Ernest Carbonne
Encyclopedia
Raymond Jean-Baptiste Ernest Carbonne (born Toulouse 30 July 1860, died 1924) was a French tenor
and stage director who had a long association with the Opéra-Comique
in Paris.
and acting in 1887. He was a pupil of Achard and Bax at the Paris Conservatoire, winning first prize for opéra comique in 1889.
He made his debut at the Paris Opéra-Comique on 15 January 1890 as Sylvain in les Dragons de Villars
and went on to sing many roles there. He created roles in La Basoche
, La Carmélite, Louise
, La reine Fiammette
, as well as appearing in the Paris premieres of Le jongleur de Notre Dame
, Falstaff
and La Navarraise
. Other roles included Steersman in Vaisseau Fantôme
, Évandre in Alceste
, Almaviva in Le barbier de Séville
, Birotteau in Le Caïd, Dickson in La dame blanche
, Daniel in Le chalet
, Horace in Le domino noir
, Lorenzo in Fra Diavolo
, Vincent in Mireille
, Nicias in Phryné, Benoit in Le roi l’a dit, Tricolin in Le toréador
, and the count in Traviata
.
From 1906 to 1913, and from 1919 to 1922, Carbonne was ‘directeur de la scene’ at the Opéra-Comique, responsible among other productions for the premiere of Ravel’s L'heure espagnole.
In 1911 Carbonne became the inaugural head of the 'Amicale des Régisseurs de Théâtre' upon its foundation in Paris.
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...
and stage director who had 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...
in Paris.
Life and Career
Carbonne studied at the Conservatoire de Toulouse, gaining first prizes in opéra comiqueOpéra 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 acting in 1887. He was a pupil of Achard and Bax at the Paris Conservatoire, winning first prize for opéra comique in 1889.
He made his debut at the Paris Opéra-Comique on 15 January 1890 as Sylvain in 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:...
and went on to sing many roles there. He created roles in 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...
, La Carmélite, Louise
Louise (opera)
Louise is an opera in four acts by Gustave Charpentier to an original French libretto by the composer, with some contributions by Saint-Pol-Roux, a symbolist poet and inspiration of the surrealists....
, La reine Fiammette
La reine Fiammette
La reine Fiammette is an opera in 4 Acts by composer Xavier Leroux. The opera uses a French language libretto by Catulle Mendès which is based on Mendès's 1898 work of the same name, a conte dramatique in six acts set in Renaissance Italy. The opera's premiere was given by the Opéra-Comique at the...
, as well as appearing in the Paris premieres of Le jongleur de Notre Dame
Le jongleur de Notre Dame
Le Jongleur de Notre Dame is a religious miracle story by the French author Anatole France, published in 1892 and based on an old medieval legend. Similar to the later Christmas carol The Little Drummer Boy, it tells the story of a juggler turned monk who has no gift to offer a statue of the Virgin...
, 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 La Navarraise
La Navarraise
La Navarraise is an opera in one act by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Jules Claretie and Henri Cain, based on Claretie's novel La Cigarette...
. Other roles included Steersman in Vaisseau Fantôme
The Flying Dutchman (opera)
Der fliegende Holländer is an opera, with music and libretto by Richard Wagner.Wagner claimed in his 1870 autobiography Mein Leben that he had been inspired to write "The Flying Dutchman" following a stormy sea crossing he made from Riga to London in July and August 1839, but in his 1843...
, Évandre in Alceste
Alceste (Gluck)
Alceste is an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck from 1767. The libretto was written by Ranieri de' Calzabigi and based on the play Alcestis by Euripides. The premiere took place in Vienna.-Preface and reforms:...
, Almaviva in Le barbier de Séville
The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...
, Birotteau in Le Caïd, Dickson in La dame blanche
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...
, Daniel in Le chalet
Le chalet
Le chalet is an opéra-comique in one act by Adolphe Adam to a French libretto by Eugène Scribe and Mélésville after the singspiel Jery und Bätely by Goethe...
, Horace in Le domino noir
Le domino noir
Le domino noir is an opéra comique by the French composer Daniel Auber, first performed on 2 December 1837 by the Opéra-Comique at the Salle de la Bourse in Paris. The libretto to the three-act piece is by Auber's usual collaborator, Eugène Scribe. It was one of Auber's most successful works,...
, Lorenzo in Fra Diavolo
Fra Diavolo
Fra Diavolo , is the popular name given to Michele Pezza, a famous Neapolitan guerrilla leader who resisted the French occupation of Naples, proving an “inspirational practicioner of popular insurrection”. Pezza figures prominently in folk lore and fiction...
, Vincent in Mireille
Mireille (opera)
Mireille is an opera in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Michel Carré after Frédéric Mistral's poem Mireio.-Composition history:...
, Nicias in Phryné, Benoit in Le roi l’a dit, Tricolin in Le toréador
Le toréador
Le toréador, ou L'accord parfait is an opéra comique in two acts by the French composer Adolphe Adam with a libretto by Thomas-Marie-François Sauvage. It was first performed at the Opéra-Comique, Paris on May 18, 1849. It was a huge success and the work regularly appeared in the repertoire of the...
, and the count in Traviata
La traviata
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
.
From 1906 to 1913, and from 1919 to 1922, Carbonne was ‘directeur de la scene’ at the Opéra-Comique, responsible among other productions for the premiere of Ravel’s L'heure espagnole.
In 1911 Carbonne became the inaugural head of the 'Amicale des Régisseurs de Théâtre' upon its foundation in Paris.