Gabriel Tournié

Tournié studied cello at the Toulouse Conservatory. When his voice was discovered he studied singing in Toulouse. He made his debut in 1873 at the opera in Béziers. It was quickly followed by his debut at the Opéra in Paris (1874). Thereafter, he sang in Amiens and Anvers before making his debut in Marseille.

Marseille, Grand Théâtre

Season 1874/75

Robert le diable, Les huguenots, La Juive, L'Africaine, Faust, Guillaume Tell
Le prophète, 14 May 1875 (total 4, last on 30 May 1875)

M. Tournié fit sensation Victor Combanous

Season 1881/82, other tenors: Valdéjo, Pellin, Degenne

Robert le diable on 3 October 1881 with Menu, Juliette Rey, Mme Hammann, Thévelin
Guillaume Tell on 31 October 1881 (after the second act trio, Tournié had to replace Pellin, who had left the stage after being booed)
Guillaume Tell on 14 March 1882 with Roudil

Season 1883/84

Guillaume Tell on 6 December 1883
Robert le diable on 14 December 1883 with Pons (bass who was booed and sent packing, the police had to be called to clear the theater)
La favorite on 23 December 1883 with Mme Appia

Bruxelles, Monnaie

Season 1876/77, other tenors: Bertin, Pellin, Lemercier, Guérin, Masson

Aida on 15 January 1877 with Dauphin, Devoyod, Montfort, Mme Fursch-Madier, Mme Bernardi, Mme Blum, Dupont (total 46 perfomances)
Guillaume Tell

Season 1877/78, other tenors: Bertin, Lefèvre, Lemercier, Guérin, Masson

Les huguenots (for the season opening) with Fursch-Madier, Hamaekers, Devoyod, Queyrel
Guillaume Tell on 1 December 1877 with Faure
Cinq-Mars on 11 January 1878 with Devoyod, Lefère, Queyrel, Guillen, Mme Fursch-Madier, Mme Hamaekers, Mme Lurie (total 14 performances)

Season 1878/79, other tenors: Rodier, Voulet, Guérin, Masson, Laurent (booed and sent packing)

Guillaume Tell, January 1879, with Faure

Season 1887/88 He decided to break his contract and was replaced by Engel.

1879–83, he toured the USA and Mexico: New Orleans, Cincinnati, New York, Brooklyn, Mexico City, Chicago, Philadelphia (with the DeBeauplan French Opera Company, New Orleans): Les huguenots on 4 April 1881 with Mlle. Lagye, Frederick-Samuel Feitlinger, Emilie Ambré, Suzanne Magdeleine Delprato, M. Jourdan, M. Momas; La Juive on 5 April 1881 with Mme. De Villeray, Suzanne Magdeleine Delprato, M. Jourdan, M. Pellin, M. Rossi, M. Momas; Aida on 7 April 1881 with Suzanne Magdeleine Delprato, Emilie Ambré, M. Rossi, M. Jourdan, Henri-Charles Utto, M. Momas; Robert le diable on 8 April 1881 with Mlle. Lagye, Henri-Charles Utto, Suzanne Magdeleine Delprato, M. Escala, M. Momas

He visited New Orleans twice:

Season 1880/81 with the DeBeauplan Management Company. The company included: Messrs. Pellin, Escala, Utto, Mauge, Jourdan, Feitlinger, and Mmes. Ambré, Delpratto, De Meric, La Blache, Nicolopulo, Pilliard, Lagye and De Villeray

Tournié made his debut on the opening night, 8 Nov 1880 in Robert le diable, and appeared throughout the season, 
singing:
13 November Fernand
15 November Fernand
18 November Robert
20 November Manrico
22 November Manrico
23 November Fernand
25 November Faust
27 November Faust
30 November Faust
 2 December Raoul
 4 December Faust
 7 December Raoul
 9 December Raoul
11 December Faust
16 December Radames
18 December Radames
20 December Radames
23 December Radames
24 December Ange Pitou
25 December Faust
27 December Radames
28 December Ange Pitou
30 December Robert
  1 January Radames
  4 January Éléazar
  6 January Radames
  8 January Éléazar
 11 January Éléazar
 13 January Don José
 15 January Don José
 17 January Radames
 18 January Faust
 20 January Don José
 22 January Éléazar
 23 January Masaniello, Act 2
 24 January Radames
 27 January Raoul
 28 January Raoul
 2 February Robert
 3 February Alfredo
 4 February Vasco da Gama
 5 February Vasco
 7 February Radames
11 February Radames
12 February Vasco da Gama
13 February at the benefit of flood victims – Tournié played the violoncello to 
	    accompany Emilie Ambré, and sang Arnold in act 2 of Guillaume Tell
14 February Vasco da Gama
16 February Éléazar
18 February Romeo
19 February Raoul
22 February Roméo
23 February Radames;
24 February Don José
26 February Faust
28 February Radames
    2 March Faust
    3 March Vasco da Gama
    5 March Faust
    6 March Raoul
    7 March Masaniello in acts 2, 3, 4 of La muette de Portici
    8 March Vasco da Gama – the opera scheduled for that evening had been Aida, but 
            Mme Ambré had sprained her ankle in the Huguenots performance of 
	    March 6th, and  since she was thus indisposed, the program was changed at the 
            last moment
   10 March Éléazar
   12 March Raoul

1882 with the Defossez Management Company. The company included: Messrs. de Ermence, Puget, Delrat, Kastner, Jourdan and Kraitz, and Mmes. Hasselman, Panchioni, Fouquet, Bernardi, Geraiser, Belia

His re-entry came on the opening night of the season, 6 November 1882, when he was heard as Éléazar. 
Thereafter he continued to the end of the season, singing:

  7 November Duca
  9 November Manrico
 11 November Arnold
 13 November Duca
 14 November Éléazar
 16 November Arnold
 18 November Fernand
 19 November Ange Pitou – the role was to be sung by Puget, but he was seriously ill. 
             In order to prevent the cancellation of the performance, Tournié agreed 
             to undertake the role, thus singing three leading roles in as many days. 
 20 November Faust
 21 November Fernand
 23 November Manrico
 25 November Faust
 28 November Alfredo
 30 November Masaniello (acts 2, 3 & 4)
  2 December Arnold
  7 December Fernand
  9 December Masaniello
 12 December Alfredo
 13 December benefit performance: Masaniello (act 2) and Arnold (act 2)
 16 December Le dauphin (Charles VI)
 19 December Masaniello
 21 December Manrico
 23 December Raoul
 25 December Le dauphin
 26 December Raoul
 28 December Fernand
 30 December Éléazar
   1 January Fernand
   2 January Duca
   4 January Raoul
   6 January Robert
   8 January Robert
  10 January Arnold
  11 January Le Dauphin
  13 January Edgardo
  14 January At a mixed bill, he sang the duet "Ô vous dont le puissant secours"
             from La reine de Chypre with baritone Delrat. In the same program, 
	     Tournié sang "La Marseillaise".
  15 January Edgardo
  16 January Raoul
  20 January Radames
  22 January Robert
  23 January Radames
  27 January Radames
  29 January Raoul
  30 January Arnold
  1 February Radames
  3 February Don José
  7 February Radames
  8 February Don José
 10 February Faust
 11 February Masaniello (act 2) (mixed bill)
 13 February Radames
 15 February Raoul
 16 February Arnold (act 2), and Radames (act 2) (mixed bill)
 17 February Vasco da Gama
 19 February Vasco da Gama   
 20 February Radames
 22 February Tournié's benefit performance: Jean de Leyde (acts 3 & 5), Radames (act 3)

I wish to thank Jack Belsom for the New Orleans information.

New York 1881 with the DeBeauplan Management Company

Les Huguenots
The singers strike for non payment of salaries
Tournié elopes with the soprano Mme. Ambré

Mexico City, Teatro Nacional

On 25 March 1883, a new opera company started a season with French singers at the Teatro Nacional. It was organized by A. J. Défossez. The singers were: Mlle. Fouquet, Mlle. Hasselmans, Mme. Bernardi, Mme. Bella, Mlle. Lholia and Mmes. Coudray, Rebolisy, Kasteneer, Cadic and Martin. They offered: La petite mariée, by Lecocq, Il trovatore with Tournié, Delrat, Jourdan, Coudrai, Fouquet and Bernardi; Les huguenots, with Hasselmans, Jourdan, etc. La Juive, Hamlet, Guillaume Tell (on 7 April 1883 with Tournié, Fouquet and Delrat), Muette de Portici, Aida, Zampa, L'Africaine, Faust and Robert le diable, alternating with operettas like Les cloches de Corneville, Le jour et la nuit, La mascotte and others.

Note: La Juive and Hamlet were first performances in Mexico, but the public did not like them.
Reference: La tradición operística en la Ciudad de México (Siglo XIX), by Ramón Pulido Granata (México, 1970). Translated by Juan Dzazópulos.

After returning to Europe, Tournié sang in the French provinces.

Toulouse, Capitole

Season 1884/85

Season 1885/86

Season 1886/87

Season 1888/89

Robert le diable
La favorite
Les huguenots

Season 1889/90

Sigurd

Season 1890/91

Un heure de mariage on 20 May 1891 with Dupuy, F. Boyer, Mme Bernard-Daram, Mme Douau

Season 1891/92

Samson et Dalila with Mme Dominici
La fille de Madame Angot

Season 1892/93

Sigurd

Season 1894/95

He was appointed director of the Capitole.

He was also director in Lyon and Nantes. His spouse Mme Ribes-Tournié was a soprano.

His repertory included: Éléazar, Cinq-Mars, Faust, Edgardo, Radames, Arnold, Duca, ...