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Léon Campagnola (1875-1955) was a French tenor who was active on both sides of the Atlantic during the first quarter of the 20th century. Born in Marseilles, Campagnola began his vocal studies as a baritone at the Conservatory of his hometown. He later transferred to the Paris Conservatory where he studied with renowned baritone Théophile-Adolphe Manoury (1846-1909). Under Manoury’s tutelage, the young singer perfected his technique and retrained his voice from baritone to tenor. He made his operatic stage debut in Versailles as Vincent in Mireille in 1903. The following season, Campagnola travelled to Belgium to accept a contract in Mons. Much of the tenor’s early career was spent in Belgium, with appearances in Ghent, Antwerp and Brussels. Campagnola was essaying mostly lyric roles in such works as Mireille, Lakmé, Mignon, The Barber of Seville, The Pearl Fishers and La Dame Blanche during this period and was offered the role of Léopold in La Juive at the Théâtre du Capitole à Toulouse. The young tenor made a huge impression in this secondary role, which led to Campagnola being offered the role of Des Grieux in the first French performances of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut in 1907. Engagements in the major houses of Geneva, Lyon, Marseilles and Bourdeaux followed and in 1910, Campagnola was invited to the Opéra de Paris, where he made his debut as Roméo in Gounod’s opera. Reports that general manager Andreas Dippel had engaged Campagnola to appear at the Metropolitan Opera proved to be false. Although he never sang at the Met, Campagnola DID make his U.S. debut in Philadelphia on February 5, 1913 as Wilhelm Meister in Mignon. This production was part of a North American tour that included appearances in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. Campagnola returned to Europe before war clouds began to loom. Although he made a single appearance at Milan’s La Scala in 1917 (as des Grieux in Massenet’s Manon), he found himself increasingly relegated to the French and Belgian provinces. At the relatively young age of 52, Campagnola, still at the peak of his powers, made the decision to leave the stage. He retired to the town of Aulus-les-Bains in the Pyrenees, where he devoted himself to teaching voice. Campagnola also found time for his favorite hobby, painting, and spent numerous hours creating portraits and landscapes. Shortly after Christmas, 1954, the retired tenor began work on a new painting, another landscape. Stubbornly insisting on working outdoors in the frigid temperatures, he caught a chill and soon developed a bronchial infection. He reluctantly took to his bed but refused medical treatment, preferring instead to relax at home, drinking strong coffee and puffing away on his pipe. Not surprisingly, the old tenor’s condition worsened and he had to be taken to the hospital in Marseilles. It was there, in the place of his birth, that Campagnola passed away on January 11, 1955, just one month shy of his 80th birthday. Léon Campagnola boasted a diverse repertoire of over 30 roles in such operas as Lakmé, Werther, Roméo et Juliette, Faust, Hérodiade, Thaïs, Le Jongleur de Notre Dame, Alceste, Louise, Carmen, La Reine Fiamette, I Gioielli della Madonna, Die Meistersinger, Tosca, La Bohème, Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci and Rigoletto. His many recordings, made between 1911 and 1926 for Pathé, Victor and ., showcase a large, well controlled spinto voice coupled with an expressive and eloquent approach to the music.
