Guest
“Adolphe Maréchal (1867-1935) was a Belgian lyric tenor who enjoyed a brief but illustrious career during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Liège to a gunsmith and his wife, he began his musical studies at the Liège Conservatory. Young Maréchal excelled in his studies, graduating with 1st prizes in singing, declamation, and music theory. Following graduation, the fledgling tenor auditioned for his hometown theater, Théâtre de Liège, and was reluctantly hired at a monthly salary of 425 francs (about $1300 in 2023 dollars). Directors of the theater later remarked, “He was far from possessing the necessary repertoire for his job. We could not have suspected then that this novice beginner would soon occupy an important place at the Opéra-Comique.” The company, however, was desperate for talent and took a chance with the inexperienced Maréchal. The tenor, along with numerous other beginners, joined the company in October of 1891. He spent the season singing roles in forgettable and forgotten works, which were typically panned by critics. Maréchal, however, must have made an impression, for after leaving the company in March of 1892, he found himself working steadily with companies throughout the Belgian and French provinces. While building his repertoire and learning his craft, he appeared in Antwerp, Dijon, Bordeaux, Rouen, Reims, Nice, and Aix-les-Bains. The tenor caught the attention of Léon Carvalho, director of the Opéra-Comique, who offered him a contract. Maréchal’s debut at the Opéra-Comique was as Don José in Carmen on November 7, 1895. Maréchal’s association with the Opéra-Comique was a mutually satisfying one. Along with Edmond Clément, Maréchal became the most frequently heard tenor with the company, singing such roles as Gérald in Lakmé, des Grieux in Manon, Vincent in Mireille, Mylio in Le Roi d’Ys, and Nadir in Les Pêcheurs de Perles. On occasion, he was joined by his younger brother, Nicolas, who was cultivating a career as a baritone in the early 1900s. Unfortunately, Maréchal was not fated to have a lengthy career at the Opéra-Comique. Following a performance of La Tentation de Pierrot in December of 1907, Maréchal fell ill with a throat ailment. The tenor desperately tried to carry on, but soon found that his voice was not responsive. After much agonizing, Maréchal retired from public singing in 1908 and returned to his native Liège. Although initially quite bitter about his premature departure from the stage (“Singing is my reason for living”, he once remarked), he decided to do what so many ex-opera stars do to fill their time. He opened a voice studio. Maréchal turned out to be quite a popular vocal coach. So passionate was he about working with students that he offered free lessons to those unable to pay. The retired tenor spent the next quarter century making his living in this way, eventually moving to Brussels. It was here that Maréchal died, on February 1, 1935 at the age of 67. The city of Liège dedicated the Rue Adolphe Maréchal in the tenor’s honor in 1949. Despite his short career, Adolphe Maréchal was an important part of the French opera scene during the 1890s and early 1900s. His influence at the Opéra-Comique cannot be underestimated. He sang Rodolfo in the French premiere of La Bohème in 1898 and created such roles as Alain in Massenet’s Grisélidis, Julien in Charpentier’s Louise, Landry in Bruneau’s L'ouragan, Danièlo in Leroux’s La Reine Fiamette, and Yann le Rimeur in Georges Hüe’s Titania. In addition to his work at the Opéra-Comique, Maréchal enjoyed success at the Opéra de Paris, Antwerp Royal Opera, London’s Covent Garden, Moscow’s Bolshoi, and the Théâtre de Monte-Carlo, where he created the role of Jean in the world premiere of Massenet’s Le Jongleur de Notre-Dame. His varied repertoire included Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Araquil in La Navarraise, the Harvester in Le Pardon de Ploërmel, Sylvain in Les Dragons de Villars, Mergy in Le Pré-aux-Clercs, Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana, Cavaradossi in Tosca, des Grieux in Manon Lescaut, and the title roles in Gounod’s Faust, Méhul’s Joseph, Messager’s Fortunio and Massé’s Paul et Virginie. Incidentally, Adolphe Maréchal should not be confused with André Maréchal, a popular baritone at the Eldorado of Paris, who also recorded for Pathé at the same time. The tenor's recordings bear the distinction “Maréchal de l'Opéra-Comique“ to set them apart. Maréchal’s recordings…all too few of them…were made for Pathé and the Gramophone Company in 1904 and 1905. These rare relics give a glimpse into the bygone art of French lyrical singing of the 19th century. Maréchal’s voice was once described as a “semi-character tenor”, referring to his ability to act with the voice. Certainly, he was a compelling stage performer, and this comes through in his recordings. Here, Maréchal sings “Elle ne croyait pas” from Ambroise Thomas’ Mignon. This recording was made in Paris for the Gramophone Company in 1905.“
