Edmond Clément

Who was Edmond Clément?

Edmond Clément was a French lyric tenor who earned an international reputation due to the polished artistry of his singing.

Clément studied at the Conservatoire de Paris with Victor Warot, and made his stage debut at the Opéra-Comique in 1889, as Vincent in Mireille. He remained first tenor at that theatre until 1909, appearing as Ottavio, Tamino, Almaviva, Georges Brown, Fra Diavolo, Gérald, des Grieux, Werther and Hoffmann, among other roles.

He also took part in the first performances of Le juif polonais by Camille Erlanger and Hélène by Camille Saint-Saëns, and sang in the Parisian premieres of Falstaff and Madama Butterfly.

His career was not confined to Paris, however. He also sang in Brussels, Monte Carlo, Madrid and London, although he never appeared at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. The United States beckoned, and he joined the stellar roster of singers at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, where he performed in 1909-1910. Competition from the resplendent tenor voice of Enrico Caruso overwhelmed him, however, and he was not re-engaged by the Met's management. While in New York City he kept his voice in trim by taking lessons from the noted pedagogue Frederick Bristol.