Guest
Léon Beyle (1871-1922), a gifted French tenor whose career was primarily confined to Paris. Born Augustin Beyle in Lyon, he studied at the Conservatory there and later in Paris, where he took top prizes in vocal juries. Following graduation (at the relatively late age of 25), the tenor made his official debut at the Opéra de Paris on January 25, 1897 as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni. During his two seasons with the company, Beyle sang a variety of roles, including Laërte in Hamlet, Nicias in Thaïs, David in Die Meistersinger and the title role in Gounod’s Faust. Despite his success there, Beyle grew increasingly concerned about the vast size of the Opéra. Fearing that singing in the 2,000 seat theater might lead to vocal strain, he allowed himself to be lured away by the considerably smaller Opéra-Comique in the fall of 1898. The tenor’s debut there was as Don José in Carmen, and he remained with the company almost exclusively for the next two decades. On March 24, 1899, Beyle created the first of many roles at the Opéra-Comique, Claudio in the premiere of Paul Puget’s comic opera, Beaucoup de Bruit Pour Rien (Much Ado About Nothing). According to a review in Le Ménestrel, “…we must above all point out Mr. Léon Beyle, who is in charge of the very heavy role of Claudio and who pulls it off to his honor. He does not falter for a moment under this enormous responsibility… I add that as an actor he leaves little to be desired.” In the more intimate confines of the Opéra-Comique, Beyle could easily reach every corner of the house without having to force his voice to be heard. This allowed the tenor to luxuriate in his own eloquent style, much to the delight of the public. Although he mainly confined himself to Paris during his career, Beyle did make occasional appearance in Brussels, Vichy, Monte Carlo and a few French provincial theaters. The tenor also travelled to Buenos Aires during the summer season of 1911. However, it was the Opéra-Comique that Beyle considered his artistic home. He was a familiar fixture with the company until 1914 (some sources say 1918 or 1920), singing a wide variety of roles including Gérald in Lakmé, des Grieux in Manon, Admète in Alceste, Pylade in Iphigénie en Tauride, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, and the title roles in Philémon et Baucis, Julien and Les Contes d’Hoffmann. Beyle retired from the stage in 1920 and devoted himself to teaching, setting up a studio in Paris. Perhaps homesick for the city of his birth, the tenor relocated to Lyon a short time later and resumed his teaching practice there. Sadly, Beyle’s days of working from his voice studio were few. He suffered a medical crisis of some sort (contemporary accounts are not terribly specific about what, exactly, befell the tenor) during the summer of 1922. Surgery was performed, but Beyle never recovered, dying in a Lyon hospital on July 17, 1922. He was only 51 years old. Léon Beyle is an unjustly forgotten artist. When great French tenors of the early 20th century are discussed, Clément, Dalmorès, Franz and Muratore are among the artists typically mentioned. Although he was born during the same decade, Beyle is conspicuously absent from that list. Why? Perhaps it is because he never sang in North America. Perhaps it is because his career was primarily confined to a single theater. Perhaps there is no discernable reason. Regardless of the cause for his obscurity, Léon Beyle was an artist of high standards, who sang with elegance and great musicality. He deserves to be remembered. His diverse repertoire of over 40 roles included Mylio in Le Roi d’Ys, Julien in Louise, Achille in Iphigénie en Aulide, Jésus in Marie-Magdeleine, The King in Miarka, Danièlo in La Reine Fiammette, Alfredo in La Traviata, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Erik in Der Fliegende Holländer, Florestan in Fidelio, Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana and what was probably his greatest role, Werther. Beyle also created leading roles in the world premieres of Coquard’s La Troupe Jolicœur, Rabaud’s La Fille de Roland, Erlanger’s Aphrodite and La Sorcière, Lazzari’s La Lépreuse, Garnier’s Myrtil, and Leroux’s Le Carillonneur. Beyle’s catalogue of recordings is extensive, numbering nearly 450 discs recorded for G&T, Pathé, Eden, The Gramophone Company, Zonophone, Beka and Idéal between 1903 and 1916. This includes the first French language recording (an earlier version was recorded in German) of Gounod’s Faust. These recordings capture a lyric tenor both strong and flexible. The singing is nuanced, with a caressing sweetness of tone, yet with the requisite power (in the studio, at least) to navigate more dramatic music. Beyle’s recordings give us a glimpse into the art of late 19th/early 20th century French singing and are always a pleasure to listen to.
