Émile-Alexandre Taskin, born in Paris on 18 March 1853, and died there on 5 October 1897, was a French operatic baritone mainly active at the Paris

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief rival, the Comédie-Italienn ...

. He was a descendant of the harpsichord maker

Pascal Taskin Pascal-Joseph Taskin (27 July 1723 – 9 February 1793) was a Belgium-born French harpsichord and piano maker. Biography Pascal Taskin, born in Theux near Liège, but worked in Paris for most of his life. Upon his arrival in Paris, he apprenti ...

(1723–1793). After singing in church choirs as a child, Taskin studied at the

Conservatoire de Paris 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 ...

under Bussine and Ponchard. Having made his debut in 1875 in ''

L'enfance du Christ ''L'enfance du Christ'' (''The Childhood of Christ''), Opus 25, is an oratorio by the French composer Hector Berlioz, based on the Holy Family's flight into Egypt (see Gospel of Matthew 2:13). Berlioz wrote his own words for the piece. Most of it ...

'' by Berlioz, his stage debut was in September 1875 in

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

, as Roland in ''Les mousquetaires de la reine'' by Halévy. After other engagements in the provinces Taskin was taken on at the Théâtre Lyrique (Salle Ventadour) in 1878, creating Lampourde in ''Le Capitaine Fracasse'' on 2 July 1878. He made his debut at the

as Malipieri in Auber's ''

Haydée ''Haydée, ou Le secret'' is an ''opéra comique'' by the French composer Daniel Auber, first performed by the Opéra-Comique, Théâtre Royal de l'Opéra-Comique at the Salle Favart in Paris on 28 December 1847. The libretto (in three acts) is ...

'' on 9 February the same year, joining the company soon after. He was on-stage singing Lothario in

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the ...

' ''

Mignon ''Mignon'' is an 1866 ''opéra comique'' (or opera in its second version) in three acts by Ambroise Thomas. The original French libretto was by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on Goethe's 1795-96 novel '' Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre''. ...

'' the night of the fire at the Salle Favart on 25 May 1887, and later received a ''médaille de sauvetage'' (rescue medal); he sang in the 1,000th performance of the opera in that house. His repertoire also covered Count Almaviva (''

The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' ( opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It pre ...

''), Escamillo (''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the Opér ...

''), Ourrias ('' Mireille''), Sulpice (''

La fille du régiment ' (''The Daughter of the Regiment'') is an opéra comique in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti, set to a French libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Jean-François Bayard. It was first performed on 11 February 1840 by the Paris Opé ...

''), Jupiter (''

Philémon et Baucis ('' Philemon and Baucis'') is an opera in three acts by Charles Gounod with a libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. The opera is based on the tale of Baucis and Philemon In Ovid's moralizing fables collected as ''Metamorphoses'' i ...

''), the Tambour-Major (''Le Caïd'' by Thomas), and Père Lorenzo (''Amants de Vérone'' by d'Ivry). Besides ''Le Capitaine Fracasse'' by Pessard, Taskin created roles in ''

Jean de Nivelle Jean de Nivelle (1422 – 26 June 1477) was a French nobleman, son of Jean II of Montmorency who became a byword for failing to fulfill filial duties and treachery. Called by his father to assist Louis XI in his conflict with Charles the Bold, Du ...

'' (le Charolais) by

Léo Delibes Clément Philibert Léo Delibes (; 21 February 1836 – 16 January 1891) was a French Romantic composer, best known for his ballets and operas. His works include the ballets '' Coppélia'' (1870) and '' Sylvia'' (1876) and the opera '' Lakm ...

on 8 March 1880, '' Les contes d'Hoffmann'' (Lindorf, Coppelius and Docteur Miracle) by Offenbach on 18 February 1881, ''

Manon ''Manon'' () is an ''opéra comique'' in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel '' L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut'' by the Abbé Prévost. It was fi ...

'' (Lescaut) by Massenet on 19 January 1884, ''Proserpine'' (Squarocca) by Saint-Saëns on 14 March 1887, and ''

Esclarmonde ''Esclarmonde'' () is an opéra (french: opéra romanesque) in four acts and eight tableaux, with prologue and epilogue, by Jules Massenet, to a French libretto by Alfred Blau and Louis Ferdinand de Gramont. It was first performed at the Ex ...

'' (Phorcas) by Massenet on 14 May 1889.Wolff S. ''Un demi-siècle d'Opéra-Comique (1900–1950).'' André Bonne, Paris, 1953. Taskin sang in the first performance of Debussy's '' L'enfant prodigue'' in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

on 27 July 1884.Noel, Édouard, Stoullig, Edmond. Les Annales du Théâtre et de la Musique, dixième année, 1884. G. Charpentier, Paris, 1885, p. 377. With increasing ill-health he retired from the stage and became a professor at the Conservatoire (opéra comique) on 1 May 1891. He died at his home in the rue de Rome at the age of 44, and was buried at the Cimetière de Saint-Ouen.

References and notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taskin, Emile-Alexandre 1853 births 1897 deaths 19th-century French male opera singers Operatic baritones Burials at Saint-Ouen Cemetery