Wartel, Pierre-François
Wartel, Pierre-François
Wartel, Pierre-François, noted French tenor and teacher; b. Versailles, April 3,1806; d. Paris, Aug. 3,1882. In 1825 he entered the Paris Cons, as a pupil of Halévy, but soon thereafter began studies with Choron at the Institut de la Musique Religieuse; in 1828 he returned to the Paris Cons, to pursue vocal training with Davide Banderali and Adolphe Nourrit (premier prix in singing, 1829). He was a member of the Paris Opéra (1831-46), and also made successful concert tours to Berlin, Prague, and Vienna. With Nourrit, he helped create an appreciation of Schubert’s Heder in France via his song recitals. He was mainly active as a singing teacher from 1842; his most prominent pupils were Christine Nilsson and Zelia Trebelli. His wife, Atale Thérèse Annette (née Adrien) Wartel (b. Paris, July 2, 1814; d. there, Nov. 6, 1865), was a talented pianist; studied at the Paris Cons.; after serving as an accompanist there, she was a prof, of piano (1831-38). She composed piano studies and other pieces.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire