Muratore, Lucien
Muratore, Lucien
Muratore, Lucien, prominent French tenor and teacher; b. Marseilles, Aug. 29, 1876; d. Paris, July 16, 1954. He studied at the Marseilles Cons., graduating with honors in 1897, but began his career as an actor. Later he studied opera at the Paris Cons. He made his operatic debut at the Paris Opéra-Comique on Dec. 16, 1902, as the King in Hahn’s La Carmélite, with extraordinary success. Muratore also sang in the premieres of several operas by Massenet: Ariane (1906), Bacchus(1909), and Roma (1912); Févriers Monna Vanna (1909), and Giordano’s Siberia (1911) et al. In 1913 he made his American debut with the Boston Opera Co.; on Dec. 15, 1913, he sang Faust with the Chicago Opera Co. In 1914 he joined the French army; then returned to the Chicago Grand Opera (1915–19; 1920–22). In 1922 he went back to France; for 7 years he served as mayor of the town of Biot. He was married 3 times; his first 2 marriages (to Marguerite Beriza, a soprano, and to Lina Cavalieri ) ended in divorce; his 3rd wife was Marie Louise Brivaud. Among his finest roles were Faust, Don José, and Des Grieux.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis Mclntire