Désiré (baritone)
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Amable Courtecuisse (29 December 1823 – 7 September 1873), whose stage name was Désiré, was a French baritone, who is particularly remembered for creating many comic roles in the works of the French operetta composer
Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach (, also , , ; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario of the Romantic period. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera ' ...
.
Kutsch, K. J. Karl-Josef Kutsch, also known as K. J. Kutsch, (born 11 May 1924) is a German physician and co-author with Leo Riemens of the ''Großes Sängerlexikon'', the standard reference for opera singers. Life and work Born in Gangelt, Kutsch studied me ...
;
Riemens, Leo Leonardus Antony Marinus Riemens (3 December 1910 – 3 April 1985) was a Dutch musicologist and cultural journalist. He wrote a book about Maria Callas, and together with Karl-Josef Kutsch began a reference book about opera singers in 1962, which ...
. ''
Großes Sängerlexikon ''Großes Sängerlexikon'' (''Biographical Dictionary of Singers'', literally: Large singers' lexicon) is a single-field dictionary of singers in classical music, edited by Karl-Josef Kutsch and Leo Riemens and first published in 1987. The first ...
'' (fourth edition, in German), p. 1130. K. G. Saur, Munich, 2003. .
Gänzl K. ''The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre.'' Blackwell, Oxford, 1994. .


Life and career

He was born in
Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the N ...
or a nearby village of it, and studied the bassoon, singing, and declamation at the Lille Conservatory. His first appearances were at small theatres in Belgium and northern France beginning in 1845. In 1847, he arrived at the Théâtre Montmartre in Paris where he met
Hervé Hervé is a French language, French masculine given name of Breton language, Breton origin, from the name of the 6th-century Breton Saint Hervé. The common latinization of the name is Herveus (also ''Haerveus''), an early (8th-century) latinizati ...
. He asked Hervé to provide him with a musical sketch (drawn from Cervantes' novel ''
Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...
''), in which the tall and thin Hervé as the Don was pitted against the short and plump Désiré as Sancho Pança. The sketch inspired what was later dubbed the first French operetta, Hervé's ''
Don Quichotte et Sancho Pança ''Don Quichotte et Sancho Pança'' is a one-act 'tableau grotesque' or 'grotesque scene' with music by Hervé (composer), Hervé after Miguel de Cervantes, Cervantes,Richard Traubner, Traubner, Richard. ''Operetta — a theatrical history.'' Oxford ...
'', which premiered in 1848 at
Adolphe Adam Adolphe Charles Adam (; 24 July 1803 – 3 May 1856) was a French composer, teacher and music critic. A prolific composer for the theatre, he is best known today for his ballets ''Giselle'' (1841) and '' Le corsaire'' (1856), his operas '' Le po ...
's Théâtre National at the Cirque Olympique, but with Joseph Kelm, instead of Désiré, as Sancho Pança. Traubner, Richard. ''Operetta — a theatrical history.'' Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1983. .
Walsh TJ Thomas Joseph Walsh (20 November 1911 – 8 November 1988) was an Irish doctor, writer, and founder and director of the Wexford Opera Festival.Boydell, B.: "Walsh, T(homas) J(oseph)", in: '' New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' (London and New York: ...
. ''Second Empire Opera – The Théâtre-Lyrique Paris 1851-1870'', pp. 359–360. John Calder Ltd, London, 1981.
In subsequent years Désiré appeared in operetta theatres in Lille,
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, and
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...
. He also became a star at Hervé’s Parisian Folies-Concertantes (later the Folies-Nouvelles). Finally he was engaged by
Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach (, also , , ; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario of the Romantic period. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera ' ...
for the
Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens The Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens () is a Parisian theatre founded in 1855 by the composer Jacques Offenbach for the performance of opéra bouffe and operetta. The current theatre is located in the 2nd arrondissement at 4 rue Monsigny with a ...
, where Désiré made his brilliantly successful debut on 16 May 1857 in ''Vent-du-Soir, ou l'horrible festin''. Thereafter until 1873 he remained one of the star actors of Offenbach's company, appearing in many of the premieres of Offenbach's most famous operettas. His greatest success was his unforgettable portrayal of the role of Jupiter in ''
Orpheus in the Underworld ''Orpheus in the Underworld'' and ''Orpheus in Hell'' are English names for (), a comic opera with music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Hector Crémieux and Ludovic Halévy. It was first performed as a two-act " opéra bouffon" at the Thé ...
'', which premiered on 21 October 1858. Désiré also appeared at other Parisian theatres, including the
Théâtre des Variétés The Théâtre des Variétés is a theatre and "salle de spectacles" at 7–8, boulevard Montmartre, 2nd arrondissement, in Paris. It was declared a monument historique in 1974. History It owes its creation to the theatre director Mademoiselle ...
, the
Théâtre du Palais-Royal The Théâtre du Palais-Royal () is a 750-seat Parisian theatre at 38 rue de Montpensier, located at the northwest corner of the Palais-Royal in the Galerie de Montpensier at its intersection with the Galerie de Beaujolais. Brief history ...
, and the Athénée-Musicale, and also worked with the French operetta composer
Charles Lecocq Alexandre Charles Lecocq (3 June 183224 October 1918) was a French composer, known for his opérettes and opéras comiques. He became the most prominent successor to Jacques Offenbach in this sphere, and enjoyed considerable success in the 1870 ...
. At the end of his career Désiré became increasingly addicted to alcohol and died, abandoned and in poverty, in
Asnières-sur-Seine Asnières-sur-Seine () is a commune in the Hauts-de-Seine department and Île-de-France region of north-central France. It lies on the left bank of the river Seine, some eight kilometres from the centre of Paris in the north-western suburbs of ...
. He died on the 7th September 1873, aged 49, in his house in Courbevoie.Acte de décès (vues 64-65)
registre des décès de Courbevoie (1873) sur le site des Archives départementales des Hauts-de-Seine.
A large congregation consisting much of theatrical Paris (including
Ludovic Halévy Ludovic Halévy (1 January 1834 – 7 May 1908) was a French author and playwright, best known for his collaborations with Henri Meilhac on Georges Bizet's '' Carmen'' and on the works of Jacques Offenbach. Biography Ludovic Halévy was born in ...
,
Hector Crémieux In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...
,
Charles Lecocq Alexandre Charles Lecocq (3 June 183224 October 1918) was a French composer, known for his opérettes and opéras comiques. He became the most prominent successor to Jacques Offenbach in this sphere, and enjoyed considerable success in the 1870 ...
, Berthelier,
Léonce Léonce is a French masculine given name. People with the name Léonce include: *Léonce (actor) (1823–1900), French actor and singer *Léonce Bekemans (born 1950), Belgian economist and scholar * Léonce-Henri Burel (1892–1977), French cinem ...
, Hyacinthe, Baron and
Anna Judic Anne Marie-Louise Damiens, stage name Anna Judic (18 July 1849, Semur-en-Auxois – 15 April 1911, Golfe-Juan) was a French comic actress. Life Niece of Montigny (the director of the Gymnase), in 1866 she entered the Conservatoire de Paris in ...
), attended his funeral on the 10th of September.


Roles created

Works by Offenbach unless otherwise noted: *1857: Vent-du-Soir in '' Vent du soir, ou L’horrible festin'' *1857: Pigeonneau in '' Une demoiselle en loterie'' *1858: Mme Madou in ''
Mesdames de la Halle ''Mesdames de la Halle'' is an opérette bouffe in one act by Jacques Offenbach, with a libretto by Armand Lapointe. It was first performed at the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens, Paris on 3 March 1858. and was the first work of Offenbach's at t ...
'' *1858: Dig-dig in ''
La chatte métamorphosée en femme ''La chatte métamorphosée en femme'' (''The cat transformed into a woman'') is a one-act opéra comique of 1858 with words by Eugene Scribe and Mélesville, and music by Jacques Offenbach. Performance history ''La chatte métamorphosée en femm ...
'' *1858: Jupiter in ''
Orpheus in the Underworld ''Orpheus in the Underworld'' and ''Orpheus in Hell'' are English names for (), a comic opera with music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Hector Crémieux and Ludovic Halévy. It was first performed as a two-act " opéra bouffon" at the Thé ...
'' (in French) *1859: Le marquis de Criquebœuf in ''L'omelette à la Follembuche'' by
Léo Delibes Clément Philibert Léo Delibes (; 21 February 1836 – 16 January 1891) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer, best known for his ballets and French opera, operas. His works include the ballets ''Coppélia'' (1870) and ''Sylvia (ba ...
*1859: Golo in ''
Geneviève de Brabant ''Geneviève de Brabant'' is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, by Jacques Offenbach, first performed in Paris in 1859. The plot is based on the medieval legend of Genevieve of Brabant. For the 1867 version two additional characters, men-at-arms, ...
'' *1860: Pan in ''
Daphnis et Chloé ''Daphnis et Chloé'' is a 1912 ''symphonie chorégraphique'', or choreographic symphony, for orchestra and wordless chorus by Maurice Ravel. It is in three main sections, or ''parties'', and a dozen scenes, most of them dances, and lasts just u ...
'' *1860: Grétry in ''Le musicien de l'avenir'' *1861: Maître Fortunio in ''
La chanson de Fortunio ''La chanson de Fortunio '' (''The Song of Fortunio'') is a short opéra-comique in one act by Jacques Offenbach with a French libretto by Ludovic Halévy and Hector Crémieux. The music was composed within a week, with a further week being spent ...
'' *1861: Cornarino Cornarini in ''
Le pont des soupirs ''Le pont des soupirs '' ("The Bridge of Sighs") is an opéra bouffe (or operetta) set in Venice, by Jacques Offenbach, first performed in Paris in 1861. The French libretto was written by Hector Crémieux and Ludovic Halévy. Plays, including ...
'' *1861: Choufleuri in ''
M. Choufleuri restera chez lui le . . . ''M. Choufleuri restera chez lui le... '' (''Mr. Cauliflower will be at home on... '') is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, in one act by Jacques Offenbach and the Duc de Morny (under the pseudonym "M. de St Rémy"). The French libretto is also c ...
'' *1862: Adolphe Dunanan in ''Le voyage de MM Dunanan père & fils'' *1862: Cristobal in '' Bavard et bavarde'' *1863: Fritzchen in ''Lischen et Fritzchen'' *1863: Bertolucci in '' Il signor Fagotto'' *1864: Jol-Hiddin in ''Les géorgiennes'' *1864: Cabochon in ''Jeanne qui pleure et Jean qui rit'' *1864: Van Croquesec in ''Le serpent à plumes'' by Delibes *1865: Vautendon in ''
Les bergers ''Les bergers'' is a three-act opéra comique of 1865 with music by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was by Hector-Jonathan Crémieux, Hector Crémieux and Philippe Gille.Andrew Lamb (writer), Lamb A., Jacques Offenbach (List of stage works ...
'' *1866: undetermined role in ''Didon'' by G. BlanginiParsons, Charles H. ''Opera Premieres: An Index of Casts/Performances'', p. 406 Volume 15 in the series ''The Mellen Opera Index''. The Edward Mellen Press, Lewiston, New York, 1993. .Blangini ''fils''
probably the son of Joseph Marie Felix Blangini (see Short biography at Wikisource).
*1868: Tien-Tien in '' Fleur-de-Thé'' by
Charles Lecocq Alexandre Charles Lecocq (3 June 183224 October 1918) was a French composer, known for his opérettes and opéras comiques. He became the most prominent successor to Jacques Offenbach in this sphere, and enjoyed considerable success in the 1870 ...
*1869: undetermined role in ''L’écossais de Chatou'' by
Léo Delibes Clément Philibert Léo Delibes (; 21 February 1836 – 16 January 1891) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer, best known for his ballets and French opera, operas. His works include the ballets ''Coppélia'' (1870) and ''Sylvia (ba ...
*1869: Cabriolo in ''
La princesse de Trébizonde ''La Princesse de Trébizonde'' is an opéra bouffe with music by Jacques Offenbach and text by Étienne Tréfeu and Charles-Louis-Étienne Nuitter. The work was first given in two acts at the Theater Baden-Baden on 31 July 1869 and subsequently ...
'' *1869: Rafaël in ''La diva'' *1869: undetermined role in ''Le rajah de Mysore'' by Lecocq *1869: Cabriolo in ''La princesse de Trébizonde'' (revised 3-act version) *1871: Balabrelock in ''Boule-de-neige'' *1872: Raab in ''La timbale d'argent'' by
Léon Vasseur Félix Augustin Joseph Vasseur, known as Léon Vasseur (28 May 1844 – 25 May 1917), was a French composer, organist and conductor. While working as a cathedral organist, he turned to composing operettas and soon had a hit with ''La timbale d'ar ...
*1873: undetermined role in ''La petite reine'' by Vasseur In 1867 he also appeared at the
Théâtre des Nouveautés The Théâtre des Nouveautés ("Theatre of the New") is a Parisian theatre built in 1921 and located at 24 boulevard Poissonnière (Paris, 9th arr.). The name was also used by several earlier Parisian theatre companies and their buildings, begin ...
as Sganarelle in ''La statue du commandeur''.


References

* ''This article incorporates some material re-edited from French Wikipedia''


External links


Obituary in ''The Era Almnack, 1874''
by Edward Ledger (at
Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical ...
) {{DEFAULTSORT:Desire 1823 births 1873 deaths French operatic baritones French male stage actors Musicians from Lille 19th-century French male actors 19th-century French male opera singers