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The story of French-Canadian tenor Pierre-Aurèle Asselin (1881–1964) is an unusual one. Born on L’Île d'Orléans in Canada’s Quebec Province, Asselin came from a musical family. As a youngster, he began to display a fine singing voice and joined the choir of his hometown church during his teen years. Although his vocal talents would have suggested a stage or concert career, Asselin decided, at age 22, to pursue a career in the fur industry. In fact, it was not until the age of 35 that Asselin made his first professional appearance as a soloist. His performance for The Ladies’ Morning Musical Club of Quebec City(!) drew a great deal of attention and soon the tenor was presenting luncheon and dinner programs for various music clubs throughout the province. Within a year, Asselin signed a contract with Columbia Records, leading to a somewhat spotty career as a recording artist. Asselin’s musical career was largely relegated to the recording studio and concert platform. Although he spent a brief period with the Montreal based Sociéte Nationale d'Opéra Comique (a company which, itself, spent only a brief period producing operas), his was never a full-fledged operatic career. With the exception of a handful of appearances in oratorio, including a much heralded performance of Dubois’ Les Sept Paroles du Christ at the Montreal Cathedral, Asselin concentrated his musical career on recordings, benefit concerts and after dinner programs. Although he was quite popular with Montreal’s assorted musical societies, he always considered himself a furrier. By the time he reached the age of 50, Asselin had abandoned music completely and concentrated his efforts exclusively on the fur trade. The ex-tenor continued to run his fur business until the time of his death at the age of 83. Many questions remain regarding the life and career of Pierre-Aurèle Asselin. Why would a man with such a tremendous vocal endowment treat singing only as a secondary career or even a hobby? If his recordings are any indication, he certainly possessed the talent to enjoy a major operatic career. Perhaps it was a question of technique. There is no evidence that Asselin ever seriously studied voice for an extended period of time and his final recordings reveal vocal deterioration at no great age. Perhaps it was an issue of time. Asselin never entirely abandoned his career as a furrier and possibly lacked the time to prepare the complete roles necessary for an operatic career. There may have been a language barrier. His pronounced French-Canadian accent in the arias of Gounod or Massenet might have been off putting to opera impresarios. One suspects, however, that the limitations to Asselin’s musical career were self-imposed. Even during the mid-20th Century, the Canadian fur trade was still quite profitable and perhaps Asselin simply drifted toward a sure thing for reasons of financial security. Whatever the reason, Pierre-Aurèle Asselin’s reluctance to fully commit himself to a performing career was a loss to the opera world. Asselin made dozens of recordings for Columbia, Edison and Brunswick between 1916 and 1929. These records showcase a rather sturdy yet lyrical instrument and an innate sense of musicality. Here, Asselin sings “Ah, fuyez, douce image“ from Massenet's Manon. This recording was made for Columbia Records in 1921.
