Faure, Jean-Baptiste
Faure, Jean-Baptiste
Faure, Jean-Baptiste, famous French baritone; b. Moulins, Jan. 15, 1830; d. Paris, Nov. 9, 1914. He was a choirboy in Paris, then entered the Paris Cons, in 1851. On Oct. 20, 1852, he made his operatic debut at the Opéra-Comique as Pygmalion in Massé’s Galathée. He subsequently created the roles of Malipieri in Auber’s Hay dee (July 5, 1853) and Hoel in Meyerbeer’s Dinorah, ou Le Pardon de Ploërmel (April 4, 1859) there. It was as Hoel that he made his Covent Garden debut in London on April 10, 1860; he continued to sing there, as well as at Drury Lane and Her Majesty’s Theatre, until 1877. He made his debut at the Paris Oéra as Julien in Poniatowsky’s Pierre de Medicis on Oct. 14, 1861; he continued to sing there until 1869, and then again from 1872 to 1876 and in 1878. Among the roles he created at the Opéra were Nelusko in Meyerbeer’s L’Ajricaine (April 28, 1865), Posa in Verdi’s Don Carlos (March 11, 1867), and Hamlet in Thomas’s opera (March 9,1868). In later years he appeared in concerts, garnering notable acclaim in Vienna and London. He excelled in dramatic roles in French and Italian operas, and was particularly renowned for his portrayals of Don Giovanni, Méphistophélès, and Guillaume Tell. He publ. 2 books on singing, and also taught at the Paris Cons. (1857–60). He was married to the singer Constance Caroline Lefebvre (1828–1905).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire