André Baugé

André Gaston Baugé (4 January 1893, Toulouse - 25 May 1966, Clichy-la-Garenne) was a French baritone, active in opera and operetta, who also appeared in films in the 1930s.Steane JB. André Baugé. In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London and New York, 1997.

Life and career

The son of Alphonse Baugé, a vocal teacher, and Anna Tariol-Baugé a soprano active in operetta, he studied with his parents and appeared in the French provinces billed as André Grilland.Gänzl K. ''The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre.'' Blackwell, Oxford, 1994.

He made his debut at the Paris Opéra-Comique as Frédéric in ''Lakmé'' in 1917. A pensionnaire at the Opéra-Comique until 1925, he appeared as Clément Marot in ''La Basoche'', Sylvanus in ''Au Beau Jardin de France'', Figaro in '' Le Barbier de Séville'', Escamillo in ''Carmen'', Alfio in ''Cavalleria Rusticana'', Don Giovanni, Clavaroche in '' Fortunio'', Lescaut in ''Manon'', the title role in '' Mârouf, savetier du Caire'', Ourrias in '' Mireille'', Jean in '' Les noces de Jeannette'', Silvio in '' Paillasse'', Pelléas, d’Orbel in ''La Traviata'', Marcel in ''La boheme'', and Albert in ''Werther''. He sang in the first performances at the Salle Favart of '' Béatrice'', '' Masques et Bergamasques'' and '' Véronique''., and in 1925 at the Opéra played Germont in ''Traviata'' and the title role in ''Mârouf'', having been heard as Escamillo also in Monte Carlo the previous year.

In 1925 he sang in the French premiere of '' Monsieur Beaucaire'' and moved into the field of comédie musicale and Viennese operetta. A succession of appearances in that genre followed: ''Venise'' (alongside his mother) in 1927, ''Paganini'' in 1928, ''Vouvray'' in 1929 (for which he wrote the text), ''Le Clown amoureux'' in 1929, '' Robert le Pirate'' in 1929, ''Cinésonor'' in 1930 (also writing the text), ''Nina-Rosa'' in 1931, '' Valses de Vienne'' in 1933, ''Au temps des Merveilleuses'' in 1934, ''Au soleil du Mexique'' in 1935 and ''Le Chant du tzigane'' in 1937.’L'encyclopédie multimédia de la comédie musicale théâtrale en France (1918-1940)’ (http://comedie-musicale.jgana.fr/index.htm), accessed 13.10.10.

On film he appeared in ''La Route est belle'', one of the first films with sound (1929–1930, music by Szulc) and other films up to 1935 when he returned to the theatre. As well as contributing to the books of several productions (''Vouvray'', ''Cinésonor'') he designed the cover for the score of ''Venise'' by Richepin. He was for a time the director of the Trianon-Lyrique in Paris.

He was the author of the libretto of an opéra-bouffe in three acts entitled tableaux ''Beaumarchais'', using Rossini's music arranged by Eugène Cools (1877-1936), which was premiered at the Théâtre des Variétés in Marseille in 1931. After the war he taught at the École Normale, returning to the theatre in 1958 as Johann Strauss senior in ''Valses de Vienne''. He left recordings of songs from many of his roles, and some of these have been re-issued on CD.EMI Classics CZS 5 68292-2, published 1994.

Family

His wife was the singer Suzanna Laydeker (who also appeared as Laydeker-Baugé and died in 1980).

Filmography

*'' The Flower of the Indies'' (1921)
*''A Caprice of Pompadour'' (1930)
*'' La route est belle'' (1930)
*''Petit Officier... Adieu !'' (1930)
* '' The Little Cafe'' (1931)
*''La Ronde des heures'' (1931)
*''Pour un sou d'amour'' (1932)
* ''The Barber of Seville'' (1933)
* '' The Guardian Angel'' (1934)
*''La Route heureuse'' (1935)
*' (1935)
* ''Madame Angot's Daughter'' (1935)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bauge, Andre
1893 births
1966 deaths
Academic staff of the École Normale de Musique de Paris
French operatic baritones
20th-century French male opera singers