Edouard Lippé

Who was Edouard Lippé?

Edouard Lippé also frequently spelt Eduardo Lippe. American composer, baritone and singing teacher. His major title to fame nowadays rests on the fact that he was baritone Nelson Eddy's first and principal teacher, apparently even financing his pupil's finishing studies in Paris and Dresden. Lippé followed Eddy to Hollywood, where he appeared in the small role of the Landlord in the 1935 film version of Victor Herbert's Naughty Marietta. He was also the singing teacher of Todd Duncan, George Gershwin's personal choice for Porgy at the world première of Porgy and Bess, and one of the first African-American opera singers of renown. Dr. Lippe, as he was also known, also gave lessons to another lesser known but gifted young singer by the name of Victor Marchese who went on to record with MGM records - see Flamingo. Lippé wrote many songs, including a particularly graceful setting of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's How Do I Love Thee? included by Arleen Augér in a 1986 recital of love songs.