Paul Althouse (Tenor) (Reading, Pennsylvania / state, USA 1889 – New York / city, USA 1954)

He sang as a boy soprano in the choir of his hometown's Episcopal Church. He received his first voice lessons at the church from Evelyn Essick. He studied music at Bucknell University and then singing privately with Perley Dunn Aldrich in Philadelphia and Oscar Saenger and Percy Rector Stevens in New York. He made his professional opera debut with the Philadelphia-Chicago Grand Opera Company as the title hero in Charles Gounod's Faust in an out of town engagement in New York City.

Althouse debuted at the Metropolitan opera in a small role in The Magic Flute on November 23, 1912. His first major assignment with that company came on March 19, 1913 as Grigory in theUnited States premiere of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov under the baton of Arturo Toscanini. He was notably the first American tenor without European experience to sing at the Met.

Althouse remained at the Met through 1920, during which time he participated in the world premieres of Victor Herbert's Madeleine (François, 1914), Umberto Giordano’s Madame Sans-Gêne (Neipperg, 1915), Reginald de Koven's The Canterbury Pilgrims (Squire, 1917), Charles Wakefield Cadman’s Shanewis (Lionel, 1918) and Joseph Carl Breil’s The Legend (Stephen, 1919). His other roles at the house during these years included: Cavaradossi in Tosca, Froh in Das Rheingold, the Italian Singer in Der Rosenkavalier, Nicias in Thaïs, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana, Uin-San-Lui in Franco Leoni's L'Oracolo, Walther in Tannhäuser, Vladimir in Prince Igor, and the title role in Oberon.

Althouse spent much of the 1920s dedicated to concert performances. After a five year absence from opera, he appeared as Faust in San Francisco in 1925. He joined the roster of singers at the Philadelphia Civic Opera Company (PCOC) that year, making his debut with the company as Avito in L'amore dei tre re. He also sang Samson in Samson and Delilah and Don José in Carmen with the company that year. He visited the Bayreuth Festival in the summer of 1925, and decided he wanted to train as a Heldentenor. He made his first foray into that heavier repertoire at the PCOC as Tristan in Tristan und Isolde on March 25, 1926. He continued to perform with the PGOC annually through 1929 in such roles as Canio in Pagliacci, Pinkerton, Radamès in Aida, Siegmund in Die Walküre, and Walther von Stolzing in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.

In 1929 Althouse made his first appearances at major European opera houses, appearing at the Berlin State Opera, the Staatsoper Stuttgart, and the Royal Swedish Opera, mainly as Turiddu and as Canio. That same year he also performed in concerts with the Eaton Choral Society in Toronto. In 1930 he sang at the Chicago Civic Opera as Tannhauser and Siegmund. In 1931 he sang the title role in Stravinsky's Oedipus rex with the Philadelphia Orchestra under conductor Leopold Stokowski. He sang Tristan and Siegfried in concert with the orchestra the following year. In 1933 he sang Tristan in San Francisco.

After a thirteen year absence, Althouse returned to the Met on February 26, 1933 for a special concert honoring Giulio Gatti-Casazza. He next appeared on stage as Siegmund in Die Walküre on February 3, 1934 with Frida Leider as Brünnhilde. He appeared annually at Met for the next six years, singing such roles as Aegisth in Elektra, Loge in Das Rheingold, Pinkerton, Tristan, Walther von Stolzing, and the title role in Lohengrin. His last appearance at the Met was in a concert evening on February 18, 1940.

Althouse retired from the stage in 1945, after which he dedicated himself to teaching. Amongst his pupils were Richard Tucker, Eleanor Steber, Astrid Varnay, and Léopold Simoneau.

Chronology of some appearances

1912-1920 New York Metropolitan Opera

1925 San Francisco Opera House

1926-1929 Philadelphia Civic Opera Company

RECORDINGS FOR SALE

Edison 4-min BA cylinders, USA 1914-05
Trovatore (Verdi): Miserere with Case & chorus 28197 4M-28197
Martha (Flotow): None so rare 28198 4M-28198

Victor, Camden 1914-05-01
Aida (Verdi): Celeste Aida 55045 C14786-1
Tosca (Puccini): E lucevan le stelle 45055 B14784-2
Pagliacci (Leoncavallo): Vesti la giubba 45055 B14787-1

Victor, New York 1915-04-23
Boris Godounov (Moussorgsky): Finale, act 3 with Arndt-Ober 76031 C15945-2

Victor, Camden 1915-06-29
Gioconda (Ponchielli): Cielo é mar 45076 B16114-3

Victor, Camden 1915-06-30
Aida (Verdi): Fuggiam gli ardori with Marsh 55058 C16153-3
Walküre (Wagner): Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond 45076 B16154-2

Pathé, USA 1917/1918
Trovatore (Verdi): Home to our mountains with Howard 27509 T67070