# Duparc's Chanson Triste. Round Two - Léopold Simoneau, Cesare Valletti and Gérard Souzay



## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

*Léopold Simoneau (1916 - 2006), tenor with Allan Rogers, piano*






*Cesare Valletti (1922 - 2000), tenor with Leo Taubman, piano *(just the first song)






*Gérard Souzay (1918-2004), tenor with Jacqueline Bonneau, piano*


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

I had wanted to include my favourite version of this song, which is by the soprano Maggie Teyte, recorded in 1941, which I would have thought was long out of copyright, but unfortunately it is not available in the US.

I'll attach it here for anyone who can access it.






Maggie Teyte was an English soprano, who trained with Jean de Reszke in Paris. When only 19 she made her professional debut at the Monte Carlo Opera House as Tyrcis in _Myriame et Daphné _(Ernest Bloch's arrangement of Offenbach's _Daphnis et Chloë_), then sang Zerlina shortly after. She was then cast as Mélisande by Debussy, replacing the creator of the role, Mary Garden. She prepared for the role with Debussy himself, she is the only singer ever to be accompanied by Debussy on the piano with an orchestra in public (singing Debussy's _Beau soir_).

She was particularly well known for her singing of French song.


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## Shaughnessy (Dec 31, 2020)

Tsaraslondon said:


> I had wanted to include my favourite version of this song, which is by the soprano Maggie Teyte, recorded in 1941, which I would have thought was long out of copyright, but unfortunately it is not available in the US.
> 
> Maggie Teyte was an English soprano, who trained with Jean de Reszke in Paris. When only 19 she made her professional debut at the Monte Carlo Opera House as Tyrcis in _Myriame ey Daphné _(Ernest Bloch's arrangement of Offenbach's _Daphnis et Chloë_), singing Zerlina shortly after. She was cast as Mélisande by Debussy himself, replacing the creator of the role, Mary Garden. She prepared for the role with Debussy himself, and is and she is the only singer ever to be accompanied by Debussy on the piano with an orchestra in public (singing Debussy's _Beau soir_).
> 
> She was particularly well known for her singing of French song.











Chanson Triste (Song of Sorrow) : Maggie Teyte with Gerald Moore at the Piano : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive


Performer: Maggie Teyte with Gerald Moore at the PianoWriter: Jean Lahor; Henri DuparcSoprano; In French; Recorded in Europe.Digitized at 78 revolutions per...



archive.org













CHANSON TRISTE : MAGGIE TEYTE : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive


Performer: MAGGIE TEYTE; Gerald MooreWriter: Labor; DuparcSoprano; Piano accomp. by.Digitized at 78 revolutions per minute. Four stylii were used to transfer...



archive.org













Chanson Triste (Song of Sorrow); L'Heure Exquise (The Enchanted Hour); Psyche; Offrande (The Offering) : Maggie Teyte : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive


Performer: Maggie Teyte; Gerald MooreWriter: Jean Lahor; Henri Duparc; Paul Verlaine; Reynaldo Hahn; Corneille; Emile PaladilheSoprano; at the Piano; Recorded...



archive.org





The third link has the best quality audio and is indeed available in the US (and should be elsewhere also)


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Maggie is the best! But the rest are also wonderful. I had a hard time picking the winner but the first one has the voice I'd most like a lover to have when he sings this to me.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

It was Teyte who first introduced me to this song and this song introduced me to Teyte and both have remained life long loves. If Teyte were in the running, she would get my vote. As it is, we are left to choose between three male singers and I think the choice is quite difficult as all three have something to offer in this song.

I prefer a nice flowing tempo and it seems to me that Simoneau uses too much rubato and the song ends up being a little disjointed. Of the three I like Valletti's tempo best. He also uses rubato, but it is much more subtle and I rather prefer it. However the _pp dolce_ test on the _mon_ of _mon amour_ is not quite met and his top note is not sungs as softly as it is by Simoneau and Souzay. Nor is his French pronunciation quite perfect (he was Italian after all) and I note he doesn't articulate the second e in words such as _pensée_ as requested in the score. It is a very senistive performance nonetheless.

Souzay did record this song a couple more times, but this early version is by far the best of all of them. The voice is effortless here, the tempo just about perfect and the interpretation wonderfully sensitve and musical. I'm gving it to Souzay, but I will admit that the next time I listen, I could quite easily vote for either of the other two.

Teyte still wins though.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Shaughnessy said:


> Chanson Triste (Song of Sorrow) : Maggie Teyte with Gerald Moore at the Piano : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
> 
> 
> Performer: Maggie Teyte with Gerald Moore at the PianoWriter: Jean Lahor; Henri DuparcSoprano; In French; Recorded in Europe.Digitized at 78 revolutions per...
> ...


I wish I'd known of these links, which would have enabled me to include Teyte in the compettion, for, as far as I'm concerned, Teyte has it all. She was 53 at the time of this recording, but her voice remains admirably firm and she still has that wonderfully pure upper register and gloriously individual chest register which she uses on the phrase _de tes bras_. Furthermore, she and Moore get the tempo absolutely right, with just the right amount of rubato.

This is my yardstick for this song.

PS. The sound on the third link is amazingly clear.


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## Op.123 (Mar 25, 2013)

None of them can compete with those in the previous round but Valetti comes closest. That said, I don't think he is shown to his best in this song.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Thanks so much for the Teyte, which I hadn’t heard before - such naturalness, so unaffected and somehow she makes it sound meaningful.

I‘ll listen more critically to the rest later, and maybe post any thoughts. But this evening I just want to enjoy Maggie Teyte.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Tsaraslondon said:


> I wish I'd known of these links, which would have enabled me to include Teyte in the compettion, for, as far as I'm concerned, Teyte has it all. She was 53 at the time of this recording, but her voice remains admirably firm and she still has that wonderfully pure upper register and gloriously individual chest register which she uses on the phrase _de tes bras_. Furthermore, she and Moore get the tempo absolutely right, with just the right amount of rubato.
> 
> This is my yardstick for this song.
> 
> PS. The sound on the third link is amazingly clear.


He has rescued many threads of mine. For future contests reach out to him if you are having trouble finding what you want and I can see if something obscure is available here on our Youtube..


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

I love all three of these singers, and all three sing this beautifully. Simoneau's dreamy, ruminative quality contrasts with the passion of Souzay, to whom I'll give first prize here.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> I love all three of these singers, and all three sing this beautifully. Simoneau's dreamy, ruminative quality contrasts with the passion of Souzay, to whom I'll give first prize here.


Don't miss round one as well. Interested to hear your comments.

Duparc's beautiful Chanson Triste - Round One -...


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Tsaraslondon said:


> *Léopold Simoneau (1916 - 2006), tenor with Allan Rogers, piano*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Both tenors have voices with falsetto coloring, somewhat like Nicolai Gedda. This interests me from a theoretical point of view e.g. I like to fantasize what would the tenors sound like in Bellini's lifetime and if it would resemble this sound. However, once a barritone enters the competition, I put the theory aside and choose the one I would agree to date. So Gérard Souzay has my vote !


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I had a hard time picking the winner but the first one has the voice I'd most like a lover to have when he sings this to me.


Haha, our decision processes are similar


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

BBSVK said:


> I put the theory aside and choose the one I would agree to date. So Gérard Souzay has my vote !


Looks don't count!


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Woodduck said:


> Looks don't count!


I never said anything about looks !
The falsetto guys actually might look better. 
Souzay (edited my mistake) looks like prince Charles, whom I never considered a charmer.
But it doesn't count, just as you say 😇. He is a barritone.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

BBSVK said:


> I never said anything about looks !
> The falsetto guys actually might look better.
> Duparc looks like prince Charles, whom I never considered a charmer.
> But it doesn't count, just as you say 😇. He is a barritone.


I wouldn't call the head tones the tenors use falsetto (they don't for one minutes sound like countertenors), but Duparc asks for quite a few of the hight notes to be sung _pp_, _doux_ or even _très doux_, and he frequently reminds the performer to sing sweetly. A couple of the climaxes are marked forte but he quickly adds a diminuendo. 

I think all three of these singers are sensitive to Duparc's instructions. Of course, whether you prefer a tenor or baritone in the song will be an entirely personal choice.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Tsaraslondon said:


> I wouldn't call the head tones the tenors use falsetto (they don't for one minutes sound like countertenors), but Duparc asks for quite a few of the hight notes to be sung _pp_, _doux_ or even _très doux_, and he frequently reminds the performer to sing sweetly. A couple of the climaxes are marked forte but he quickly adds a diminuendo.
> 
> I think all three of these singers are sensitive to Duparc's instructions. Of course, whether you prefer a tenor or baritone in the song will be an entirely personal choice.


Thank you for correcting me, it is good to know that this is a head voice and not a falsetto. This expression of a male voice is not my cup of tea, generally. I always thought it ruins the romance of Nadir from the Pearlfishers, or at least in the version I know, with Gedda. But I assume it is written that way, too. 
The generally deeper colour of the barritone counters this unpleasant effect, regardless of the intentions of the author. Youtube even offered me a bass for this song, maybe I will go back and find it again, that could work even better for me.

Actually, the lyrics itself is scary when I think about it. It is a very difficult and thankless task to support somebody in a depression. And if it were my partner ? OMG ! But this is an opera forum, so I try not to think about it, just as I prefer to forget, that I wouldn't want Norma as a roomate. But maybe just something happened to this guy, which he needs to go through and he will move on later. Haha, I am a selfish brat !
Anyway, if he wants to cry in my lap, he'd better at least have an attractive deep voice !


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

BBSVK said:


> Thank you for correcting me, it is good to know that this is a head voice and not a falsetto. This expression of a male voice is not my cup of tea, generally. I always thought it ruins the romance of Nadir from the Pearlfishers, or at least in the version I know, with Gedda. But I assume it is written that way, too.
> The generally deeper colour of the barritone counters this unpleasant effect, regardless of the intentions of the author. Youtube even offered me a bass for this song, maybe I will go back and find it again, that could work even better for me.
> 
> Actually, the lyrics itself is scary when I think about it. It is a very difficult and thankless task to support somebody in a depression. And if it were my partner ? OMG ! But this is an opera forum, so I try not to think about it, just as I prefer to forget, that I wouldn't want Norma as a roomate. But maybe just something happened to this guy, which he needs to go through and he will move on later. Haha, I am a selfish brat !
> Anyway, if he wants to cry in my lap, he'd better at least have an attractive deep voice !


Did you listen to the Maggie Teyte version, Shaugnessy posted above? It was my introduction to the song and, if you follow along with the score, she meticulously carries out all the written markings whilst still sounding utterly spontaneous. Though English, Teyte made her debut in Monte Carlo, studied the role of Mélisande with Debussy and became particularly associated with the French repertoire. She also made seminal recordings of Debussy songs with the pianist Alfred Cortot. The French christened her _l'exquise_ Maggie Teyte, and with good reason. She appears not to be so well known now sadly.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Tsaraslondon said:


> Did you listen to the Maggie Teyte version, Shaugnessy posted above? It was my introduction to the song and, if you follow along with the score, she meticulously carries out all the written markings whilst still sounding utterly spontaneous. Though English, Teyte made her debut in Monte Carlo, studied the role of Mélisande with Debussy and became particularly associated with the French repertoire. She also made seminal recordings of Debussy songs with the pianist Alfred Cortot. The French christened her _l'exquise_ Maggie Teyte, and with good reason. She appears not to be so well known now sadly.


I listened and it didn't make such an impression on me, but I was also tired. I will check again.


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## ColdGenius (9 mo ago)

I couldn't open Simoneau's video, so this link might work better for someone.
Nevertheless, I chose French and baritone-like here. To be honest, I'm not a tenors fan.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

ColdGenius said:


> I couldn't open Simoneau's video, so this link might work better for someone.
> Nevertheless, I chose French and baritone-like here. To be honest, I'm not a tenors fan.


I may be liking Simoneau's way with this better than any. His voice seems to float on air, and his subtle variations of tempo and dynamics, always expressive and intelligent, illuminate the words and impart extra interest and shape to the song.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> I may be liking Simoneau's way with this better than any. His voice seems to float on air, and his subtle variations of tempo and dynamics, always expressive and intelligent, illuminate the words and impart extra interest and shape to the song.


Oddly, I found the reverse. I find the constamt fluctuations in tempo get in the way and the song starts to lose its shape. Though I like some rubato, there is just a little too much here for my taste. His singing is quite beautiful, I agree, but I prefer the more flowing tempo adopted by Panzéra and Croiza in the first round. Friant's sounds more natural too, as much as one can make out through the awful recording. Teyte and Moore are still my yardstick. If you follow along with the score she closely adheres to all of Duparc's instructions and yet somehow manages to sound completely spontaneous at the same time. I'm so sad I couldn't include her in the competition. If I'd known about @Shaughnessy's Internet Archive transfer, she would have been in this round.


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## Shaughnessy (Dec 31, 2020)

Tsaraslondon said:


> Teyte and Moore are still my yardstick. If you follow along with the score she closely adheres to all of Duparc's instructions and yet somehow manages to sound completely spontaneous at the same time.* I'm so sad I couldn't include her in the competition. If I'd known about* @Shaughnessy's *Internet Archive transfer, she would have been in this round.*


Just give her an automatic bye into the final - You'll have four contestants instead of three - Teyte, Croiza, Souzay, and Dreisig (she's currently leading 3 votes to 2 - thanks to me - I used "most physically attractive" as the tie-breaker... )

Copy and paste the CD cover below which will match the size of the embedded videos - The link to the Internet Archives site is placed right below it - and you'll have the contest that you really wanted to have. It doesn't make any sense to leave her off - She's had better reviews than any of the other contestants and she wasn't even entered - Fair warning: If you don't do it, I will and if I do it, it's going to be called "The Great Shaughnessy Sing-Off" - So, if that isn't motivation enough, I don't know what is... Just do it, and when she wins, and she most certainly will win, you can thank me later...

Put it to a vote - Ask the players... You created three rounds of competition - Why settle for second-best in the Final?



















Chanson Triste (Song of Sorrow); L'Heure Exquise (The Enchanted Hour); Psyche; Offrande (The Offering) : Maggie Teyte : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive


Performer: Maggie Teyte; Gerald MooreWriter: Jean Lahor; Henri Duparc; Paul Verlaine; Reynaldo Hahn; Corneille; Emile PaladilheSoprano; at the Piano; Recorded...



archive.org


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Simoneau. No. No! No! Affected and vulgar. I have another recording of him doing it, with Eric Werber, which may be better but ultimately . . . no!

Valletti - benefits from the quaint old fashioned distant sound. I could live with it.

Souzay -- more ostentatious self regarding display of technique and inauthentic hammy operatic passion. No way!


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Mandryka said:


> Simoneau. No. No! No! Affected and vulgar. I have another recording of him doing it, with Eric Werber, which may be better but ultimately . . . no!
> 
> Valletti - benefits from the quaint old fashioned distant sound. I could live with it.
> 
> Souzay -- more ostentatious self regarding display of technique and inauthentic hammy operatic passion. No way!


I don't really agree with your assessment of any of these three singers, but I'll forgive you because of your love for the Teyte version.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Shaughnessy said:


> Just give her an automatic bye into the final - You'll have four contestants instead of three - Teyte, Croiza, Souzay, and Dreisig (she's currently leading 3 votes to 2 - thanks to me - I used "most physically attractive" as the tie-breaker... )
> 
> Copy and paste the CD cover below which will match the size of the embedded videos - The link to the Internet Archives site is placed right below it - and you'll have the contest that you really wanted to have. It doesn't make any sense to leave her off - She's had better reviews than any of the other contestants and she wasn't even entered - Fair warning: If you don't do it, I will and if I do it, it's going to be called "The Great Shaughnessy Sing-Off" - So, if that isn't motivation enough, I don't know what is... Just do it, and when she wins, and she most certainly will win, you can thank me later...
> 
> ...


Well Dreisig and Crespin are level pegging now (actually I'm quite surprised that Crespin is getting so much love, but actually I'm usually surprised she gets so much love) so it would make five finalists. Maybe I should do as RuPaul does and say I've consulted with the judges but the final decision is mine to make, and then just give it to Teyte.


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