Elias Nathan by Franck

Elias Nathan (1822-1884); French bass.
He studied at the Conservatoire National de Paris. In 1847 he made his debut at the Opéra-Comique, where he remained throughout his career. His roles were primarely from the buffo repertoire like Bartolo in "Il Barbiere di Siviglia", Mathéo in "Fra Diavolo" and Sulpice in "La Fille du Régiment". Later in his career he added a number of smaller character roles and also comprimario roles to his repertoire. In 1875 he created the small (speaking) role of Lillas Pastia at the première of Bizet's "Carmen" at the Opéra-Comique.