Jacques Decker (Tenor) (Cologne 1877 - Cologne 1964)

He was active first as a businessman, then, studied singing at the Conservatoire in Cologne. Here he was a pupil of Paul Haase, Rudolf Schulz-Dornburg and E. Wolff. In 1906 he began his stage career at the Stadttheater in Elberfeld to which he belonged till 1908. By the Stadttheater in Hamburg he was engaged in the 1908-1909 season, then joined to the Hoftheater in Mannheim and appeared here with great success till 1912. In the 1912-1913 season he sang at the Opernhaus in Düsseldorf and in the 1913-1914 season as a guest at the Hoftheater in Brunswick. Then he took part in the First World War and began his career only again in the 1918-1920 seasons at the Stadttheater in Bielefeld. He guested in 1910 at the Hoftheater in Karlsruhe, likewise in 1910 at the Stadttheater in Bremen. In 1911 he appeared at the Hoftheater in Wiesbaden and in 1914 at the Stadttheater in Basel, after 1920 still sang in Austria, Holland and Belgium. His extensive repertoire included Florestan in ''Fidelio'', Erik in ''Fliegenden Holländer'', Lohengrin, Walther von Stolzing in ''Die meistersinger von nürnberg'',  Tannhäuser, Tristan, José in ''Carmen'', Eleazar in ''La Juive'', Samson in ''Samson et Dalila'', Radames in ''Aida'' and Canio in ''Pagliacci''. After his retirement, he lived in Cologne. 

Chronology of some appearances

1906-1908 Elberfeld Stadttheater
1908-1909 Hamburg Stadttheater
1909-1912 MannheimHoftheater
1910 Karlsruhe Hoftheater
1910 Bremen Stadttheater
1911 Wiesbaden Hoftheater
1912-1913 Düsseldorf Opernhaus
1914 1914 Basel Stadttheater
1913-1914 Brunswick Hoftheater
1918-1920 Bielefeld Stadttheater

RECORDINGS FOR SALE

Anker
Frühlingsabend (Fleck) E 9913-I  07326
Es blinkt der Tau (Rubinstein) 5161 E 9913-II  07327