Edmée Favart
Encyclopedia
Edmée Favart was a French soprano who had a varied and major career in opera and opéra comique
and left many recordings of songs from roles she performed on stage.
at the Théâtre des Variétés
in Paris. In 1907 she joined the company of the Théâtre des Nouveautés in Brussels. By 1912 she had returned to Paris, and appeared at the Gaîté
in La fille de Madame Angot
and La fille du tambour-major
.
Favart made her debut at the Opéra-Comique
on 20 June 1915 in Mignon (later singing the title role in the 1,500th performance of the opera at the theatre on 25 May 1919). She went on to sing Delphine (Cosi fan tutte), Clairette La fille de Madame Angot, Colette (La Basoche
), Rose Friquet (Les dragons de Villars
), Micaëla (Carmen), Cherubino (The marriage of Figaro), Rosenn (Le roi d'Ys
), and Mimi (La boheme) at the Salle Favart.
Favart created leading roles in La petite fonctionnaire
in 1921 and Ciboulette
in 1923 ; she also appeared in revivals of Véronique
, Madame l'archiduc
and Le petit duc at the Théâtre Mogador
.
She returned to the Opéra-Comique in 1925 for a single charity performance of Véronique.
She also sang in the premieres of Monsieur Dumollet (1922), Pépète (1925), Quand on est trois (1925), Mannequins (1925), Le Diable à Paris (1927), Une nuit au Louvre (1928), Boulard et ses filles (1929) and Sidonie Panache (1930).
Favart retired in 1935, as Mme Paul Gazagne. She died in Marseille.
in 1919 (Pathé) and various songs from Ciboulette from the year of its premiere (Pathé 1919, with Henry Defreyn and André Baugé
).
She set down records of numbers from Mannequins, Quand on est trois, No, No, Nanette
, Le Diable à Paris, Boulard et ses filles, Le Chant du désert
and Sidonie Panache. Two more Messager operettas appear on her discography ; Coups de roulis
(Polydor, 1932), and Passionément
(Pathé 1932).
Her recordings also include songs from Le petit duc, Les travaux d'Hercule, Les charbonniers and Madame Favart (Pathé, 1934).
Opéra comique
Opéra comique is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged out of the popular opéra comiques en vaudevilles of the Fair Theatres of St Germain and St Laurent , which combined existing popular tunes with spoken sections...
and left many recordings of songs from roles she performed on stage.
Life and career
Favart was born in Paris, the daughter of the baritone Edmond Favart and Zelie Weil, and appeared on stage with her father as a child in Algiers. She sang the Duchess in a 1904 revival of Le petit ducLe petit duc
Le petit duc is an opéra comique in three acts by Charles Lecocq. The French libretto was by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy.-Performance history:...
at the Théâtre des Variétés
Théâtre des Variétés
The Théâtre des Variétés is a theatre and "salle de spectacles" at 7, boulevard Montmartre, 2nd arrondissement, in Paris. It was declared a monument historique in 1975.-History:...
in Paris. In 1907 she joined the company of the Théâtre des Nouveautés in Brussels. By 1912 she had returned to Paris, and appeared at the Gaîté
Théâtre de la Gaîté (rue Papin)
In 1862 during Haussmann's modernization of Paris the Théâtre de la Gaîté of the boulevard du Temple was relocated to the rue Papin across from the Square des Arts et Métiers....
in La fille de Madame Angot
La fille de Madame Angot
La fille de Madame Angot is an opéra comique in three acts by Charles Lecocq. The French text was by Clairville, Paul Siraudin and Victor Koning.-Performance history:...
and La fille du tambour-major
La fille du tambour-major
La fille du tambour-major is an opéra comique, or operetta, in three acts by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Alfred Duru and Henri Charles Chivot ....
.
Favart made her 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...
on 20 June 1915 in Mignon (later singing the title role in the 1,500th performance of the opera at the theatre on 25 May 1919). She went on to sing Delphine (Cosi fan tutte), Clairette La fille de Madame Angot, Colette (La Basoche
La Basoche
La Basoche is an opéra comique in three acts of 1890, with music by André Messager and a French libretto by Albert Carré.-History:Messager's 1889 opérette Le mari de la reine at Bouffes-Parisiens was a disappointment, and the composer and his wife were struggling to afford even basic necessities...
), Rose Friquet (Les dragons de Villars
Les dragons de Villars
Les dragons de Villars is an opéra-comique in three acts by Aimé Maillart to a libretto by Eugène Cormon and Joseph-Philippe Lockroy.-Performance history:...
), Micaëla (Carmen), Cherubino (The marriage of Figaro), Rosenn (Le roi d'Ys
Le roi d'Ys
is an opera in three acts and five tableaux by the French composer Édouard Lalo, to a libretto by Édouard Blau, based on the old Breton legend of the drowned city of Ys, which was, according to the legend, the capital of the kingdom of Cornouaille. It premiered at the Opéra Comique in Paris on 7...
), and Mimi (La boheme) at the Salle Favart.
Favart created leading roles in La petite fonctionnaire
La petite fonctionnaire
La petite fonctionnaire is a comédie musicale in three acts of 1921, with music by André Messager and a French libretto by Alfred Capus and Xavier Roux, based on a play by Capus.-Background:...
in 1921 and Ciboulette
Ciboulette
Ciboulette is a French opérette in three acts, music by Reynaldo Hahn, libretto by Robert de Flers and Francis de Croisset, first performed at the Théâtre des Variétés, in Paris, on April 7, 1923...
in 1923 ; she also appeared in revivals of Véronique
Véronique (operetta)
Véronique is an opéra comique or operetta in three acts composed by André Messager. The French libretto was by Georges Duval and Albert Vanloo...
, Madame l'archiduc
Madame l'archiduc
Madame l’archiduc is an opéra bouffe, or operetta in three acts, by Jacques Offenbach, with a French libretto by Albert Millaud first performed in Paris in 1874....
and Le petit duc at the Théâtre Mogador
Théâtre Mogador
Théâtre Mogador founded in 1913 and designed by Bertie Crewe, is a Parisian music hall theatre located at 25, rue de Mogador in the 9th district. It seats 1,800 people on three tiers.In 1913 financier Sir Alfred Butt rented an area in Paris...
.
She returned to the Opéra-Comique in 1925 for a single charity performance of Véronique.
She also sang in the premieres of Monsieur Dumollet (1922), Pépète (1925), Quand on est trois (1925), Mannequins (1925), Le Diable à Paris (1927), Une nuit au Louvre (1928), Boulard et ses filles (1929) and Sidonie Panache (1930).
Favart retired in 1935, as Mme Paul Gazagne. She died in Marseille.
Recordings
Favart recorded two excerpts from Phi-PhiPhi-Phi
Phi-Phi is an opérette légère in three acts with music by Henri Christiné and a French libretto by Albert Willemetz and Fabien Solar. The piece was one which founded the new style of French comédie musicale, the first to really use the latest rhythms of jazz along with a plot which emphasised...
in 1919 (Pathé) and various songs from Ciboulette from the year of its premiere (Pathé 1919, with Henry Defreyn and André Baugé
André Baugé
André Gaston Baugé was a French baritone, active in opera and operetta, who also appeared in films in the 1930s.-Life and career:...
).
She set down records of numbers from Mannequins, Quand on est trois, No, No, Nanette
No, No, Nanette
No, No, Nanette is a musical comedy with lyrics by Irving Caesar and Otto Harbach, music by Vincent Youmans, and a book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel, based on Mandel's 1919 Broadway play My Lady Friends...
, Le Diable à Paris, Boulard et ses filles, Le Chant du désert
Desert Song
"Desert Song" is a song by British hard rock band Def Leppard from their 1993 rarities and 'b-sides' album Retro Active. This song was an outtake from the songwriting sessions that produced 1987's Hysteria. Self-produced, it became one of the last songs to be released by Def Leppard bearing the...
and Sidonie Panache. Two more Messager operettas appear on her discography ; Coups de roulis
Coups de roulis
Coups de roulis is an opérette in three acts with music by André Messager and a French libretto by Albert Willemetz, based on the 1925 novel by Maurice Larrouy.-Performance history:...
(Polydor, 1932), and Passionément
Passionément
Passionnément is a comédie musicale in three acts with music by André Messager and a French libretto by Maurice Hennequin and lyrics by Albert Willemetz. The title comes from the refrain of a waltz-song in the second act.-Performance history:...
(Pathé 1932).
Her recordings also include songs from Le petit duc, Les travaux d'Hercule, Les charbonniers and Madame Favart (Pathé, 1934).