Adolphe Nourrit

1802–1839

Nourrit's Arnold chronology

Picture of Adolphe Nourrit
I wish to thank Helmut Krautschneider for the picture.
Picture of Adolphe Nourrit

Adolphe Nourrit was the son of the well known tenor Louis Nourrit (1780–1831). Adolphe Nourrit was born in 1802 and died in 1839. He was a dramatic tenor, who had studied with his father and with Garcia. He was also considered a great actor. The famous tenor committed suicide at the age of 37 in Naples, after giving what he considered to be a poor performance of Norma, because he was afraid he had lost his voice. Rossini, Auber, Halévy and others composed major roles just for him. Frederick Chopin played at his funeral service in Marseille (March 1839).

His father Louis Nourrit was born on 4th August 1780 in Montpellier and died on 23rd September 1831. His teachers were Guichard and Pierre Jean Garat. He made his debut as Renaud in Armide by Gluck, on 3rd March 1803. He sang in premieres of more than a few new operas like 'Virginie' by Berton, 'Triomphe de Trajan' by Persius, 'Triomphe du mois de mars' by Kreutzer etc. He created also Alcibiade in 'Lasthenie' by Hérold and Cléomene in 'Siège of Corinthe' by Rossini, and was also the Old shepherd in 'Belle au bois dormant' by Carafa. After his retirement he was teaching singing, and his pupils were his son Adolphe and Hermann-Léon among others.

I want to thank Lynn Samohel for the picture and notes.
Picture of Adolphe Nourrit

I want to thank Claude Ribou for the picture
Repertory

Iphigénie en Tauride (Pylade) – Paris, Opéra, 10 September 1821
Florestan ou Le conseil des dix (composer: Garcia; Noradin) – Paris, Opéra, 26 June 1822
Sapho (composer: Reicha; Phaon) – Paris, Opéra, 10 December 1822
Virginie (composer: Berton; Virginius – could have been Nourrit père) – Paris, Opéra, 11 June 1823
Lasthénie (composer: Herold; Cléomède) – Paris, Opéra, 8 September 1823
Ipsiboé (composer: Kreutzer; Alamède) – Paris, Opéra, 1 March 1824
Orphée et Eurydice – Paris, Opéra, 1824
Les deux Salem (composer: Daussoigne-Méhul; Thalamir) – Paris, Opéra, 12 July 1824
Armide (Renaud) – Paris, Opéra, 1824?
La belle au bois dormant (composer: Carafa; Lindor) – Paris, Opéra, 2 March 1825
Pharamond (composers: Berton, Boieldieu & Kreutzer; Clodion) – Paris, Opéra, 10 June 1825
Don Sanche – Paris, Opéra, 17 October 1825
Le siège de Corinthe (Néocles) – Paris, Opéra, 9 October 1826
Moïse et Pharaon (Aménophis) – Paris, Opéra, 26 March 1827
Macbeth (composer: Chélard; Douglas) – Paris, Opéra, 29 June 1827
La muette de Portici – Paris, Opéra, 29 February 1828
Le comte Ory – Paris, Opéra, 20 August 1828
La dame blanche – tour across Belgium, Autumn 1828
Le calife de Bagdad – Paris, Comédie Française, 13 December 1828
Otello (act 3 only; Otello) – Paris, Comédeie Française, 2 April 1829
Guillaume Tell – Paris, Opéra, 3 August 1829
Oedipe (composer: Sacchini) – Rouen, ?, September 1829
Il barbiere di Siviglia (act 2 only) – Paris, Comédie Française, October 1829
Il matrimonio segreto – Paris, Opéra-Comique, January 1830
Don Giovanni (act 1 only) – Paris, Opéra, 24 June 1830
Tancredi (act 2 only) – Paris, Opéra, 24 June 1830
François 1er à Chambord (composer: Ginestet; de Vinci) – Paris, Opéra, 15 March 1830
Le Dieu et la bayadère (composer: Auber; Le Dieu) – Paris, Opéra, 23 October 1830
Le philtre (composer: Auber; Guillaume)-Paris, Opéra, 20 June 1830
Robert le diable – Paris, Opéra, 21 November 1831
Le serment ou Les faux-monnayeurs (composer: Auber; Édmond) – Paris, Opéra, 1 October 1832
Gustave III ou Le bal masqué – Paris, Opéra, 27 February 1833
Ali-Baba ou Les quarante voleurs – Paris, Opéra, 22 July 1833
Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni) – Paris, Opéra, 10 March 1834
La vestale – Paris, Opéra, 3 May 1834
La Juive – Paris, Opéra, 23 February 1835
Les huguenots – Paris, Opéra, 29 February 1836
Esmeralda (composer: Bertin; Phœbus) – Paris, Opéra, 14 November 1836
Stradella (composer: Niedermeyer) – Paris, Opéra, 3 March 1837
Le bouffe et le tailleur – tour starting in April 1837 at Bruxelles
Fernando Cortez – during a tour in July 1837 at Lyon
Il giuramento – Napoli, San Carlo, 14 November 1838
Elena da Feltre – Napoli, San Carlo, 1 January 1839
Norma – Napoli, San Carlo, 1 February 1839

Reference: The Donizetti Society, Journal 7, Giancarlo Landini, Nourrit e Donizetti, Appendice № 1, Appunti per una cronologia della carriera di Adolphe Nourrit.

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