Edmond Clément
Encyclopedia
Edmond Clément was a French lyric tenor
who earned an international reputation due to the polished artistry of his singing.
Clément studied at the Conservatoire de Paris
with Victor Warot
, and made his stage debut at the Opéra-Comique
in 1889, as Vincent in Mireille
. He remained first tenor at that theatre until 1909, appearing as Ottavio
, Tamino, Almaviva, Georges Brown
, Fra Diavolo
, Gérald
, des Grieux
, Werther
and Hoffmann
, among other roles.
He also took part in the first performances of Le juif polonais by Camille Erlanger
and Hélène by Camille Saint-Saëns
, and sang in the Parisian premieres of Falstaff
and Madama Butterfly
.
His career was not confined to Paris, however. He also sang in Brussels, Monte Carlo, Madrid and London, although he never appeared at the Royal Opera House
, Covent Garden
. The United States beckoned, and he joined the stellar roster of singers at the Metropolitan Opera
in New York City, where he performed in 1909-1910. Competition from the resplendent tenor voice of Enrico Caruso overwhelmed him, however, and he was not re-engaged by the Met's management. While in New York City he kept his voice in trim by taking lessons from the noted pedagogue Frederick Bristol
.
He then sang in Boston from 1911 to 1913. Audiences at the Boston Opera House
admired him for his stylish vocalism, exemplary diction and elegant stage presence during his engagement with the Boston Opera Company
. Although his voice was not large, he was considered to be one of the leading Roméo
s and Don José
s of his era by dint of his musicianship.
Clément returned to his homeland when the First World War erupted in 1914 and was wounded subsequently while serving with the French army. America heard him again during the early 1920s when he travelled across the Atlantic for concert and recital appearances. His last years were spent in semi-retirement in France. He gave his last recital at the age of 60 in 1927 and died the following year in Nice. During his career he also taught singing privately. Among his notable pupils was the soprano Marie Sundelius
.
His voice lives on in the form of recordings which he made in France and the United States for the Odeon, Victor and Pathe companies. These recordings, which have been reissued on CD, consist mainly of operatic arias from his core repertoire. They open a window on to a vanished world of refined French vocal style.
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...
who earned an international reputation due to the polished artistry of his singing.
Clément studied at the Conservatoire de Paris
Conservatoire de Paris
The Conservatoire de Paris is a college of music and dance founded in 1795, now situated in the avenue Jean Jaurès in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France...
with Victor Warot
Victor Warot
Victor Alexandre Warot was a Belgian opera singer. He began his career as a lyric tenor but later grew into a fine dramatic singer. He was particularly known for his portrayal of Wagner and Meyerbeer heroes.-Biography:...
, and made his stage debut at 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...
in 1889, as Vincent in Mireille
Mireille
Mireille is a French given name, derived from the Provençal Occitan name Mirèio . It could be related with the Occitan verb mirar "to admire" or with the Occitan surnames Miriam "Myriam", Maria "Mary".-A given name:* Mireille Darc , a French actress* Mireille Gingras , Canadian-American...
. He remained first tenor at that theatre until 1909, appearing as Ottavio
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
, Tamino, Almaviva, Georges Brown
La Dame blanche
La dame blanche is an opéra comique in three acts by the French composer François-Adrien Boieldieu. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe and is based on episodes from no less than five of the works by Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott, including his novels The Monastery, Guy Mannering, and The...
, Fra Diavolo
Fra Diavolo (opera)
Fra Diavolo, ou L'hôtellerie de Terracine is an opéra comique in three acts by the French composer Daniel Auber, from a libretto by Auber's regular collaborator Eugène Scribe...
, Gérald
Lakmé
Lakmé is an opera in three acts by Léo Delibes to a French libretto by Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille. Delibes wrote the score during 1881–82 with its first performance on 14 April 1883 at the Opéra Comique in Paris. Set in British India in the mid 19th century, Lakmé is based on the 1880 novel...
, des Grieux
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...
, 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....
and 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...
, among other roles.
He also took part in the first performances of Le juif polonais by Camille Erlanger
Camille Erlanger
Camille Erlanger was a Parisian-born French opera composer. He studied at the Paris Conservatory under Léo Delibes and Émile Durand, and in 1888 won the Prix de Rome for his cantata Velléda...
and Hélène by Camille Saint-Saëns
Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
, and sang in the Parisian premieres of 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...
and Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly
Madama Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Puccini based his opera in part on the short story "Madame Butterfly" by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco...
.
His career was not confined to Paris, however. He also sang in Brussels, Monte Carlo, Madrid and London, although he never appeared 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...
, Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
. The United States beckoned, and he joined the stellar roster of singers at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York City, where he performed in 1909-1910. Competition from the resplendent tenor voice of Enrico Caruso overwhelmed him, however, and he was not re-engaged by the Met's management. While in New York City he kept his voice in trim by taking lessons from the noted pedagogue Frederick Bristol
Frederick Bristol
Frederick E. Bristol was a celebrated American voice teacher who operated a private studios in Boston and New York City during the second half of the 19th century and early 20th century. He began teaching singing in 1869 and the 60th anniversary of his teaching career was recognized by an article...
.
He then sang in Boston from 1911 to 1913. Audiences at the Boston Opera House
Boston Opera House (1909)
The Boston Opera House was an opera house located on Huntington Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts. It opened in 1909 as the home of the Boston Opera Company and was demolished in 1958 after years of disuse....
admired him for his stylish vocalism, exemplary diction and elegant stage presence during his engagement with the Boston Opera Company
Boston Opera Company
The Boston Opera Company was an American opera company located in Boston, Massachusetts that was active from 1909 to 1915.-History:The company was founded in 1908 by Bostonian millionaire Eben Dyer Jordan, Jr. and impresario Henry Russell...
. Although his voice was not large, he was considered to be one of the leading Roméo
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...
s and Don José
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...
s of his era by dint of his musicianship.
Clément returned to his homeland when the First World War erupted in 1914 and was wounded subsequently while serving with the French army. America heard him again during the early 1920s when he travelled across the Atlantic for concert and recital appearances. His last years were spent in semi-retirement in France. He gave his last recital at the age of 60 in 1927 and died the following year in Nice. During his career he also taught singing privately. Among his notable pupils was the soprano Marie Sundelius
Marie Sundelius
Marie Sundelius was a Swedish-American classical soprano. She sang for many years with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City and later embarked on a second career as a celebrated voice teacher in Boston....
.
His voice lives on in the form of recordings which he made in France and the United States for the Odeon, Victor and Pathe companies. These recordings, which have been reissued on CD, consist mainly of operatic arias from his core repertoire. They open a window on to a vanished world of refined French vocal style.
Sources
- Guide de l'opéra, les indispensables de la musique, R. Mancini & J-J. Rouvereux, (Fayard, 1986), ISBN 2-213-01563-6
- The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera (Second Edition), Harold Rosenthal and John Warrack, (Oxford University Press, 1980), ISBN 019 311321 X
- The Record of Singing, Michael Scott, (Duckworth, 1977)