Félix Vieuille (; 15 October 1872 in Saujon – 28 February 1953 in Saujon) was a French

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

tic

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

who sang for more than four decades with the

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...

in Paris during the first half of the twentieth century. He created roles in numerous world premieres, most notably portraying Arkel in the original production of Claude Debussy's '' Pelléas et Mélisande'' in 1902 which he went on to sing 208 times at that house. He possessed a rich voice and a solid technique which helped sustain his career for a long time. His voice is preserved on a number of recordings made on the Odeon, Lyrophon, and Beka labels.

Biography

Vieuille studied at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

with teachers Léon Achard and Alfred Auguste Giraudet. He made his debut as Leporello in Mozart's ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...

'' in 1897 at

Aix-les-Bains Aix-les-Bains (, ; ; ), known locally and simply as Aix, is a Communes of France, commune in the southeastern French Departments of France, department of Savoie.Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...

in 1898 where he initially sang supporting roles until he was made a leading bass in 1902, with his first major role being Arkel in the world première of Debussy's ''Pelléas et Mélisande''. Debussy was evidently pleased with Vieuille's interpretation of Arkël; in a letter to Dufranne (who sang Golaud) at the time of an early revival, he wrote "you and Vieuille are almost the only two who have maintained your understanding of my artistic aims". Vieuille continued to perform in leading roles at the Opéra-Comique up until 1940. He notably created roles in more than twenty world premieres, including Gustave Charpentier's '' Louise'' (1900), Henri Rabaud's '' La fille de Roland'' (1904), Paul Dukas's ''

Ariane et Barbe-Bleue ''Ariane et Barbe-bleue'' (, ''Ariadne and Bluebeard'') is an opera in three acts by Paul Dukas. The French libretto is adapted (with very few changes) from the symbolist play of the same name by Maurice Maeterlinck, itself loosely based on the ...

'' (1907), Bloch's Macbeth (1910), Rabaud's '' Mârouf, savetier du Caire'' (1914), and Milhaud's '' Le pauvre matelot'' (1927) to name just a few. He also sang in the Paris premières of Fauré’s ''

Pénélope ''Pénélope'' is an opera in three acts by the French composer Gabriel Fauré. The libretto, by René Fauchois is based on Homer's ''Odyssey''. It was first performed at the Salle Garnier, Monte Carlo, on 4 March 1913. The piece is dedicated ...

'' and Rimsky-Korsakov’s ''

The Snow Maiden ''The Snow Maiden: A Spring Fairy Tale'' ( rus, Снегурочка–весенняя сказка, Snegurochka–vesennyaya skazka, a=Ru-Snegurochka.ogg) is an opera in four acts with a prologue by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, composed d ...

'' (Grandfather Frost, 1908). J.B. Steane: "Félix Vieuille", ''Grove Music Online'' ed. L. Macy (Accessed February 10, 2009)
(subscription access)
He continued to sing Arkel in performances of ''Pelléas et Mélisande'' at the Opéra-Comique up to 1933, appearing alongside his nephew the baritone

Jean Vieuille Jean Vieuille () was a French people, French bass-baritone singer (born Paris, 14 February 1902, died Saint-Georges-de-Didonne, 6 April 1967) who enjoyed a long stage career mainly centred at the Paris Opéra-Comique. Life and career His teacher ...

(as the doctor) from 1930 to 1933. At this point Vieuille had taken up teaching and his nephew was one of his many pupils. In addition to his appearance at the

, Vieuille also appeared at the

Manhattan Opera House The Manhattan Center is a building in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1906 and located at 311 West 34th Street, it houses Manhattan Center Studios, the location of two recording studios; its Grand Ballroom; and the Hammerstein Ballroo ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

from 1908 to 1909 at the invitation of

Oscar Hammerstein I Oscar Hammerstein I (8 May 1846 – 1 August 1919) was a German-born businessman, theater impresario, and composer in New York City. His passion for opera led him to open several opera houses, and he rekindled opera's popularity in America. He ...

. While there he notably sang Arkel in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

premiere of ''Pelléas et Mélisande'' among other roles. He also sang in a few productions with

Zurich Opera Zurich Opera (Opernhaus Zürich) is a Swiss opera company based in Zurich. The company gives performances in the Zurich Opera House. History The first performance at the current theatre occurred on 30 September 1891, with a production of Wagner's ...

in 1917.

Roles created

* Chiffonnier in '' Louise'' ( Charpentier) 1900 * Walter in '' Le Juif polonais'' ( Erlanger) 1900 * Arkël in '' Pelléas et Mélisande'' (

Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

) 1902 * Charlemagne in ''La fille de Roland'' ( Rabaud) 1904 * Jean-Pierre in ''Les pêcheurs de Saint-Jean'' ( Widor) 1905 * Toussaint in ''L’Enfant Roi'' ( Bruneau) 1905 * Le roi in ''Le roi aveugle'' ( Février) 1906 * Eurylaque in ''Circé'' ( Paul & Lucien Hillemacher) 1907 * Barbe-bleue in ''

Ariane et Barbe-bleue ''Ariane et Barbe-bleue'' (, ''Ariadne and Bluebeard'') is an opera in three acts by Paul Dukas. The French libretto is adapted (with very few changes) from the symbolist play of the same name by Maurice Maeterlinck, itself loosely based on the ...

'' ( Dukas) 1907 * Maitre Pierre in ''Le chemineau'' ( Leroux) 1907 * Etchemendy in ''Chiquito'' (Jean Nouguès) 1909 * Macduff in ''Macbeth'' (

Bloch Bloch is a surname of German origin. Notable people with this surname include: A *Adele Bloch-Bauer (1881–1925), Austrian entrepreneur *Albert Bloch (1882–1961), American painter *Alexandre Bloch (1857–1919), French painter *Alfred Bloch ( ...

) 1910 * Mucien in ''Bérénice'' ( Magnard) 1911 * Mattelinn in ''La lépreuse'' ( Lazzari) 1912 * Chrestus in ''Danseuse di Pompéi'' ( Jean Nouguès) 1912 * van Hulle in ''Le carilloneur'' (Leroux) 1913 * Sultan of Khaitan in '' Mârouf, savetier du Caire'' (Rabaud) 1914 * L'Evêque in ''Béatrice'' ( Messager) 1917 * The priest Siang in ''Ping-Sin'' (Charles-Henri Maréchal) 1918 * Philippe Strozzi in ''Lorenzaccio'' (Ernest Moret) 1920 * Estéban in ''Dans l'ombre de la cathédrale'' ( Hüe) 1921 * Father-in-law in '' Le pauvre matelot'' (

Milhaud Darius Milhaud (, ; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...

) 1927 * Jonathas in ''La peau de Chagrin'' (Charles Levadé) 1929 * Don Pédro in ''Le sicilien'' ( Omer Letorey) 1930. Wolff, Stéphane. ''Un demi-siècle d'Opéra-Comique 1900–1950.'' André Bonne, Paris, 1953.

Recordings

Félix Vieuille made several recordings. including some unissued excerpts from ''

Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...

'' with

Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyric tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles that r ...

Geraldine Farrar Alice Geraldine Farrar (February 28, 1882 – March 11, 1967) was an American lyric soprano who could also sing Dramatic soprano, dramatic roles. She was noted for her beauty, acting ability, and "the intimate timbre of her voice." In the 191 ...

, and Emilio de Gogorza in 1908.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vieuille, Felix 1872 births 1953 deaths People from Charente-Maritime Conservatoire de Paris alumni French opera singers Operatic basses French basses