Ward Marston discusses Early French Tenors: Émile Scaramberg, Pierre Cornubert, and Julien Leprestre
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Early French Tenors: Émile Scaramberg, Pierre Cornubert, and Julien Leprestre

This release is the first of three double CD sets highlighting early French Tenors. Some of the artists included in these compilations will be well-known names to collectors, and others more obscure. Yet, all deserve a place in history. Émile Scaramberg, Pierre Cornubert, and Julien Leprestre will be featured in this first volume. Émile Scaramberg (1863–1938) an important singer, first at the Opéra-Comique and later at the Opéra, sang the French repertoire and Wagnerian roles with equal expertise and elegance. His complete recordings, made for Fonotipia between 1905–1906, are presented in this volume. Pierre Cornubert (1863–1922) and Julien Leprestre (1864–1909) are both less-well known today than Scaramberg, perhaps because of the scarcity of their records. Cornubert debuted at the Opéra-Comique in 1887 but sang primarily in houses such as Rouen, Marseilles, and Montpellier. He recorded eight sides for Fonotipia, five sides for Disque Ultima, and two Edison cylinders, all of which will be included here. Juliene Leprestre made his debut at Rouen in 1890 and subsequently appeared at La Monnaie. At the Opéra-Comique, he participated in several premiers and created the role of Jean Gaussin in Massenet’s Sapho. He recorded a few extremely rare discs for French Odeon in 1905–1907, a selection of which will be included in this volume.

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