Vainement ma bien aimee

Edmond Clément (1867-1928) was the preeminent French lyric tenor in Europe and the U.S. during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born Frédéric-Jean Clément in Paris, the future opera star showed musical promise from an early age. During his late teens, he enrolled in the Conservatoire de Paris where he studied under celebrated Belgian tenor Victor Warot (1834-1906). After taking 1st prize in the 1889 vocal competition there, Clément caught the attention of the management of the Opéra-Comique. So impressive was the 22 year old tenor’s vocal artistry that he was offered a contract and made his debut as Vincent in Mireille that November. This launched a two decade connection with the Opéra-Comique, during which Clément sang such roles as des Grieux in Manon, Gérald in Lakmé, Georges Brown in La Dame Blanche, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and the title roles in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Werther and Fra Diavolo. The versatile tenor also sang in numerous world premieres, creating such roles as Andrea in Diaz’s Benvenuto (1890), Sentinel in Bruneau’s L’Attaque du Moulin (1893), Jacquemin in Cui’s Le Flibustier (1894), Georges in Godard’s La Vivandière (1895), Landry in Dubois’ Xavière (1895), Loti in Hahn’s L'Île du Rêve (1898), Christian in Erlanger’s Le Juif Polonais (1900), Pedrito in Dupont’s La Cabrera (1905) and Jean-Simon in Silver’s Le Clos (1906). Clément also sang the Paris premieres of Saint-Saëns’ Hélène, Verdi’s Falstaff and Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.

During the early 1900s, Clément sang as a guest artist in the major theaters of London (although never at Covent Garden), Madrid, Lisbon, Copenhagen, Brussels and Monte Carlo, where he created the role of Armand in Massenet’s Thérèse in 1907. In the fall of 1909, the tenor travelled to New York for the first time, making his Met debut as Massenet’s Werther on November 16. Clément sang 32 performances of six roles, including des Grieux in Manon, Ange Pitou in La Fille de Madame Angot, Fenton in Falstaff and Dominique in L’Attaque du Moulin, as well as a few concerts. Unfortunately, he sang only a single season with the company, giving his final performance as Fra Diavolo during a Met tour in Chicago on April 23, 1910. According to press reports, the tenor felt that the company preferred Italian opera to French opera, and he was not willing to learn any Italian parts. Clément, who actually had several Italian roles in his repertoire, left the company for another reason. The public’s adulation of Enrico Caruso was simply too much to overcome. Rather than try to compete with the beloved Italian tenor, Clément decided to cut his losses and bow out gracefully.

Despite his withdrawal from the Met, Clément remained a popular stage and concert artist in the U.S. and Canada and was a particular favorite in Boston, spending two seasons with the opera there. When war broke out in Europe, however, the tenor returned to his homeland. Although he was well past the age for mandatory conscription, Clément enlisted but was wounded soon after his service began. Even during his convalescence, however, the tenor was fiercely patriotic, visiting field hospitals to sing for his wounded compatriots. He also organized over 150 benefit concerts for the Red Cross. For his service, he was given the title of Chevalier de Légion d'Honneur by the French government.

Following the war, Clément resumed his career, concentrating increasingly on concerts and recitals as the years passed. He returned to the U.S. for a series of well received recitals in the fall of 1921. Reviews indicate that the voice was showing its age, and transpositions were employed to avoid the top notes. Clément’s artistry, however, remained intact. Back in France, the tenor spent much of his time teaching from his voice studio. On November 10, 1927, the 60 year old Clément gave his final public appearance in a Paris recital. Despite reduced vocal resources, he still managed to enchant his audience. Three months later, on February 23, 1928, Clément died unexpectedly in Nice.

Edmond Clément was a true ténor de grâce, one of the last of the 19th Century tradition of French lyric tenors. Among the more than 40 roles in his repertoire were Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Tonio in La Fille du Regiment, Mylio in Le Roi d’Ys, Don José in Carmen, Daniel in Adam’s Le Chalet, Nicias in Saint-Saëns’ Phrynée, Cavaradossi in Tosca, Alfredo in La Traviata and Rodolfo in La Bohème. His recorded legacy, made between 1905 and 1925 for Fonotipia, Odéon, Pathé and Victor, reveal a light weight lyric instrument, which is used with impeccable taste and artistry. Here, Clément sings "Vainement, ma bien-aimée" from Lalo's Le Roi d'Ys. This recording was made for the Victor label in Camden, NJ on December 18, 1911.