Joseph Fournier de Belleval
Encyclopedia
Joseph Fournier de Belleval (1892 – 1945) was a French Canadian
baritone
, singing teacher and retailer. During the 1920s, he recorded over one hundred French language
songs, primarily for the Quebec
market.
in 1892. He made his singing debut in April 1917 in the production of L'Accordée de village directed by Omer Létourneau
in the Auditorium de Québec. The following April he appeared in Robert Planquette
's RIP, also at the Auditorium de Québec. In time, he began to pick up other roles. He played Macroton in Poisse's L'Amour médecin for the Knights of Columbus
in Quebec city in February 1919. Apart from productions, he undertook singing performances for the Cercle Montcalm in November 1919 and the Cercle des Dames de Lévis in May 1920.
In December 1921 Belleval made his first recordings, travelling to New York
to record with the Columbia Record Company. He made a second trip in February 1922, recording a total of 24 songs. The recordings were mostly contemporary Parisian songs. He returned there in February 1924 to record another dozen comparable songs. Belleval recorded twelve songs in Montreal with His Master's Voice in 1925, and fifty more songs with Columbia between 1926 and 1928.
In 1924, Belleval starred in the Operetta Vive la Canadienne by Omer Létourneau. The company played the Knights of Columbus hall in Quebec city starting March 27, and in April the performances took place at the Palais Montcalm. He joined the Société canadienne d'opérette run by Honoré Vaillancourt, where he performed in Le Carillon de Saint-Arlon (1924), Rêve de valse (1924), La Cocarde de Mimi Pinson (1925), Ordre de l'empereur (1925), Les Cloches de Corneville (1926), Le Beau Voyage (1926), Le Jongleur de Notre-Dame (1928) and La Dernière Valse (1929).
In the 1930s Belleval retired from the music business, opening a retail shop in Contrecœur. There he created the Association des marchands détaillants. He died in March 1945.
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
, singing teacher and retailer. During the 1920s, he recorded over one hundred French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
songs, primarily for the Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
market.
Career
Belleval's place of birth is not known for certain, but he was probably born in Quebec CityQuebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
in 1892. He made his singing debut in April 1917 in the production of L'Accordée de village directed by Omer Létourneau
Omer Létourneau
Omer Létourneau was a Québécois pianist, organist, composer and orchestra conductor.A pupil of Joseph-Arthur Bernier, Létourneau won the Prix d'Europe in 1913. In 1917 he directed the production of L'Accordée de village in the Auditorium de Québec in Quebec City which included performances from...
in the Auditorium de Québec. The following April he appeared in Robert Planquette
Robert Planquette
Jean Robert Planquette was a French composer of songs and operettas.Several of Planquette's operettas were extraordinarily successful in Britain, including Les cloches de Corneville , the length of whose initial London run broke all records for any piece of musical theatre up to that time, and Rip...
's RIP, also at the Auditorium de Québec. In time, he began to pick up other roles. He played Macroton in Poisse's L'Amour médecin for the Knights of Columbus
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
in Quebec city in February 1919. Apart from productions, he undertook singing performances for the Cercle Montcalm in November 1919 and the Cercle des Dames de Lévis in May 1920.
In December 1921 Belleval made his first recordings, travelling to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to record with the Columbia Record Company. He made a second trip in February 1922, recording a total of 24 songs. The recordings were mostly contemporary Parisian songs. He returned there in February 1924 to record another dozen comparable songs. Belleval recorded twelve songs in Montreal with His Master's Voice in 1925, and fifty more songs with Columbia between 1926 and 1928.
In 1924, Belleval starred in the Operetta Vive la Canadienne by Omer Létourneau. The company played the Knights of Columbus hall in Quebec city starting March 27, and in April the performances took place at the Palais Montcalm. He joined the Société canadienne d'opérette run by Honoré Vaillancourt, where he performed in Le Carillon de Saint-Arlon (1924), Rêve de valse (1924), La Cocarde de Mimi Pinson (1925), Ordre de l'empereur (1925), Les Cloches de Corneville (1926), Le Beau Voyage (1926), Le Jongleur de Notre-Dame (1928) and La Dernière Valse (1929).
In the 1930s Belleval retired from the music business, opening a retail shop in Contrecœur. There he created the Association des marchands détaillants. He died in March 1945.