Description

MARCEL JOURNET (GRASSE, ALPES-MARITIMES, FRANCE, 25 JULY, 1868 – VITTEL, FRANCE, 7 SEPTEMBER, 1933)

He was educated at the Conservatoire National in Paris by Obin and Seghettini. In 1891 he made his debut at the Municipal Theater in Béziers as Bathasar in “La Favorite” by G. Donizetti, in 1893 he sang the same role at the Theater in Montpellier. In 1894 he had his first major successes at the Brussels Opera, where he worked until 1900. Already in 1897 he was a guest at the Covent Garden Opera in London as Duke of Mendoza in “Inez Mendo” by Frédéric d’Erlanger. Since 1900 he has performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, and since 1908 also at the Grand Opéra in Paris. At the Opéra-Comique he sang the part of Klingsor in the premiere of G. Puccini’s “La Bohème” (1898), in 1914 at the Grand Opéra in the premiere of “Parsifal”, and in 1909 in R. Wagner’s “Rheingold” as Fafner. After guest appearances at the London Covent Garden Opera, where he sang in the 1897-1908 seasons and again from 1927 to 1928, he was engaged by the New York Metropolitan Opera (1900), where he had great success until 1908. In 1903 he participated in the premiere of “Parsifal” as Titurel. A few hours before the great earthquake in San Francisco on April 18, 1906, he performed there with the Ensemble of the Metropolitan Opera opposite Enrico Caruso and Olive Frmestad in “Carmen”, but he survived (like the other members of the Metropolitan Opera). Returning to France in 1908, he achieved continued success in the following 25 years at the two major opera houses in Paris, Brussels and Monte Carlo, but above all at the Teatro alla Scala (1917 and 1922-1927). On May 1st, 1924 he sang the part of Simon Mago at the Teatro alla Scala in the premiere of A. Boito’s post-opera “Nerone” under Arturo Toscanini. In 1926 he created the part of Dositheus for the first performance of M. Mussorgsky’s “Khovantchina”, as he did the same part in 1927 at the premiere of the work at the Paris Grand Opéra. In the 1912-1920 seasons he often sang at the Monte Carlo Opera, among other things in the premieres of the operas “Malone” (March 17, 1918) and “Satan” by Raoul Gunsbourg (March 20, 1920) and “Nausicaa” by Reynaldo Hahn (April 10, 1919). In the 1916-1918 seasons, in 1923 and 1927 he was to be found at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires; here he participated in the first performance of Henri Rabaud’s opera “Marouf” (1917). In 1931 he sang the part of Hans Sachs in “Meistersinger” at the Arena di Verona. From 1915 to 1919 he made annual guest appearances at the Chicago Opera, where he also premiered H. Février’s “Gismonda” (1919). At the Grand Opéra he performed in 1928 in the premiere of “La Tour de feu” by Sylvio Lazzari, as well as in “La Tentation de Saint Antoine” by Brunel. His career lasted a very long and he performed until shortly before his death. The last time he sang the part of Wotan in “Valkyrie” at the Grand Opéra in July 1933. He died of acute kidney failure during a cure in the seaside resort of Vittel. He was also a great actor.

TRACKLIST

1. Cantique de Noël (Adam) 74519 C19124 Victor, Camden NJ 1917-01-24
2. Carmen (Bizet) Je suis Escamillo (w. Dalmores) 85114 C4253 Victor, New York 1907-02-19
3. Châlet (Adam) Dans le service de l’Autriche 74153 C8541 Victor, Camden NJ 1910-01-10
4. Chant de guerre cosaque (Massenet) 64585 B17077 Victor, Camden NJ 1916-01-27
5. Chant patriotique belge (trad, 18th Century) 6465 B19125 Victor, Camden NJ 1917-01-24
6. Contes d’Hoffmann (Offenbach) Scintille, diamant 74103 C5000 Victor, New York 1908-01-07
7. Damnation de Faust (Berlioz) Devant la maison 1123 BVE4207 Victor, Camden NJ 1925-10-19
8. Damnation de Faust (Berlioz) Devant la maison 64054 B4207 Victor, New York 1907-01-08
9. Don Carlo (Verdi) Ella giammai m’amò 74011 C2354 Victor, New York 1905-03-01
10. Don Giovanni (Mozart) Madamina! 64150 B8548 Victor, Camden NJ 1910-01-13
11. Ernani (Verdi) Infelice, e tu credevi 74008 C2309 Victor, Camden NJ 1910-01-11
12. Faust (Gounod) Dieu, que vois-je! (w. Farrar, Caruso & Lejeune-Gilibert) 10004 C8544 Victor, New York 1910-01-12
13. Faust (Gounod) Eh! quoi! Toujours seule (w. Farrar, Caruso & Lejeune-Gilibert) 10004 C8547 Victor, New York 1910-01-12
14. Faust (Gounod) O Merveille (w. van Hoose) 74003 C3012 Victor, New York 1906-01-17
15. Faust (Gounod) Quand du Seigneur (Scène de l’église, pt 2) (w. Farrar) 89037 C8559 Victor, New York 1910-01-17
16. Faust (Gounod) Que voulez-vous, messieurs (w. van Hoose & de Gogorza) 74004 C3011 Victor, New York 1906-01-17
17. Faust (Gounod) Seigneur, daignez permettre (do, pt 1) (w. Farrar) 89035 C8560 Victor, New York 1910-01-17
18. Faust (Gounod) Sérénade 74036 C3163 Victor, New York 1906-03-08
19. Faust (Gounod) Vous qui faites l’endormie 64137 B3163 Victor, Camden NJ 1910-01-13
20. Favorita (Donizetti) Splendon più belle (w. chorus) 74273 C11457 Victor, New York 1912-01-15
21. Freischütz (Weber) Non, qu’il ne m’échappe pas (Schweig, Schweig) 64236 B11466 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-01-17
22. Hérodiade (Massenet) Dors, ô cite perverse!… Astres étincelants 74152 C8540 Victor, Camden NJ 1910-01-10
23. Himno nacional Argentino (Conradi) 64648 B19112 Victor, Camden NJ 1917-01-22
24. Hosanna (Granier) 74735 C19135 Victor, Camden NJ 1917-01-26
25. Huguenots (Meyerbeer) D’un sacro zel (Bénédiction) (w. chorus) 74275 C11459 Victor, New York 1912-01-15
26. Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Piff, paff 74156 C8552 Victor, Camden NJ 1910-01-14
27. Inno di Mameli (Novaro) 64567 B17076 Victor, Camden NJ 1916-01-27
28. Jolie Fille de Perth (Bizet) Quand la flamme de l’amour 1123 BVE8563 Victor, Camden NJ 1925-10-21
29. Jongleur de Notre-Dame (Massenet) La vierge entend fort bien 74123 C4996 Victor, New York 1908-01-07
30. La Brabançonne (van Campenhout) 64558 B17064 Victor, Camden NJ 1916-01-25
31. La charité (Faure) 74271 C11444 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-01-09
32. La Marseillaise (de l’Isle) 74039 C3178 Victor, Camden NJ 1910-01-11
33. Lakmé (Delibes) Lakmé, ton doux regard 74009 C2311 Victor, New York 1905-02-17
34. Le clairon (Chant du soldat) (André) 74473 C17075 Victor, Camden NJ 1916-01-28
35. Le Cor (Flégier) 74508 C19116 Victor, Camden NJ 1917-01-25
36. Le flibustier (Georges) 64656 B19117 Victor, Camden NJ 1917-01-23
37. Le Père la Victoire (Ganne) 64557 B17058 Victor, Camden NJ 1916-01-25
38. Les boeufs (Dupont) 701 B19111 Victor, Camden NJ 1917-01-22
39. Les deux grenadiers (Schumann) 74038 C3165 Victor, Camden NJ 1910-01-15
40. Les rameaux (Faure) 74037 C3164 Victor, Camden NJ 1910-01-14
41. Lohengrin (Wagner) Mein Herr und Gott 1274 BVE2310 Victor, Camden NJ 1926-10-12
42. Lombardi (Verdi) Qual voluttà trascorrere (w. Alda & Caruso) 10010 C11441 Victor, New York 1912-01-07
43. Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) Chi mi frena (w. Caruso, Sembrich, Severina, Scotti & Daddi) 10001 C5052 Victor, New York 1908-02-07
44. Marche Lorraine (Ganne) 64586 B17078 Victor, Camden NJ 1916-01-27
45. Martha (Flotow) Che vuol dir ciò (w. Alda, Jacoby & Caruso) 10002 C11438 Victor, New York 1912-01-07
46. Mefistofele (Boito) Ave, Signor 64126 B8550 Victor, Camden NJ 1910-01-13
47. Mefistofele (Boito) Son lo spirito che nega 74210 C8553 Victor, Camden NJ 1910-01-14
48. Meistersinger von Nürnberg (Wagner) Selig wie die Sonne (w. Gadski, Mattfeld, van Hoose & Reiss) 95201 C5043 Victor, New York 1908-01-29
49. Mignon (Thomas) Légères hirondelles (w. Farrar) 89038 C8557 Victor, New York 1910-01-16
50. O salutaris hostia (Luce) 74472 C17056 Victor, Camden NJ 1916-01-25
51. Puritani (Bellini) Suoni la tromba (w. Amato) 89056 C11461 Victor, New York 1912-01-15
52. Puritani (Bellini) Suoni la tromba (w. Ancona) 88500 C4285 Victor, Philadelphia 1907-03-06
53. Reine de Saba (Gounod) Sous les pieds d’un femme 74269 C11454 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-01-11
54. Requiem (Fauré) Pie Jesu 64582 B17063 Victor, Camden NJ 1916-01-26
55. Rheingold (Wagner) Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge 74268 C11453 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-01-11
56. Robert le diable (Meyerbeer) Démons fatals (Valse infernale) 6176 C11473 Victor, New York 1912-01-19
57. Sigurd (Reyer) Au nom du roi Gunther 64157 B8561 Victor, Camden NJ 1910-01-15
58. Tannhäuser (Wagner) O tu bell’astro incantator 1274 BVE3010 Victor, Camden NJ 1926-10-11
59. Tannhäuser (Wagner) Wie Todesahnung 74006 C3010 Victor, New York 1906-01-17
60. Zauberflöte (Mozart) La haine et la colère 74266 C11451 Victor, Camden NJ 1912-01-11