André Turp
Encyclopedia
André Turp was a Canadian tenor
, particularly associated with the French and Italian repertories.
and Frank H. Rowe, before entering the Montreal Music Conservatory, where he was a pupil of Ruzena Herlinger. He was then awarded a grant and went to Italy to study with Hélène Vita. He made his stage debut in 1950 in operettas
with the "Variétés Lyriques", in Montreal. He also took part in several programs with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
.
His true operatic debut took place in 1956, at New Orleans, where he
sang Roméo in Roméo et Juliette
, Rodolfo in La Bohème
, and Cavaradossi in Tosca
. He then appeared with the Opera Guild
of Montreal, in the late 1950s, as Macduff in Macbeth
, and Fenton in Falstaff
.
His major breakthrough came in London, at the Royal Opera House
, where he made his debut on February 5, 1960, as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor
, opposite Joan Sutherland
. He was to appear with that company for several seasons in numerous roles including; the Duke of Mantua, Alfredo, Turridu, Rodolfo, Cavaradossi, etc. He was invited to the Glyndebourne Festival in 1961, where he sang in Henze's Elegy for Young Lovers.
At about the same time, he began a long association with the Opéra-Comique
and the Palais Garnier
, adding to his repertoire roles
such as Werther
(a role he sang with great success an estimated 500 times in Europe), Faust, Don Jose in Carmen
, Hoffmann in Les contes d'Hoffmann
, etc. He also appeared in Switzerland, Spain and Portugal.
In the 1970s, for the BBC
he participated in performances of the original versions of Verdi's Simon Boccanegra
and
Don Carlo, which have been recently released by Opera Rara
.
Turp retired from the stage in 1983. He taught at the Montreal Music Conservatory from 1979 until 1989, and served on juries for international competitions in Toulouse
and Verviers
.
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
, particularly associated with the French and Italian repertories.
Life and career
André Turp took private voice lessons with Édouard WoolleyÉdouard Woolley
Édouard Joseph Woolley was a Canadian tenor, actor, composer, and music educator of Haitian birth. He became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1958. His compositional output includes masses for three voices and for four voices, a few songs, and some instrumental pieces...
and Frank H. Rowe, before entering the Montreal Music Conservatory, where he was a pupil of Ruzena Herlinger. He was then awarded a grant and went to Italy to study with Hélène Vita. He made his stage debut in 1950 in operettas
with the "Variétés Lyriques", in Montreal. He also took part in several programs with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
.
His true operatic debut took place in 1956, at New Orleans, where he
sang Roméo in Roméo et Juliette
Roméo et Juliette
Roméo et Juliette is an opéra in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. It was first performed at the Théâtre Lyrique , Paris on 27 April 1867...
, Rodolfo in La Bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
, and Cavaradossi in Tosca
Tosca
Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
. He then appeared with the Opera Guild
of Montreal, in the late 1950s, as Macduff in Macbeth
Macbeth (opera)
Macbeth is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and additions by Andrea Maffei, based on Shakespeare's play of the same name...
, and Fenton in Falstaff
Falstaff (opera)
Falstaff is an operatic commedia lirica in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeare's plays The Merry Wives of Windsor and scenes from Henry IV. It was Verdi's last opera, written in the composer's ninth decade, and only the second of his 26 operas to be a comedy...
.
His major breakthrough came in London, at the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
, where he made his debut on February 5, 1960, as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor....
, opposite Joan Sutherland
Joan Sutherland
Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano noted for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s....
. He was to appear with that company for several seasons in numerous roles including; the Duke of Mantua, Alfredo, Turridu, Rodolfo, Cavaradossi, etc. He was invited to the Glyndebourne Festival in 1961, where he sang in Henze's Elegy for Young Lovers.
At about the same time, he began a long association with the Opéra-Comique
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...
and the Palais Garnier
Palais Garnier
The Palais Garnier, , is an elegant 1,979-seat opera house, which was built from 1861 to 1875 for the Paris Opera. It was originally called the Salle des Capucines because of its location on the Boulevard des Capucines in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, but soon became known as the Palais Garnier...
, adding to his repertoire roles
such as Werther
Werther
Werther is an opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Édouard Blau, Paul Milliet and Georges Hartmann based on the German epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe....
(a role he sang with great success an estimated 500 times in Europe), Faust, Don Jose in Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
, Hoffmann in Les contes d'Hoffmann
Les contes d'Hoffmann
Les contes d'Hoffmann is an opéra by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on short stories by E. T. A...
, etc. He also appeared in Switzerland, Spain and Portugal.
In the 1970s, for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
he participated in performances of the original versions of Verdi's Simon Boccanegra
Simon Boccanegra
Simon Boccanegra is an opera with a prologue and three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play Simón Bocanegra by Antonio García Gutiérrez....
and
Don Carlo, which have been recently released by Opera Rara
Opera Rara
Opera Rara is a British record label, founded in the early 1970s by Americans Patric Schmid and Don White to promote concerts of rare and/or forgotten operas by Giacomo Meyerbeer and Donizetti and such other "bel canto" composers as Giovanni Pacini, Saverio Mercadante, and Federico Ricci.The...
.
Turp retired from the stage in 1983. He taught at the Montreal Music Conservatory from 1979 until 1989, and served on juries for international competitions in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
and Verviers
Verviers
Verviers is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. The Verviers municipality includes the old communes of Ensival, Lambermont, Petit-Rechain, Stembert, and Heusy...
.
External links
- André Turp The Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian Encyclopedia is a source of information on Canada. It is available online, at no cost. The Canadian Encyclopedia is available in both English and French and includes some 14,000 articles in each language on a wide variety of subjects including history, popular culture, events, people,...