Émile-Alexandre Taskin
Encyclopedia
Émile-Alexandre Taskin, born in Paris on 18 March 1853, and died there on 5 October 1897, was a French operatic baritone mainly active at the Paris Opéra-Comique
. He was a descendant of the harpsichord maker Pascal Taskin
(1723–1793).
Having sung in church choirs as a child, Taskin studied at the Conservatoire de Paris
. Having made his debut in 1875 in L'enfance du Christ
by Berlioz
, his stage debut was in September 1875 in Amiens as Roland in Les mousquetaires de la reine by Halévy
.
After other engagements in the provinces he was taken on at the Théâtre Ventadour in 1878 and made his debut at the Opéra-Comique
as Malipieri in Auber
's Haydée
on 9 February the same year, joining the company soon after. He was on-stage singing Lothario in Thomas
' Mignon
the night of the fire at the Salle Favart on 25 May 1887, and later received a médaille de sauvetage (rescue medal); he sang in the 1,000th performance of the opera in that house.
His repertoire also covered Count Almaviva (The Marriage of Figaro
), Escamillo (Carmen
), Ourrias (Mireille
), Sulpice (La fille du régiment
), Jupiter (Philémon et Baucis
), the Tambour-Major (Le Caïd by Thomas), and Père Lorenzo (Amants de Vérone by d'Ivry).
He created roles in Le Capitaine Fracasse by Pessard
at the Théâtre Lyrique (Salle Ventadour), on 2 July 1878, Jean de Nivelles (le Charolais) by Léo Delibes
on 8 March 1880, Les contes d'Hoffmann (Lindorf, Coppelius and Docteur Miracle) by Offenbach
on 18 February 1881, Manon
(Lescaut) by Massenet
on 19 January 1884, Proserpine (Squarocca) by Saint-Saëns
on 14 March 1887, and Esclarmonde
(Phorcas) by Massenet on 14 May 1889.
He became a professor at the Conservatoire on 1 May 1891.
He died at his home in the rue de Rome at the aged of 44, and was buried at the Cimetière de Saint-Ouen
.
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...
. He was a descendant of the harpsichord maker Pascal Taskin
Pascal Taskin
----Pascal Joseph Taskin was a French harpsichord and piano maker. Born in Theux, near Liège, he lived most of his life in Paris.- Biography :...
(1723–1793).
Having sung in church choirs as a child, Taskin studied at the Conservatoire de Paris
Conservatoire de Paris
The Conservatoire de Paris is a college of music and dance founded in 1795, now situated in the avenue Jean Jaurès in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France...
. Having made his debut in 1875 in L'enfance du Christ
L'enfance du Christ
L'enfance du Christ , Opus 25, is an oratorio by the French composer Hector Berlioz, based on the Holy Family's flight into Egypt. Berlioz wrote his own words for the piece. Most of it was composed in 1853 and 1854, but it also incorporates an earlier work La fuite en Egypte...
by Berlioz
Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
, his stage debut was in September 1875 in Amiens as Roland in Les mousquetaires de la reine by Halévy
Fromental Halévy
Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy , was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera La Juive.-Early career:...
.
After other engagements in the provinces he was taken on at the Théâtre Ventadour in 1878 and made his debut at the Opéra-Comique
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...
as Malipieri in Auber
Daniel Auber
Daniel François Esprit Auber was a French composer.-Biography:The son of a Paris print-seller, Auber was born in Caen in Normandy. Though his father expected him to continue in the print-selling business, he also allowed his son to learn how to play several musical instruments...
's Haydée
Haydée
Haydée, ou Le secret is an opéra comique by the French composer Daniel Auber, first performed at the Théâtre Royal de l'Opéra-Comique, Paris on 28 December 1847...
on 9 February the same year, joining the company soon after. He was on-stage singing Lothario in Thomas
Ambroise Thomas
Charles Louis Ambroise Thomas was a French composer, best known for his operas Mignon and Hamlet and as Director of the Conservatoire de Paris from 1871 till his death.-Biography:"There is good music, there is bad music, and then there is Ambroise Thomas."- Emmanuel Chabrier-Early life...
' Mignon
Mignon
Mignon is an opéra comique in three acts by Ambroise Thomas. The original French libretto was by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on Goethe's novel Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre. The Italian version was translated by Giuseppe Zaffira. The opera is mentioned in James Joyce's The Dead,...
the night of the fire at the Salle Favart on 25 May 1887, and later received a médaille de sauvetage (rescue medal); he sang in the 1,000th performance of the opera in that house.
His repertoire also covered Count Almaviva (The Marriage of Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro
Le nozze di Figaro, ossia la folle giornata , K. 492, is an opera buffa composed in 1786 in four acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro .Although the play by...
), Escamillo (Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
), Ourrias (Mireille
Mireille (opera)
Mireille is an opera in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Michel Carré after Frédéric Mistral's poem Mireio.-Composition history:...
), Sulpice (La fille du régiment
La fille du régiment
La fille du régiment is an opéra comique in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. It was written while the composer was living in Paris, with a French libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Jean-François Bayard.La figlia del reggimento, a slightly different Italian-language version , was...
), Jupiter (Philémon et Baucis
Philémon et Baucis
Philémon et Baucis is an opera in three acts by Charles Gounod with a libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. The opera is based on the tale of Baucis and Philemon as told by La Fontaine...
), the Tambour-Major (Le Caïd by Thomas), and Père Lorenzo (Amants de Vérone by d'Ivry).
He created roles in Le Capitaine Fracasse by Pessard
Emile Pessard
Émile Louis Fortuné Pessard was a French composer.He studied at the Paris Conservatoire where he won 1st prize in Harmony. In 1866 he won the Grand Prix de Rome with his cantata Dalila which was performed at the Paris Opera on February 21, 1867...
at the Théâtre Lyrique (Salle Ventadour), on 2 July 1878, Jean de Nivelles (le Charolais) by Léo Delibes
Léo Delibes
Clément Philibert Léo Delibes was a French composer of ballets, operas, and other works for the stage...
on 8 March 1880, Les contes d'Hoffmann (Lindorf, Coppelius and Docteur Miracle) by Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
on 18 February 1881, Manon
Manon
Manon is an opéra comique in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost...
(Lescaut) by Massenet
Jules Massenet
Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet was a French composer best known for his operas. His compositions were very popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and he ranks as one of the greatest melodists of his era. Soon after his death, Massenet's style went out of fashion, and many of his operas...
on 19 January 1884, Proserpine (Squarocca) by Saint-Saëns
Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
on 14 March 1887, and Esclarmonde
Esclarmonde
Esclarmonde is an opéra in four acts and eight tableaux, with prologue and epilogue, by Jules Massenet, to a French libretto by Alfred Blau and Louis Ferdinand de Gramont....
(Phorcas) by Massenet on 14 May 1889.
He became a professor at the Conservatoire on 1 May 1891.
He died at his home in the rue de Rome at the aged of 44, and was buried at the Cimetière de Saint-Ouen
Cimetière de Saint-Ouen
The Saint-Ouen Cemetery is located just north of Montmartre at Saint-Ouen, near Paris, France. The cemetery consists of two parts. The first, located on Rue Adrien Lesesne opened in 1860 and the second at 2 Avenue Michelet was opened on September 1, 1872....
.