Étienne Troy, (21 July 1844, Toulouse - 3 June 1909, Paris) was a French baritone opera singer who took numerous small roles in Paris for over 40 years and was later a stage manager at the Opéra-Comique.
[Etienne](_blank)
accessed 3 January 2020.
Life and career
The son of a hatter, Troy studied singing 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 ...
where in 1864 he won the first prize in the opéra-comique competition.
In 1865 he joined the
Théâtre-Lyrique in Paris, where he sang in the premieres of ''
Roméo et Juliette'' (Grégorio) by Gounod, and ''Les Bleuets'' (Don Ruy) by Jules Cohen, in 1867. He also sang in the French premieres of ''
Joyeuses Commères de Windsor'' by Nicolai and 'Robin des Bois' (''
Der Freischütz
' ( J. 277, Op. 77 ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is a German opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind, based on a story by Johann August Apel and Friedrich Laun from their 1 ...
'') by Weber, in 1866.
In the 1870s he created roles in a pair of less successful Offenbach operas in 1873 ''
La Jolie Parfumeuse'' (Germain) and in 1878 ''
Maître Péronilla
''Maître Péronilla'' is an opéra bouffe in three acts of 1878 with music by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was by the composer with Charles-Louis-Étienne Nuitter and Paul Ferrier.
The sub-title was ''La femme à deux maris'';Noel E ...
'' (Ripardos).
He joined the
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 ...
in 1879 where his many creations included an old man in ''
Jean de Nivelle'' in 1880, Luther in ''
les Contes d’Hoffmann'' in 1881, a sergeant in ''
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 ...
'' in 1884 (also singing in the 500th performance in January 1905), a wine grower in ''
Plutus
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Plutus (; grc-gre, Πλοῦτος, Ploûtos, wealth) is the god and the personification of wealth, and the son of the goddess of agriculture Demeter and the mortal Iasion.
Family
Plutus is most commo ...
'' in 1886, Caylus in ''
le Roi malgré lui
''Le roi malgré lui'' (''King in Spite of Himself'' or ''The reluctant king'') is an opéra-comique in three acts by Emmanuel Chabrier of 1887 with an original libretto by Emile de Najac and Paul Burani. The opera is revived occasionally, but h ...
'' in 1887, Mauclerc in ''l’Escadron volant de la Reine'' in 1888, a saracen envoy in ''
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 ...
'' in 1889, the king's equerry in ''
La Basoche
''La Basoche'' is an opéra comique in three acts, with music by André Messager and words by Albert Carré. The opera is set in Paris in 1514 and depicts the complications that arise when the elected "king" of the student guild, the Basoche, is ...
'' in 1890, Yahn in ''Kassya'' in 1893, Maillefer in ''Le Chevalier d’Harmental'' in 1896, the pleasures superintendent in ''
Cendrillon
''Cendrillon'' (''Cinderella'') is an opera—described as a "fairy tale"—in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Caïn based on Perrault's 1698 version of the Cinderella fairy tale.
It had its premiere performance on 2 ...
'' in 1899, the first warden in ''
Louise'' in 1900, and the concierge in ''
la Carmélite ''La Carmélite'' is a 1902 comic opera, a comédie musicale in four acts and five scenes, by Reynaldo Hahn, to a libretto by Catulle Mendès. Hahn's second opera, like the first it was premiered at the Opéra-Comique. InterInternational Opera Coll ...
'' in 1902.
Other roles at the Salle Favart included a guard in the ''Magic Flute'', the officer in ''Le Barbier de Séville'', the marquis in ''La Traviata'', Berddret in ''Fervaal'', recruiting master in ''Une aventure de la Guimard'', several small roles in ''Le Pré-aux-Clercs'', Antonio in ''Les Noces de Figaro'', le Dancaïre, a guide and Lillas Pastia in ''Carmen'', Urbain in ''Richard Cœur de Lion'', the minister in ''les Dragons de Villars'', Kaboul in ''Lalla-Roukh'', Antonio in ''Mignon'', the restaurant manager in ''Sapho'', a herald in ''Phryné'' and the ferryman in ''Mireille''.
He became a stage manager at the Salle Favart in 1893, though continuing to appear on stage in small roles.
Troy became a member of the
Société des Concerts du Conservatoire
Lactalis is a French multinational dairy products corporation, owned by the Besnier family and based in Laval, Mayenne, France. The company's former name was Besnier SA.
Lactalis is the largest dairy products group in the world, and is the sec ...
in 1893, retiring in 1904 and thus becoming an honorary member.
[List of Personnel of the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, DK Holoman](_blank)
accessed 2 January 2020.
He was the younger brother of Eugène Troy (1836–71), a bass who followed a short but successful career at the same theatres. They both appeared in the premiere of ''Roméo et Juliette''.
[Laroque, Adrien. ''Acteurs & Actrices de Paris (33eme edition)''. Paris 1899, p51.] The two brothers married sisters Emilie Lucie (Étienne) and Marie Antoinette Viel (Eugène).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Troy
1844 births
1909 deaths
20th-century French male opera singers
Musicians from Toulouse