paris, 19 February 1950 *''

Rose-Marie ''Rose-Marie'' is an operetta-style musical with music by Rudolf Friml and Herbert Stothart, and book and lyrics by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II. The story is set in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and concerns Rose-Marie La Flemme, a F ...

'' by

Rudolf Friml Charles Rudolf Friml"Mrs. Rudolf Friml to Receive Divorce"
...

– Théâtre de l'Empire, 12 May 1950 *'' La Veuve joyeuse'' by

Franz Lehár Franz Lehár ( ; ; 30 April 1870 – 24 October 1948) was an Austro-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas, of which the most successful and best known is '' The Merry Widow'' (''Die lustige Witwe''). Life and career L ...

– Théâtre Mogador, Paris, 17 November 1951 *'' Les Amants de Venise'' by Vincent Scotto – Théâtre Mogador, Paris, 5 December 1953 *'' Les amours de Don Juan'' by Juan Morata – Théâtre Mogador, Paris, 23 December 1955 *'' Michel Strogoff'' by Jack Ledru – Théâtre Mogador, Paris, 5 December 1964 *'' Vienne chante et Danse'' by

Johann Strauss II Johann Baptist Strauss II (; ; 25 October 1825 – 3 June 1899), also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (), was an List of Austrian composers, Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas as well ...

and Jack Ledru – Théâtre Mogador, Paris, 25 November 1967 *'' Douchka'' by Georges Garvarentz and

Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( ; ; ; born Shahnur Vaghinak Aznavourian; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a Armenians in France, French singer and songwriter of Armenian descent. Aznavour was known for his distinctive vibrato tenor voice: clear and ringi ...

– Théâtre Mogador, Paris, 4 October 1973 *''

Princesse Czardas Princesse (French 'princess') may refer to: *"Princesse", single hit for Julie Zenatti * Princesse (Nekfeu song) * La Princesse 15-metre (50-foot) mechanical spider designed and operated by French performance art company La Machine. See also *Pr ...

'' by

Emmerich Kálmán Emmerich Kálmán ( ; 24 October 1882 – 30 October 1953) was a Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian composer of operettas and a prominent figure in the development of Operetta#Austria–Hungary, Viennese operetta in the 20th century. Among his most p ...

, Avignon 1979–1982

Filmography

*'' Trois de la Canebière'' by

Maurice de Canonge Maurice de Canonge (March 18, 1894 – January 10, 1979) was a French actor and film director.Oscherwitz & Higgins p.222 He is also sometimes known by the name Maurice Cannon. Selected filmography Director * ''Stowaway Olive'' (1931) * ''Olive se ...

(1956) * '' Three Sailors'' by Maurice de Canonge (1957)

References

External links

Biography, photos
* 1920 births 2007 deaths Musicians from Bordeaux Conservatoire de Bordeaux alumni 20th-century French male opera singers French operatic tenors {{France-singer-stub