Jouatte was the son of a brewer. To finance his musical education, he appeared as a dancer as the Casino de Paris.
He concluded his vocal studies in Germany. He changed to tenor after further studies with Paul Cabanel and coaching with Louis Fourestier.
After appearing in concerts, he made his stage debut at the Théâtre Mogador in 1934, where
he created Mandrin (operetta by Josef Szulc) on December 12 with Solange Renaux, Hélène Regelly, Germaine Duclos, Robert Allard, Friant, Carpentier, etc.
Jouatte made his debut at the Opéra in 1935 (July 3) as Faust in La damnation de Faust with Marisa Ferrer, André Pernet,
Armand
Narçon, Jules Forest and Paul Paray. In 1935, he sang Faust, Tamino (Die Zauberflöte on December 11 with Lalande, Ritter-Ciampi, Mahé, Huberty, Cabanel, Morot
Narçon, Rouquetty, Pactat and Reynaldo Hahn),
Castor (Castor et
Pollux); in 1936, Sänger (Rosenkavalier), Admète (Alceste on October 23 with Germaine Lubin, Martial Singher, Raoul Gourgues
and Philippe Gaubert); in 1937 Florestan (Fidelio on January 13 with Lotte Schöne, Germaine Lubin, Georges Noré, José
Beckmans, Henry Etcheverry, Pierre Froumenty, Raoul Gourgues, Henri Médus and Philippe Gaubert); in 1938 Ottavio,
Shahabarim (Salammbô, on June 3 with Germaine Lubin, José Luccioni, José Beckmans, André Pernet, Marcel Clavère,
Lucien Bernasconi, Roger Rico, Raoul Gourgues, Georges Noré, Henri Médus, Louis Noguéra, and Françcois Ruhlmann), Lohengrin, Enée;
in 1941 Arnal (Gwendoline on May 10 with S. Renaux, José Beckmans, and Philippe Gaubert).
He sang in the local premieres of Der fliegende Holländer (Erik on December 27, 1937 with Germaine Hoerner, Eliette Schenneberg, Martial
Singher, Lucien Bernasconi,
Edmond Chastenet, Raoul Gourgues, and Philippe Gaubert), and Pénélope (first complete performance)
(Ulysse on March 14, 1943 with Germaine Lubin, Suzanne Lefort, Paul Cabanel, Camille Rouquetty, Charles-Paul,
Charles Cambon, Raoul Gourgues and François Ruhlmann). He remained at the Opéra until 1944.
On February 18, 1937 he made his debut at the Opéra-Comique as Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Gabrielle Ritter-Ciampi,
Lotte Schöne, Charles Friant, Félix Vieuille, Guy Ferrant and Reynaldo Hahn. There he took part in the local premieres
of Ariadne auf Naxos (Bacchus, on April 30, 1943 with Germaine Lubin, Janine Micheau, Marisa Ferrer, Emile Rousseau and Roger Désormière) and
Le couronnement de Poppée (Néron, December 23, 1937 with Renée Gilly, André Gaudin,
Madeleine Sibille, Victor Pujol, Henri Etcheverry and Gustave Cloez). He also sang Werther, Tamino and Faust.
On May 6, 1937 Jouatte appeared at Covent Garden in Alceste with Germaine Lubin and Martial Singher.
Ha made concert appearances in Germany, Italy, Austria, Montreux (Verdi-Requiem with Bruno Walter) and Belgium. He appeared at the
Salzburger Festspiele in 1933 (August 6 in Stabat mater with Gabrielle Ritter-Ciampi,
Emilie Rutschka, Josef vona Manowarda and Josef Messner) and in 1936 (August 15 concert of Cantantibus organis (by Provaznik), Auferstehung (by Weingartner), Psalm 13 (by Liszt) with
Maria Keldorfer-Gehmacher, Paul Lorenzi and Josef Messner; August 23 Mozart's Requiem with Eidé Noréna, Emilie Rutschka, Georg von Tschurtschenthaler, and Josef Messner).
He retired in 1946 after singing Tamino at the Opéra-Comique.
He still appeared from time to time on stage after 1946, for example in 1951 as Tamino in Monte Carlo.
In 1929, he appeared in the German film Land ohne Frauen witht Brigitte Helm and Conrad Veidt.
He taught singing from 1949 to 1962, among his students were: Régine Crespin, Roger Soyer, Alain Fondary, Charles Gillig,
Vera Little, Mady Mesplé,...
Reference: Kutsch & Riemens
VRCS 2004
I wish to thank Tom Silverbörg for the recording (Damnation)
Discography
ODEON 1930–1932
???????? Le chef d'armée/Moussorgsky; Liapounov, dir. 123737
xxp 7184 Siegfried: Chant de forge; G. Cloez, dir. 123737
xxP 7288 Don Juan: Dites à mon aimée 123783
xxP 7289 Damnation de Faust: Nature immense; G. Cloez, dir. 123783
xxP 7301 Lohengrin: Récit du Grâal 123800
xxp 7299 La bohème: Que cette main est froide; G. Cloez, dir. 123800
L'attaque du moulin: Adieux à la forêt 123804
xxp 7809 Lakmé: Fantaisie aux divins mensonges; G. Cloez, dir. 123804
xxp 7339 La favorite: Ange si pur; G. Cloez, dir. 123808
Ki 3934 La Walkyrie: Chanson de printemps 188793 (LP Odéon Bel Canto ORX 149)
Ki 3935 Chant de la puce/Moussorgsky; G. Cloez, dir. 188793
Ki 4763 Manon Lescaut: Ange, sirène ou femme 188843 (LP Odéon Bel Canto ORX 502)
Ki 4764 Gopak/Moussorgsky; G. Cloez, dir. 188843
Ki 5568 Le barbier de Séville: Des rayons de l'aurore 188874
Ki 5569 La Juive: Rachel quand du Seigneur; G. Cloez, dir. 188874
Ki 3955 Manon Lescaut: Ange, sirène ou femme; G. Cloez, dir. 166385
xxP 7298 Le barbier de Séville : Des rayons de l'aurore inpublished
??????? L'auberge du Cheval Blanc: L'auberge du Cheval Blanc 250279
with Hélène Regelly; Gabriel Diot, dir
??????? L'auberge du Cheval Blanc: Tout bleu 250279
with Hélène Regelly; Gabriel Diot, dir
??????? L'auberge du Cheval Blanc: Mon chant d'amour 250280
with Hélène Regelly
??????? L'auberge du Cheval Blanc: Je vous emmenerai 250280
with Hélène Regelly
PATHE 1934–1935, 1948 (Magnificat)
La chanson du bonheur: La chanson du bonheur PA 717
La chanson du bonheur: Tout l'amour PA 717
Mandrin: Chanson de route PA 446
CPT1658-1 Mandrin: Les yeux des femmes PA 446
Mandrin: Par cet espoir d'un jour PA 448
Rose-Marie: Pot-pourri (2 sides) PA 522
Faust Symphonie PDT 31–37
Grand orchestre symphonique, Selmar Meyrowitz, dir
Magnificat/Johann Sebastian Bach PDT 177–182
with Nadine Renaux, Hélène Bouvier, Odette Turba-Rabier, Camille Maurane
Raymond Sabarich, trompette solo; Franxois, hautbois d'amour;
Lavaillotte et Le Bon, flûtes
Orchestre Symphonique et la Chorale de l'Université de Paris, Jean Gitton, dir
COLUMBIA 1943–1944
CLX 2377– Grande messe des morts/Berlioz LFX 659–669
CLX 2398 Chorale Émile Passani; Orchestre de Radio-Paris; Jean Fournet, dir
La damnation de Faust LFX 615–628
with Mona Laurena (Marguerite); Paul Cabanel (Méphistophélès)
Chorale Émile Passani; Orchestre de Radio-Paris; Jean Fournet, dir
Radio recordings
La damnation de Faust
1948 Paris
with André Pernet (Méphistophélès), Suzanne Juyol (Marguerite), Charles Cambon (Brander)
Chœurs et orchestre Radio-Lyrique Albert Wolff
CD House of Opera 4697
Beethoven: Symphony № 9
with Charles Cambon, Janine Micheau, Solange Michel
Orchestre et choeur de l'ORTF; Koussevitzky, dir
CD Archipek Records
There are other radio recordings with Georges Jouatte including Les Troyens with Marisa Ferrer, and Pénélope
by Fauré with Berthe Montmart.
I wish to thank Christian Torrent for the discography.
