Émile-Alexandre Taskin

Émile -Alexandre Taskin ( born March 18, 1853 in Paris, † October 5, 1897 ) was a French opera singer of the Opéra -Comique.

Life

Emile -Alexandre Taskin was a grandson of organist and composer Henri -Joseph Taskin (1779-1852), a great-grandson of Joseph Pascal Taskin (1750-1829), the administrator of the royal instrument fundus, a great-great grandson of the instrument maker Pascal Joseph Taskin (1723-1793) and a descendant of the great French family of musicians Couperin.

The age of nine he sang in the boys' choir of the parish church of Saint- Roch, later in the chancel of the church Ste. Madeleine. He fell to its clear voice and was thus recorded as a student at the Conservatoire de Paris. Among his teachers were other Jules Laurent Duprato, Romain Bussine and the famous tenor Charles Ponchard. With 20 or 21 years Taskin put his final exams with success.

Already in the following year Taskin could debut as a solo singer in oratorio " L' enfance du Christ " ( Hector Berlioz ). Also in 1875 (September) had Taskin his stage debut at the Stadttheater of Amiens as " Roland" in the opera Les musquetaires de la Reine ( Jacques Fromental Halévy ). In consequence, he got engagements at theaters in Geneva and Lille; his most important roles during this time were " Capitaine Fracasse " in the eponymous opera ( Théophile Gautier ) and "Romeo" in Amants de Vérone (Charles d' Ivry ).

His career, which had hitherto led him through the French countryside, gave Taskin 1878 engagement at the Théatre Ventadour in Paris and the following year he was engaged at the Opéra -Comique de Paris. There he was with " Malipieri " from the opera Haydée ou Le secret ( Daniel -François- Esprit Auber ) made ​​its debut. Until 1897 he was a member of the ensemble of the house and was able to celebrate one of his greatest successes as " Tambour - Major" in the opera Le Caid ( Ambroise Thomas ).

Taskin looked at the Opéra -Comique also in numerous premieres; among other things, he sang on 8 March 1880 in the world premiere of Jean de Nivelles ( Léo Delibes ) the " Charolais ", on 18 February 1881 in the of " The Tales of Hoffmann " (Jacques Offenbach) in the original two-act version of the opera, the demonic parts of the " Copelius " and " Dr. Miracle ".

On January 19, 1884, he appeared in the premiere of Manon ( Massenet ) as " Lescaut " with; on 16 March 1887 in the Proserpine ( Camille Saint- Saens ); On 15 May 1889 he played in the same house the " phorcas " in the world premiere of the opera Esclarmonde ( Jules Massenet ).

The Academy of Sciences in Paris took Taskin 1885 as a member.

He was very popular when he ( Ambroise Thomas ) by his prudence saved the lives of many spectators in the great fire of the Opéra- Comique on May 25, 1887 during a performance of the opera Mignon. But the Prime Minister Maurice Rouvier honored him with the Order " medal de sauvetage ire de classe ".

From 1 May 1891 he was a professor at the Conservatoire de Paris, and taught privately from 1894.

On 13 May 1894 he sang the " Lothario " in the 1000th idea of ​​Mignon at the Opéra -Comique. His powerful, expressive baritone voice was admired on the stage and in the concert hall in a wide-ranging repertoire.

He was married to singer Sophie Louise Champion ( born March 26, 1851 in Lagny; † December 1901 in Paris ), which had its debut in 1874. With her he had three children; Berthe Arlette Taskin ( born September 16, 1880) appeared as a concert contralto and as a recitalist. She married in 1899 the French romantic composer, Louis Vierne. The other two children Marcel and Germaine were music history not known.

Émile -Alexandre Taskin died on October 5, 1897 at the age of 44 years at his Paris home in the Rue de Rome No. 159 and was named after the funeral service in the church Ste -Marie des Batignolles at the Paris cemetery of Saint- Ouen- Parisien in grave of his parents buried.