Jacques Urlus, Panis angelicus (C. Franck) (Edison,1917)

The great Dutch Heldentenor Jacques Urlus (1867-1935) in Panis angelicus (music by C. Franck), recorded on 21 February 1917 for Edison.

The following biographical notes come from "Subito-Cantabile: A Site for Collectors of Great Singers of the Past" (www.cantabile-subito.de):
"He was born in Hergenrath near Aix-la-Chapelle (German-Belgium border), to Dutch parents. Urlus spent his early years in Tilburg and Utrecht where he worked in a steel mill and sang in a local choir. When doing his military service, his voice was discovered by an Officer who offered to cover the costs for his vocal-training which, Urlus to his regret, was unable to accept since it would have left him without any regular income. 1892 was the turning point when Urlus met the director of the Dutch National Opera House. Without having received any regular vocal training he made his debut in Amsterdam, as Beppe in I Pagliacci on September 20, 1894. Afterwards he was taught interpretation by Cornelie van Zanten, Anton Averkamp and Hugo Nolthenius. As far as his vocal technique was concerned, he was largely self-taught! In 1898 Jacques Urlus was invited to Bayreuth to restudy his repertory of Wagner operas in German (he had previously sung all his roles in Dutch), but he left Bayreuth prematurely and Siegfried Wagner did not re-engage him until 1914! Nevertheless, by the turn of the century he had become the leading heroic tenor at the Leipzig Opera House where he was contracted until 1914. During this period his fame started to spread. He appeared in Berlin, Vienna and London. In 1912 he made his debut as Tristan at the Met (the first performance was a nightmare for him because he had to sing despite a severe cold). In the following performances he was tremendously successful and also appeared as Adolar, Samson and Tamino.

He sang all his roles in at least three languages; Dutch, German and the actual original language! He was among those few Wagner singers who were able to preserve their international fame throughout the War years. In 1922 he returned to the United States with Hurok's German Opera Troupe, his comeback at Covent Garden took place in 1924. At the age of 63, he appeared for the first time at the Teatro Liceo in Barcelona, as Tristan! His performances at the Amsterdam Opera House were celebrated gala-events. He was one of the first singers at the Zoppot Wagner Festival where he was heard as Tristan opposite an outstanding cast including Helene Wildbrunn, Margarethe Arndt-Ober and Otto Helgers. In Berlin he was not only celebrated as an opera singer but also as an accomplished concert singer. He appeared in concerts conducted by Willem Mengelberg, Arthur Nikisch and Erich Kleiber among others. When Jacques Urlus died in Noordwijk the Dutch Nation mourned for him like for a national hero.

Lauritz Melchior and Jacques Urlus are considered the greatest "Heldentenors" in history of records. Remarkable is Urlus' declamation with the right intensity yet without sacrificing a good legato style. In my opinion, he is unique in this respect. What he did not possess was the heroic ring of Melchior's top notes, and his singing may not have been of a similar passion and spontaneity compared to that of the Danish tenor (on records, at least).

His voice was a fully developped dramatic tenor. The dark, almost baritonal quality of the lower range predestined him for Wagner's heros, but as we know, he suceeded in many other roles from the German, French and Italian repertoire.

Jacques Urlus made about 150 recordings from 1903 - 1924. All of them are impressive and instructive models of their kind. Because of this very rare combination of vocal power and refinement, Jacques Urlus ranks among the greatest singers."

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Jacques
• Urlus
• Panis
• angelicus
• Franck
• Edison
• 1917

[paulostroff99]

Lovely singing.TY Tim for another jewel.

[sdegrace]

Well I was expecting all sorts of voices but this is very very nice. Rich and noble.

[EdmundStAustell]

This is excellent singing! One would think that he would be in danger of overpowering the song, but not so! He was trained in the old way, and could take the volume up or down, and adjust the (relative) timbre to suit the material. Very, very classy singer!

[transformingArt]

Great recording. Thanks a lot for posting this. Urlus would be the most greatest Operatic singer who had ever recorded for Edison. I wonder if you can post John McCormack's superb version of this as well some day - which is my favorite.

[Bivolari]

Considering his repertoire and age, fifty, at the time of this recording, this is a remarkable bit of singing. But, Urlus was a remarkable tenor. A man who sang Wagner and could scale down to sing Mozart is indeed remarkable. At age fifty his voice remains supple, steady and has no wobble. He always gives much pleasure. One of the greats of the century.