Opera's Golden Age In Postcards

as Girot "pre Aux Clercs" Herold Maurice Declery 1873-1957 French Baritone Debut in 1897 at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, where he remained till 1900. 1900 and 1901 guest at Covent Garden London, 1901 Metropolitan Opera in New York remained till 1903. ’. In 1903 he returned to Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, where he finished his career in 1923. Made guest performances in French theaters. Roles Germont in ‘’La Traviata’’, Ourrias in ‘’Mireille’’ Gounod, Lothario in ‘’Mignon’’ Thomas, Vézir in ‘’Marouf’’ . Rabaud, Lescaut in Massenet’s ‘’Manon’’, Francois in ‘’Le Chemineau’’Leroux .

Ben Williams 1893-1946 Welsh Tenor While working in the coal mines near Swansea, Ben Williams took singing lessons and, encouraged by his teacher, auditioned for the Carl Rosa Opera Company when they came to town. He was engaged as a chorister, soon progressed to small parts, got his first opportunity at a principal role filling in in The Daughter of the Regiment, and eventually became the Company's principal tenor. His first London appearance with Carl Rosa was as Henry in Tannhauser (Lyceum, May 1920), and he appeared often in the major London opera houses over the next nineteen years. Williams was engaged by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in June 1939 as a replacement for John Dudley. He appeared the following month as Nanki-Poo in The Mikado. During the 1939-40 season he shared Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S. Pinafore, Nanki-Poo, Colonel Fairfax in The Yeomen of the Guard, and Marco in The Gondoliers with John Dean. For the 1940-41 season Williams was the full-time Defendant in Trial by Jury and Marco in The Gondoliers, and continued to split duty as Nanki-Poo with Dean. Williams left the D'Oyly Carte in August 1941.

as Mignon 'Mignon" Thomas GERALDINE FARRAR 1882-1967 American Soprano Started her vocal lessons with Mrs. J. H. Long in Boston in 1894. The 12-year-old Farrar also studied operatic acting and deportment with Victor Capoul, By the time she was 13 Farrar was living in New York City and studying with Emma Thursby , she was in Paris from 1899 to 1900, stuying with Trabadelo, a Spanish vocal coach, she went to Berlin to study with Francesco Graziani, In 1900 Farrar auditioned and won a three-year contract with the Berlin Hofoper Making her debut as Marguerite in Faust in 1901,After her contract in Berlin was up, Farrar moved to the Monte Carlo Opera, where she sang from about 1904 to 1906, making her Monte Carlo debut in Puccini's La Bohéme alongside costar Enrico Caruso. In 1905, Farrar sang in the premiere of " Amica" by Mascagni. She also appeared in Paris, Munich, Warsaw, and Salzburg,While she lived in Europe, Farrar continued to study with Lilli Lehmann.On opening night of the 1906-1907 season at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, Farrar made her debut with the company with which she would be associated for the rest of her career. In her debut, sher sang in "Roméo et Juliette" by Gounod. She appeared in the Met's first production of Puccini's Madama Butterfly, In 1910 at the world premiere of German composer Engelbert Humperdinck's " Köngiskinder" creating the role of the Goose Girl. In 1911, Farrar sang in the American premiere of Ariane et Barbe-bleue.Her final performance at the Met was in April 1922. She sang in Zazá by Leoncavallo

LUCIEN MURATORE 1878-1954 French Tenor Studied at the Paris Music Conservatory, and made his operatic debut in 1902, at the Opéra-Comique opposite Emma Calve , creating the King in Reynaldo Hahn's La carmélite.Debut at La Monnaie in 1904, as Werther, and the following year at the Palais Garnier, as Renaud in Lully Created several Massenet operas such as Ariane and Bacchus, at the Opéra, and Roma, in Monte Carlo. He also took part in the creation of La Catalane by Le Borne, Monna Vanna by Henry Février, Déjanire by Camille Saint-Saëns, and Pénélope by Gabriel Fauré. He became principal French tenor with the Boston Opera Company, the Chicago Grand Opera Company (1913–1914), the Chicago Opera Association (1915–1921), and the Chicago Civic Opera (1922). He also appeared at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Muratore retired from the stage in 1931. Returned to Paris and was made Director of Opera Comique

as Werther in "Werther" Massenet Rene Lapelletrie 1884-1956 French Tenor Studied at the Geneva Conservatory with Leopold Ketten. Debut 1908 at the Théâtre Trianon-Lyrique in Paris toured the French provinces . Debut Opera Comique 1919 as Werther and remained until 1928.Guested Vienna, Cologne , Amsterdam Marseille, Nice, Toulouse and Montpellier. After the WW2 he appeared again at the Paris Opéra-Comique, in Buffo roles and till 1950 in Comprimario parts. Since 1941 worked at the conservatory.Roles ’Carmen’’, ‘’Manon’’, ‘’Le Roi d'Ys’’, ‘’Lakmé’’, ‘’Louise’’

Alfred Piccaver 1883-1958 British-American tenor Studied voice with S. Graham Nobbes, chief instructor of the Emma Willard Conservatory of Music and with Allan Lindsay, conductor of the Troy Conservatory of Music.In 1905 he enrolled at the Metropolitan School of Opera. Debut 1907 in Otto Nicolai's The Merry Wives of Windsor. at Deutsches Landes-Theater in Prague In the following three years, he sang in operas by Flotow, Verdi, Wagner, Mozart, Puccini and Gounod In 1910, he was invited to appear as a guest in Mattia Battistini’s touring company that was performing in Prague.he continued to sing with the Prague company for the remainder of his contract and it was not until 6 September 1912 that he gave his first performance with the Vienna State Opera as a permanent member.

as father "Louise' Charpentier Henri Albers, (Johan Hendrik Albers) 1 February 1866 – 12 September 1926] Dutch later French Baritone Studied singing at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam .Debut in 1889 as Méphistophélès "Faust" by Gounod at Hollandsche Opera , He sang leading baritone roles in an international career that spanned 37 years and was a prominent singer at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels and the Opéra-Comique in Paris, which was his base from 1900 until his death. He also sang in 36 performances with the Metropolitan Opera company from 1898 to 1899.

Julius Lieban 1857-1940 Austrian-German Tenor He attended the Conservatory of the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna, studied singing with Josef Gänsbacher . He sang at the Municipal Theatre in Leipzig and at the Komische Oper in Vienna as Buffo. In 1881 he participated in the Wagner tour of Angelo Neumann and sang later at the Bayreuth Festival. From 1883 he worked as a Tenor buffo as a member of the Court Opera in Berlin; he also sang at the newly founded German Opera House in Charlottenburg. In 1908 he was appointed Kammersänger . In 1933 he sang the role of Mime at the State Opera when over 70. Made guest performances in many major opera houses throughout Europe. He worked in Berlin as a singing teacher.

as Pedro "Tiefland" d'Albert William Miller 1880-1925 American Tenor

Theodor Lattermann 1886-1926 German Bass-baritone Studied in Frankfurt with Andreas Dippel.In 1907 he made his stage debut at Stadttheater von Barmen In 1908 he became a member of the Stadttheater (Opernhaus) Hamburg, he remained Berlin, Cologne, Amsterdam ,Théâtre de la Monnaie Brussels, then in 1920-21 at the Vienna State Opera, Metropolitan Opera New York. In 1924, Theodor and Ottlie Lattermann worked in Chicago (with the German Opera) in the American premiere of the opera "Die toten Augen" by E. d'Albert.

ZELIE DE LUSSAN (21 December 1861 – 18 December 1949) American Soprano Zélie de Lussan was born in Brooklyn, New York, to French parents , her mother was a soprano ,training with her mother, de Lussan made her operatic début in 1884 in Boston, Massachusetts, as Arline in Balfe's The Bohemian Girl.Augustus Harris engaged her to appear in the first season under his management at Covent Garden, London, and as Carmen she made the part "peculiarly her own." In London her successes included Zerlina in Don Giovanni, and, in 1897, Musetta in London's first performances of La bohème. Her singing greatly impressed Queen Victoria, and she was more than once invited to sing at BaImoral and Windsor Castle In 1894 she made her début at the Metropolitan Opera as Carmen, and appeared there for three seasons in roles including Nannetta (Falstaff), Zerlina, and Nedda (Pagliacci). In 1910 she sang Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro in Thomas Beecham's Mozart season at His Majesty's Theatre .After her marriage in 1907 to the pianist Angelo Fronani she gradually retired, though she played Carmen as late as 1915

Edith Helena (Edith Helen Seymour) 1876–1956 American soprano Studied with Tagliapietra and Alberto de Bassini .Debut 1906 New York Academy of Music as Violetta in ‘’Traviata’’. 1907-1909 concert tour through North America 1910 joined Aborn English Grand Opera Company and made her debut as Lucia in ‘’Lucia di Lammermoor’’. Roles Marguerite in ‘’Faust’’, Leonora in ‘’Trovatore’’, Nedda in ‘’Pagliacci’’, Mariella in ‘’I Gioielli della Madonna’’, Thaïs, Cio-Cio-San in ‘’Madama Butterfly’’, Carmen,

Anne Williams 1884-1938 Australian Contralto Studied with Agnes Jansen, began her career as a singer but best remembered as a voice teacher . Melba heard her and ask her to lead the chorus and sing small roles .Melba became aware of her potential to become a teacher and recommended her for a position at the University Conservatory . When Melba opened her Albert Street Conservatory in 1915 she ask her to become her first assistant . In 1920 she moved to London

Guy Cazenave 1883 -1937 French Tenor Debut at the Grand Opéra in ‘’Aida’’ (1912).at the Grand Opéra he also sang ‘’Samsón and Dalila’’. ‘’Henry VIII’’ and ‘’Ascanio’’ of Saint-Saëns and ‘’Hérodiade’’ of Massenet. At the Opera-Comique he performed in ‘’Tosca’’ and ‘’Pagliacci’’ He sang at Marseilles, Nice and Lyons. When he retired from the stage, he devoted himself to teaching .

Fritz Krenn 1887 -1963 Austrian bass baritone Studied singing with Otto Iro at the Vienna Music Academy . In 1917 he made his debut in Trieste and in 1918 came to the Vienna Volksoper . From 1918-1919 in Pressburg , 1919-1920 in Reichenberg , 1919-1924 at the Vienna State Opera and 1925-1927 in Wiesbaden . From 1927-1943 engaged at the Berlin State Opera and ensemble member of the Krolloper . Krenn returned to the Vienna State Opera from 1934-1959 (member 1937-1958). He was also from 1948-1959 ensemble member of the Vienna Volksoper. BothHe sang the Salzburg Festival in 1935, 1937-1939 and 1946, also in Bayreuth, London, Milan, Rome, New York (debut at the Met in 1951), in Europe , in North and South America . At the end of his career he was a singing teacher .

as Marouf "Marouf" Rabaud Leon Ponzio 1887-1946 Baritone Debut in 1910 at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels and remained till 1914. 1919 Opéra de Monte-Carlo. 1920-1922 Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels. In 1922 Théâtre Lyrique of Paris y. 1930 at the Grand Opéra in Paris the role of Figaro in ‘’Il Barbiere di Siviglia’’, Germont-père in ‘’La Traviata’’Marouf ‘’Marouf’’ H. Rabaud. Guest at the Opéra-Comique in Paris.Covent Garden Later he was active as a singing teacher in Paris.

Marcelle Demougeot (Jeanne Marguerite Marcelle Decorne) 1876-1931 French Soprano Studied in Dijon with Charles Laurent and at the Paris Conservatory with Hettich.Debut 1902 at Palais Garnier Paris as Donna Elvira in “ Don Giovanni” by Mozart . In 1904 she sang in the premiere of “Le fils de l’étoile” by Camille Erlanger, and 1906 as Cypris in “Ariane”, by Massenet .1907-09 seasons she sang at the provincial theaters and later at Nice, Bordeaux, Lyon and Vichy. In 1921 she sang at the Palais Garnier Paris as Brunnhilde in ”Die Walkure’’. In 1930 she sang Brünnhilde in the Ring cycle. in Strasbourg. She was considered the most important French Wagnerian soprano of her generation and she also sang Fricka in “Rheingold” by Wagner. Kundry in “Parsifal” by Wagner .She also sang roles such as Aida in “Aida” by Verdi , Valentine in “Les Huguenots” by Meyerbeer, Mathilde in “William Tell” by Rossini, Cyria in “Ariane” by Massenet and Marguerite in “La Damnation de Faust” by Berlioz. Dejanire “Déjanire” by Saint-Saens .She was also a noted concert singer .She retired in 1925 and taught singing