Léon Escalais
Encyclopedia
Léon Escalaïs was a prominent Gallic tenor
, particularly associated with French and Italian heroic roles. His lean, nimble and powerful voice was noted for the ease and brilliance of its upper register.
, where he won prizes for singing and opera performance. He continued his studies at the Paris Conservatory with two well-known teachers of the day, Crosti and Obin, prior to making his professional debut at the Théâtre du Château (Paris) in 1882, in Sardanapale by Jean-Baptiste Duvernoy.
Escalaïs was offered a contract by the Paris Opéra. His first appearance with the Paris Opéra at the Palais Garnier
occurred in 1883, as Arnold in Guillaume Tell. (Arnold would become one of his signature roles.)
Two years later, he sang for the first time at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels
, and he made his debut at La Scala
, Milan
, in 1888. He left the Paris Opéra in 1892 after a dispute with management and accepted engagements in Dijon
, Lyon
, Marseille
and Italy. Among the taxing roles which he undertook were Eléazar in La Juive
, Robert in Robert le diable
, Raoul in Les Huguenots
, Vasco in L'Africaine
and the title parts in Le Cid
and Sigurd
.
Between 1892 and 1908, Escalaïs sang more often in Italy than he did in his native land. He added to his repertoire such Verdi roles as Manrico in Il trovatore
, Radamès in Aida
and the title part in Otello
. Consequently, he was sometimes described as "the French Tamagno" (after Francesco Tamagno
, the Italian heroic tenor).
Escalaïs rejoined the Paris Opéra in 1908. The following year, he sang as a guest artist at the New Orleans Opera House. These would be his only performances in the United States. He retired from the stage in 1912 while still in good voice and was appointed to the Legion of Honour by the French Government in 1927. In retirement, he gave private singing lessons. One of his students was José Luccioni
, an outstanding dramatic tenor of the 1930s and '40s. Escalaïs died in Paris during the Second World War, aged 82.
ornaments such as trills and runs. This type of agile yet robust dramatic tenor voice is now rare, which makes the gramophone
discs that he cut in Milan in 1905–06 for Fonotipia Records
of considerable interest to musicologists and vocal students.
Both the Preiser and Symposium companies have released CD anthologies devoted to Escalaïs.
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 French and Italian heroic roles. His lean, nimble and powerful voice was noted for the ease and brilliance of its upper register.
Life and career
Born Léonce-Antoine Escalaïs, he commenced his vocal studies as a young man at the Music Conservatory of ToulouseToulouse
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...
, where he won prizes for singing and opera performance. He continued his studies at the Paris Conservatory with two well-known teachers of the day, Crosti and Obin, prior to making his professional debut at the Théâtre du Château (Paris) in 1882, in Sardanapale by Jean-Baptiste Duvernoy.
Escalaïs was offered a contract by the Paris Opéra. His first appearance with the Paris Opéra at 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...
occurred in 1883, as Arnold in Guillaume Tell. (Arnold would become one of his signature roles.)
Two years later, he sang for the first time at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, and he made his debut at La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
, Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, in 1888. He left the Paris Opéra in 1892 after a dispute with management and accepted engagements in Dijon
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
, Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
and Italy. Among the taxing roles which he undertook were Eléazar in La Juive
La Juive
La Juive is a grand opera in five acts by Fromental Halévy to an original French libretto by Eugène Scribe; it was first performed at the Opéra, Paris, on February 23, 1835.-Composition history:...
, Robert in Robert le diable
Robert le diable (opera)
Robert le diable is an opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer, often regarded as the first grand opera. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe and Casimir Delavigne and has little connection to the medieval legend of Robert the Devil. Originally planned as a three-act opéra comique, "Meyerbeer persuaded...
, Raoul in Les Huguenots
Les Huguenots
Les Huguenots is a French opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer, one of the most popular and spectacular examples of the style of grand opera. The opera is in five acts and premiered in Paris in 1836. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps....
, Vasco in L'Africaine
L'Africaine
L'africaine is a grand opera, the last work of the composer Giacomo Meyerbeer. The French libretto was written by Eugène Scribe. The opera is about fictitious events in the life of the real historical person Vasco da Gama...
and the title parts in Le Cid
Le Cid
Le Cid is a tragicomedy written by Pierre Corneille and published in 1636. It is based on the legend of El Cid.The play followed Corneille's first true tragedy, Médée, produced in 1635. An enormous popular success, Corneille's Le Cid was the subject of a heated polemic over the norms of dramatic...
and Sigurd
Sigurd
Sigurd is a legendary hero of Norse mythology, as well as the central character in the Völsunga saga. The earliest extant representations for his legend come in pictorial form from seven runestones in Sweden and most notably the Ramsund carving Sigurd (Old Norse: Sigurðr) is a legendary hero of...
.
Between 1892 and 1908, Escalaïs sang more often in Italy than he did in his native land. He added to his repertoire such Verdi roles as Manrico in Il trovatore
Il trovatore
Il trovatore is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play El Trovador by Antonio García Gutiérrez. Cammarano died in mid-1852 before completing the libretto...
, Radamès in Aida
Aida
Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
and the title part in Otello
Otello
Otello is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play Othello. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, and was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on February 5, 1887....
. Consequently, he was sometimes described as "the French Tamagno" (after Francesco Tamagno
Francesco Tamagno
Francesco Tamagno was an operatic tenor from Italy who sang with enormous success throughout Europe and America. On 5 February 1887, he cemented his place in musical history by creating the role of Otello in Giuseppe Verdi's masterpiece of the same name...
, the Italian heroic tenor).
Escalaïs rejoined the Paris Opéra in 1908. The following year, he sang as a guest artist at the New Orleans Opera House. These would be his only performances in the United States. He retired from the stage in 1912 while still in good voice and was appointed to the Legion of Honour by the French Government in 1927. In retirement, he gave private singing lessons. One of his students was José Luccioni
José Luccioni
José Luccioni was a French operatic tenor of Corsican origin. He possessed one of the best dramatic voices of the 1930s and 1940s....
, an outstanding dramatic tenor of the 1930s and '40s. Escalaïs died in Paris during the Second World War, aged 82.
Vocal characteristics & recordings
Escalais's many successes were achieved in spite of his being handicapped by a short, dumpy physique which was often at odds with the heroic stature of the characters that he portrayed on stage. The impressive quality of his voice compensated for any physical drawbacks, however. It was strong, bright in tone, with effortless top notes (including a potent high D) and showed remarkable flexibility. He also had a fluent command of traditional bel cantoBel canto
Bel canto , along with a number of similar constructions , is an Italian opera term...
ornaments such as trills and runs. This type of agile yet robust dramatic tenor voice is now rare, which makes the gramophone
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
discs that he cut in Milan in 1905–06 for Fonotipia Records
Fonotipia Records
Fonotipia Records, or Dischi Fonotipia, was an Italian gramophone record label established in 1904 with a charter to record the art of leading opera singers and some other celebrity musicians, chiefly violinists. Fonotipia continued to operate into the electrical recording era, which commenced in...
of considerable interest to musicologists and vocal students.
Both the Preiser and Symposium companies have released CD anthologies devoted to Escalaïs.
Sources
- Roland Mancini and Jean-Jacques Rouveroux (originally H. Rosenthal and J. Warrack), French edition, Guide de l’opéra, Les indispensables de la musique (Fayard, 1995). ISBN 2-213-01563-6.
- Leo Riemens, liner notes to Leonce Escalais, Lebendige Vergangenheit Compact Disc 89527 (Preiser, Austria, 2000).
- Michael Scott, The Record of Singing, Volume One (Duckworth, London, 1977).
- John Steane, The Grand Tradition: 70 years of Singing on Disc, (Duckworth, London, 1974).