Paul Lhérie (Lévy), (born 8 October 1844 in Paris; died 17 October 1937 in Paris) was a French

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

, then baritone, and later a vocal teacher. He was most famous for creating the role of Don José in Bizet's '' Carmen''.

Life and career

After studying in Paris, Lhérie made his debut at the Opéra-Comique in 1866 as Méhul's ''

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

''. He created the role of Charles II in

Massenet Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are ''Manon'' (1884) ...

's '' Don César de Bazan'' in 1872, Kornélis in Camille Saint-Saëns's '' La princesse jaune'' in 1872, Benoît in Delibes's ''

Le roi l’a dit ''Le roi l'a dit'' (''The King Has Spoken'') is an opéra comique in three acts by Léo Delibes to a French libretto by Edmond Gondinet. It is a lively comedy, remarkably requiring 14 singers – six men and eight women.MacDonald H. "Le roi l'a di ...

'' in 1873, and Don José in '' Carmen'' by Bizet in 1875. Bizet and Lhérie became friends during the preparations for ''Carmen''. They would swim together in the Seine during the singer's visits to the composer's house in Bougival. He became a baritone in 1882, singing Posa in the first performance of the Italian revised version of

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

's ''

Don Carlos ''Don Carlos'' is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the dramatic play '' Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Fried ...

'' at La Scala, Milan, two years later. He also spent time during the 1880s at Covent Garden in London, where he performed Zurga (in '' Les Pêcheurs de Perles''), ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play '' Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had co ...

'', Germont ('' La Traviata''), Luna (''

Il trovatore ''Il trovatore'' ('The Troubadour') is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto largely written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play ''El trovador'' (1836) by Antonio García Gutiérrez. It was García Gutiérrez's mos ...

''), and Alphonse (''

La favorite ''La favorite'' (''The Favourite'', sometimes referred to by its Italian title: ''La favorita'') is a grand opera in four acts by Gaetano Donizetti to a French-language libretto by Alphonse Royer and Gustave Vaëz, based on the play ''Le com ...

''). He also sang Zurga and other roles in an Italian season at the Théâtre de la Gaîté in 1889, and created the role of Simeone Bardi in the premiere of Godard's ''Dante'' in 1890 at the Opéra Comique, having just reprised Zampa for his reappearance at the Salle Favart.Noel E & Stoullig E. ''Les Annales du Théâtre et de la Musique, 16eme edition, 1890.'' G Charpentier et Cie, Paris, 1891, p105. In Rome at the

Teatro Costanzi The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma (Rome Opera House) is an opera house in Rome, Italy. Originally opened in November 1880 as the 2,212 seat ''Costanzi Theatre'', it has undergone several changes of name as well modifications and improvements. The pre ...

on 31 October 1891, he was the first Rabbi David in the premiere of Mascagni's ''

L'amico Fritz ''L'amico Fritz'' () is an opera in three acts by Pietro Mascagni, premiered in 1891 from a libretto by P. Suardon ( Nicola Daspuro) (with additions by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti), based on the French novel ''L'ami Fritz'' by Émile Erckmann a ...

'' (he himself was

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

) and repeated the role in Monte Carlo the same year. In 1894, he created Gudleik in Franck's '' Hulda'', also in Monte Carlo. Lhérie retired from the stage in 1894. In the last years of his life he taught opéra comique and opera at the

Paris Conservatoire The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as 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 ...

, prize-winners among his pupils included Léon Rothier, David Devriès,

Suzanne Cesbron-Viseur Suzanne Catherine Cesbron-Viseur (24 May 1879 – 23 August 1967) was a French soprano and singing teacher. Life Born in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, Cesbron was the daughter of painter . She studied singing at the Conservatoire de Paris ...

, Ginette Guillamat and Geneviève Vix.Editions of ''Les Annales du Théâtre et de la Musique'', 1898-1905

References

* Elizabeth Forbes, Lhérie, Paul, The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, 1992, London, ed. Sadie, Stanley. 1844 births 1937 deaths French operatic tenors Singers from Paris French operatic baritones Academic staff of the Conservatoire de Paris 19th-century French Jews {{France-opera-singer-stub