Description

GERMAINE CERNAY (LE HAVRE, 28 APRIL, 1900 – PARIS, 19 SEPTEMBER, 1943)

Her real name was Germaine Pointu. Initially aspiring to become a pianist, she shifted her focus to singing and studied voice at the National Conservatory in Paris under Albers and Engel. She made her debut in 1925 at the Paris Grand Opéra, performing the role of Euryclée in Gabriel Fauré’s Pénélope. In 1927, she joined the Opéra-Comique in Paris, where she initially sang smaller roles before progressing to leading roles such as Charlotte in Werther, Carmen, Mignon, and Geneviève in Pelléas et Mélisande.

In 1930, she participated in the world premiere of Omer Letorey’s opera Le Sicilien at the Opéra-Comique. She enjoyed significant success at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels and on various provincial stages throughout France. Germaine Pointu also gave guest performances in North Africa, Switzerland, England, Ireland, and Italy, where she performed in the 1939 Florence May Festival as Florenz in Ravel’s L’Enfant et les sortilèges.

Her versatility extended to concert performances, where she became renowned as one of the leading French concert altos of her time, particularly excelling as an interpreter of Bach. Notably, she even sang the soprano role in Pelléas et Mélisande in a French radio broadcast.

Pointu was known for her cultured voice, especially in the high register, her refined artistry in delivery, and her exceptional phrasing. She was considered to embody a voice type known in France as “Galli-Marié,” named after the famous prima donna Célestine Galli-Marié. Tragically, just as she was preparing to enter a convent, she passed away suddenly, leaving behind a legacy as one of the finest voices of her generation.

TRACKLIST

1. Werther (Massenet): Mort de Werther (w. Friant) 123.585 XXP6745 Odeon, Paris 1928
2. Werther (Massenet): Ah! mon courage m’abandonne!… Oui, c’est moi! (w. Friant) 188.607 Ki1834/1908 Odeon, Paris 1928
3. Werther (Massenet): Et ces armes… Pourquoi me reveiller… Ah! ce premier baiser (w. Friant) 123.572 xxp6717/6718 Odeon, Paris 1928
4. Werther (Massenet): Werther est de retour (w. Friant & Bourdin) 188.614 Ki1977 Odeon, Paris 1928
5. Carmen (Bizet): Mêlons! Coupons!, pt 1 (w. Lebard & Fenoyer) 123555 XXP6680 Odeon, Paris 1928-05-26
6. Werther (Massenet): Il faut nous separer (w. Friant) 123.556 XXP6691 Odeon, Paris 1928-05-31
7. Werther (Massenet): Nous avez dit vrai (w. Friant) 123.556 XXP6692 Odeon, Paris 1928-05-31
8. Carmen (Bizet): Je vais danser (w. Friant) 188.593 Ki 1747 Odeon, Paris 1928-05-31
9. La Cloche (Saint-Saëns) Columbia LFX 262
10. Les Saltimbanques (Ganne) C’est l’amour 123.544 XXP6650 Odeon, Paris
11. Werther (Massenet): Werther, Werther (w. Friant) 123.586 XXP6993 Odeon, Paris 1928-11-24
12. Werther (Massenet): Et puis, il ne faut pas (w. Friant) 123.586 XXP6746 Odeon, Paris 1928-11-24
13. Contes d’Hoffmann (Offenbach) Barcarolle (w. Feraldy) Columbia LF122 WL4103
14. Werther (Massenet): Ai-je dit vrai? (w. Friant) 123.700 XXP7071 Odeon, Paris 1930-05-23
15. Werther (Massenet): Celui qu’il faut de moi (w. Friant) 123.700 XXP7072 Odeon, Paris 1930-05-23
16. O Mon Bel Inconnu (Hahn): Trio (w. Simon & Coiffier) DF 1357 CL 4544 Columbia
17. Cavalleria Rusticana (Mascagni): No no (w. Micheletti) 123782 Odeon 1931-05-12
18. Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saëns): Printemps qui commence Columbia LFX 262