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| Louis Cazette sings | Fortunio: J'aimais la vieille maison grise |
Born Victor Louis Camille Peault in Nantes, he grew up in Paris and studied at the Conservatoire National with Émile Engel, Jan Reder, and above all with Albert Saléza. Just when he had graduated, and secured a contract with the Opéra-Comique, World War I broke out and he had to serve in the army.His Opéra-Comique debut was thus delayed until he was demobilized; it only took place on 14 June 1919 (as Noctambule in Louise). He sang both main and secondary roles, and his career was very promising: Pinkerton, Ferrando, Wilhelm Meister, Vincent, Gérald, Don Ottavio.
He died from tetanus following an on-stage accident that had him wounded when the point of André Baugé's (actually of course edgeless) rapier broke away. Baugé, whose fault by no means it was, felt guilty for the rest of his life.