The Great Tenor Tragedy /The Last Days of Adolphe Nourrit As Told (Mostly) by Himself By Henry Pleasants Amadeus Press ISBN 0-9311340-89-6 The nineteenth century is key to understanding vocal history and the current state of singing. Composing style changed, and as a result singers changed the way they studied and prepared. This was not a gentle progression: it was a seismic shift. Nowhere is this more dramatically embodied than in the final eighteen months of one of the all-time greats, and one of the first be known as a dramatic tenor, Adolphe Nourrit. Nourrit was a fine musician, a man superbly trained in the art of singing by Manuel Garcia, and a fine actor, passionate about the theater, taking his inspiration from the great French stage actor, Talma. He was a thrilling performer who took care with every word he sang. He was frequently consulted by composers, and collaborated with them in the creation of libretti. The manner of working in France at that time was slower and more methodical than in Italy. Composer and singer worked together to create the drama, with roles specifically tailored to individual voices. There was plenty of rehearsal time, and the result was thrilling theater. With this book you can start to form a picture of the artistic climate, and the qualities of singers whose voices have never been recorded. I was fascinated! Nourrit discusses his work with Donizetti, writes about Ronconi, Rubini and others. Not only do you get a first hand look at the changes in singing and composing, but you get glimpses through his letters of his experience working in Italy and France, and an idea of how he functioned as an actor. In the after-word Pleasants fills in the gaps in Nourrit's story and compares the operatic professional life, then and now. The story goes that Nourrit leaves Paris when Duprez arrives, unwilling to be compared to him. He hopes to learn the current style of singing in Italy, and studies with Donizetti. As many of you may know, he ended his life by committing suicide, and many assume it was over the success of Duprez that he was in despair. The truth is more complex. It turns out he was seriously ill, and trying to sing was even more debilitating. Given the results of the autopsy, it is amazing that he did not feel a lot worse. He only complained of having some days when he was not in good voice. He depression was generated by his medical condition. His liver was shot (fatty liver) and he had ulcerative colitis. Today we could have cured him, and then perhaps a generation of singers would have gained from his teaching. He did not ascribe his troubles to poor health. He was trying to force himself in the direction of a bigger sound than he was used to producing and to lose his French accent in Italian. With poor health he was a man operating beyond his depth. He was trying to acquire the do di petto, which can be dangerous and destructive. He also wanted a technique which Faure says does not even exist (voix sombree), but instead is merely a description of the natural character of the voice of Paul Baroilhet. Henry Pleasants was a great character, a fine, insightful teacher and writer on music who worked for the CIA! Unhappily he is no longer with us, but his books remain essential to our understanding. This book is available on line as a beautiful hardback and absolutely compelling to read. Find it, buy it, treasure it. RP 2/06 Back to Top