Agustarello Affre (Tenor) (Saint-Chinian 1858 - Cagnes-sur-Mer, France 1931)

His voice was discovered by the manager of the Paris Grand Opéra Pierre Gailhard. First he studied at the conservatoire of Toulouse, then at the Conservatoire National de Paris under Duvernoy. He made his debut in 1890 at the Grand Opéra as Edgardo in ‘’Lucia di Lammermoor’’, while Nellie Melba sang the title role. He remained active since then for twenty years as the first tenor at the Grand Opéra. In the 1890’s he appeared as a guest in Lyon, Marseille and Aix-les-Bains. In 1900 he sang at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels. On 16. 3. 1891 he happeared at the Grand Opéra in the premiere of J. Massenet’s ‘’Le Mage’’. In 1902 he sang there the part of Canio in the première of R. Leoncavallo’s ‘’Pagliacci’’ (into French language), in 1905 he sang in an unforgettable performance of Gluck’s ‘’Armide’’ and in the same year the part of Belmonte in ‘’Entführung aus dem Serail’’. At the Grand Opéra his repertoire included the Raoul in ‘’Huguenots’’ of G. Meyerbeer, Jean in ‘’Le Prophète’’, Vasco in ‘’L'Africaine’’, Arnoldo in G. Rossini’s ‘’Wilhelm Tell’’, Eleazar in ‘’La Juive’’, Faust, Samson in ‘’Samson et Dalila’’of  C. Saint-Saëns and the Lohengrin. He made guest appearances at the Covent Garden in London as Faust and Samson (1909). When Pierre Gailhard withdrew in 1911 from the management of the Grand Opéra, Affre also retired from Grand Opéra. In 1911 he appeared at the San Francisco Opera. In 1912 he sang in New Orleans. In 1913 he performed in Havana (here under the name Albert Affre). During the First World War he gave concerts before French soldier, even in the immediate front area. He died in his villa of the Côte d'Azur and was buried on the cemetery Père Lachaise in Paris. His voice was a typical French heroic tenor which the criticism called with pleasure as ‘’The French Tamagno’’.

Chronology of  some appearances

1890 Paris Grand Opera
1891 Paris Grand Opera
1902 Paris Grand Opera
1905 Paris Grand Opera
1909 London Covent Garden
1911 San Francisco Opera
1912 New Orleans Opera
1913 Havana Opera

RECORDINGS FOR SALE

 

G&T, Paris 1902 (late)
Guillaume Tell (Rossini): Duo with Noté 34003 1181-F

Romeo et Juliette (Gounod): Madrigal with Affre 34005 1228-F

G&T, Paris 1903 (early)

Parais a ta fenetre (Gregh) 2-32686 1454-F

Attaque du Moulin (Bruneau): Adieu forêt profonde 2-32687 1466-F

Pathe cylinders & discs, Paris 1903?

Africaine (Meyerbeer): Air de Vasco de Gama 3482

Aida (Verdi): Celeste Aida Pathe 3483

Attaque du Moulin (Bruneau): Adieux a la foret 3492

Carmen (Bizet): Air de la fleur 3486

Favorite (Donizetti): Ange si pur 3505

Guillaume Tell (Rossini): Asile hereditaire 3484

Huguenots (Meyerbeer): Entree de Raoul 3509

Huguenots (Meyerbeer): Plus blanche 3496

Reine de Saba (Gounod): Inspirez-moi, race divine 3493

Rigoletto (Verdi): Qu'une belle Pathe 3494

Romeo et Juliette (Gounod): Cavatine 3485

Sigurd (Reyer): Duo de la fontaine with Tanesy 731

Trovatore (Verdi): Miserere 3506

Huguenots (Meyerbeer): Beauté divine 3511

G&T, Paris 1904

Huguenots (Meyerbeer): Tu l'as dit with Demougeot 34036 3161-F
Trovatore (Verdi) O toi mon seul espoir 3-32187 3425-F

Zonophone, Paris 1904
Favorite (Donizetti): Ange si pur X-82526
Trovatore (Verdi): O toi mon seul espoir X-82527

Odeon, Paris 1904

Africaine (Meyerbeer) Pays merveilleux! 33271

Aida (Verdi): Grand air 33273 

Columbia, Paris 1904?
Le crucifix (Faure) with Noté 50380

Pantophone, Paris 1905?

Carmen (Bizet): Air de la fleur 1749

Armide (Gluck): Air 1856

Odeon, Paris 1906

Aida (Verdi): Douce Aida 36644 XP2474

Guillaume Tell (Rossini): Asile hereditaire 36412 XP2325

Huguenots (Meyerbeer) Plus blanche 36413 XP2326

Lohengrin (Wagner): Recit du Graal 36532 XP2397

Sigurd (Reyer): Esprits gardiens 36682 XP2461

Odeon, Paris 1906-08?

Attaque du Moulin (Bruneau): Adieux 36741 XP2565

Guillaume Tell (Rossini): Ses jours qu'ils ont ose proscrire, pt 1 with Note and Nivette 36729 XP2585

Guillaume Tell (Rossini): Ses jours qu'ils ont ose proscrire, pt 2 with Note and Nivette 36730 XP2586

Odeon, Paris 1906/1907

Faust (Gounod): Salut o mon dernier matin 60137 XP3071

Faust (Gounod): Cavatine 60065 XP3060

Odeon, Paris 1907

Faust (Gounod): Ne permetterez-vous pas with Landouzy 56123XP3624

Faust (Gounod): Duo, act 1, pt 1 with  Billot 60328 XP3361

Favorite (Donizetti): Va-t'en d'ici with Talexis 60481 XP3684

Favorite (Donizetti): Viens, viens, je cede with Talexis 60469 XP3685

Huguenots (Meyerbeer): Ah, si j'etais coquette with Landouzy 56161 XP3682

Juive (Halevy): Dieu que ma voix tremblante 60297 XP3331

Rigoletto (Verdi): Quatuor with Landouzy, Lauger-Dubois and Rigaux 86503 XXP3683

Romeo et Juliette (Gounod): Ange adorable (Madrigal) with Landouzy 56121 XP3622

Romeo et Juliette (Gounod): Juliette est vivante with Landouzy 56126 XP3627

Thamara (Bourgault): Reve de Nour-Eddin 60308 XP3330

Odeon, Paris 1908

Africaine (Meyerbeer): Oui fallut-il perdre la vie with Rigaux, Narcon, Freville and Bernard 97061 XP4355

Lohengrin (Wagner): Salut! heros aime! 97151 XP4454

Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti) Ah! que Dieu seul with Marchal 97130 XP4417

Odeon, Paris 1908-06?

Armide (Gluck) Plus j'observe ces lieux 97011 XP4258

Faust (Gounod): Anges purs with  Demougeot and Nivette 60895 XP4267

Romeo et Juliette (Gounod): Ah! leve-toi soleil 97020 XP4255

APGA, Paris 1909-03-30

Lohengrin (Wagner): Recit du Graal 2107 A260

Odeon, Paris 1909?

Sigurd (Reyer):...Avec les fleurs...Maitre que m'ont donne les dieux with Laute-Brun 97509 XP4886

Sigurd (Reyer): Duo de la fontaines, pt 1 97510 XP4887

Sigurd (Reyer): Maitre que m'ont donne les dieux 97511 XP4888

Huguenots (Meyerbeer): O ciel, ou courez-vous with Laute-Brun 97512 XP4889

Huguenots (Meyerbeer): Tu m'aimes with Laute-Brun 97513 XP4890

Pathe-APGA, Paris1910?

Astarte (Leroux): Adieux de Hercule P1 1-1

Dragons de Villars (Maillart): Ne parle pas, Rose P2

Herodiade (Massenet): Air de Jean P3 3-2

Juive (Halevy) Dieu, que ma voix tremblante P4 4-1

Juive (Halevy): Rachel, quand du Seigneur  P4 4-2

Mefistofele (Boito): Romance du 1er acte P6 6-1

Africaine (Meyerbeer): O ma Selika with Comes P1501 1501-1

Aida (Verdi): Je te revois with  Marignan P1503 1503-1

Aida (Verdi): Mourir, o toi si belle with  Marignan P1503 1503-2

Cid (Massenet): O jours with Comes P1502 1502-1

Huguenots (Meyerbeer): Grand duo, 4e acte with Comes P1501 1501-2

Sigurd (Reyer): Esprits gardiens P7 7-1

Sigurd (Reyer): Un souvenir poignant Pathe-APGA P7 7-2

Stances (Flegier) Pathe P2052 2052-1

Le temps des cerises (Renard) P2002 2002-2

L'insense (Rupes) Pathe P2001 2001-1

Malgre moi (Pfeiffer) P2001 2001-2

Parais a ta fenetre (Gregh) P2051 2051-1

Quand l'oiseau chante (Tagliafico) P2051 2051-2

Pathe, Paris 1910? (with orchestra)

Guillaume Tell (Rossini) Asile hereditaire Pathe 3484

Mage (Massenet): Air du mage Pathe 3490

Pathe, Paris 1912

Romeo et Juliette (Gounod): Ah! jour de deuil 1516

Romeo et Juliette (Gounod): Helas! moi le hair with Gall  1508

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