Guest
“Frustratingly little is known about the life and career of French tenor Émile Marcelin (1879-1947). This very fine artist enjoyed a 30 year career in theaters of the French speaking world, primarily in Paris. Born Émile Marcel Lucas on December 3, 1879 in Harfleur, Normandy (most sources erroneously state that he was born in Roubaix in 1885), the son of a customs officer and his wife, he began singing as an amateur during his early 20s. His singing attracted much attention, and, in spite of his less than stunning appearance, he had more than a few female admirers. At least one of these admirers, Alice Hervieux, attracted HIS attention, and the two were married in Le Havre in May of 1906. Although the pair welcomed their son Émile, Jr. in December of that same year, 1906 proved a tragic year for the young tenor. He lost his mother, grandmother and brother all within a few short months. To console himself, Marcelin doted on his wife and baby and sang at every opportunity. A popular story has it that Marcelin took second prize in a nationwide competition for amateur tenors organized by a pair of Parisian newspapers in March of 1908. Among nearly 500 entrants, only future Heldentenor Paul Franz beat Marcelin out of the top prize. It is a very nice tale but, alas, an apocryphal one. First of all, Franz did not take first prize in the competition. He was denied the prize for being too polished to compete on an amateur level! In addition, contemporary accounts mention the grand prize winner, Charles Falandry, and the ten medalists, Paul Franz, Georges Dominique, Nicaise Villeneuve, Jean Loubressac, Jacques Mario, Robert Lassalle (son of famed baritone Jean Lassalle), Joseph Ancelin, Charles Foy, Tiburce Iriarthe and Gaston Accard as the frontrunners in the competition. Although he is mentioned as having made it into the final 25 contestants, Marcelin was not one of the top ten and certainly did not place second in the competition. It is interesting to note, however, that of the 25 finalists, only three…Marcelin, Franz and Lassalle…managed to carve out major careers on the operatic stage. Marcelin made his professional debut as Werther at the Opéra-Comique on May 6, 1912. The tenor remained a stalwart member of the company for the next 18 seasons, singing a wide variety of roles. Marcelin also sang throughout the French provinces and was a particular favorite in Algiers. His repertoire consisted of such traditional French roles as Wilhelm Meister in Mignon, Gérald in Lakmé, Mylio in Le Roi d’Ys, des Grieux in Manon, Don José in Carmen, Jean in Le Jongleur de Notre Dame, Vincent in Mireille, and the title roles in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Werther and Julien. Equally at home in the Italian repertoire (sung in French, of course), Marcelin excelled as Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana, Canio in Pagliacci, Cavaradossi in Tosca, Rodolfo in La Bohème, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and Alfredo in La Traviata. Lesser known works such as Lazzari’s La Lépreuse, Massenet’s Thérèse and La Navarraise, Leroux’s Le Chemineau, and a pair of works sung by the tenor at the Opéra-Comique premieres, Mazellier’s Graziella and Rousseau’s Le Hulla, also made their way into Marcelin’s repertoire. After leaving the Opéra-Comique in 1930, Marcelin began to wind down his stage career, turning more and more to teaching. The tenor’s son, Émile Marcel Lucas, Jr. (1906-1954), adopted his father’s stage name and became renowned as a composer and teacher. As he approached the age of sixty, the elder Marcelin retired from the stage and accepted a position at the Conservatoire de Roubaix. Émile Marcelin spent his twilight years coaching young singers and died in Roubaix on March 27, 1947 at the age of 67. Émile Marcelin was a fine artist who has fallen into undeserved obscurity. Luckily, Marcelin’s voice and artistry are preserved on some 150 recordings, made for The French Gramophone Company between 1919 and 1929. These discs showcase a sturdy, lirico-spinto voice which was used very effectively and artistically. They also reveal a very accomplished vocal actor, whose characterizations are still vital after more than 90 years. Here, Marcelin sings des Grieux’s Dream Aria, “En fermant les yeux” from Massenet’s Manon. This recording was made for The Gramophone Company in Paris on October 20, 1926.“
