The real point that I’d like to make was that Musy had a great voice. Eventually became a director. His voice is very well placed and resonant. It was difficult to find a lot of examples of his singing on you tube.
Musy received his education at the Conservatoire National de Paris under E. Lorrain, Carré and M. Gallon. He made his debut in 1925 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in ”Le Chemineau” of Xavier Levoux. He belonged longer than 25 years to this opera house. On 16. 12. 1927 he sang at the Opéra Comique in the premiere of ”Le pauvre matelot” of Davius Milhaud, on 15. 1. 1930 in ”Le Roi d’Yvetot” of Jacques Ibert, on 19. 6. 1935 in ”L’École des Maris” of E. Bondeville, on 10. 3. 1942 in the premiere of ”Mon oncle Benjamin” of F. Bousquet. By the end of his artistic career, since 1947, he was active at the Opéra-Comique also as a director. He was married to the contralto Renée Gilly (1906-77).
Voilà donc la terrible cité!
Voilà donc la terrible cité!
Alexandrie! Alexandrie!
Où je suis né dans le péché;
L’air brillant où j’ai respiré
L’affreux parfum de la luxure!
Voilà la mer voluptueuse
Où j’écoutais chanter la sirène aux yeux d’or!
Oui, voilà mon berceau selon la chair,
Alexandrie! O ma patrie!
Mon berceau, ma patrie!
De ton amour, j’ai détourné mon coeur.
Pour ta richesse, je te hais!
Pour ta science et ta beauté, je te hais! Je te hais!
Et maintenant je te maudis
Comme un temple hanté par les esprits impurs!
Venez! Anges du ciel! Souffles de Dieu!
Parfumez, du battement de vos ailes,
L’air corrompu qui va m’environner! Venez!
So here is the ghastly city!
So here is the ghastly city!
Alexandria! Alexandria!
Where I was born in sin;
The glowing air where I breathed
The awful scent of lust!
Here is the voluptuous sea
Where I listened to sing the siren with golden eyes!
Yes, here is my cradle according to the flesh,
Alexandria! O my homeland!
My cradle, my homeland!
From your love, I turned my heart away.
For your wealth, I hate you!
For your science and your beauty, I hate you! I hate you!
And now I curse you
Like a temple haunted by impure spirits!
Come! Angels from heaven! Whispers of God!
Perfume, with the beating of your wings,
The corrupt air that will surround me! Come!
http://www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com/shows_g/grande_duchess.htm
Synopsis of La Grande Duchesse de Gérolstein by Jacques Offenbach
Le Général BOUM :
Des femmes dans nos camps,
Effroyable license
Fritz:
Bon voilà le gèneur,
Le Général BOUM :
Avez-vous donc, soldats, perdu toute prudence ?
Fritz:
Pour être militaire en a-t-on moins de cœur,
En a-t-on moins de cœur ?
Le Général BOUM :
Vous encor, vous vous parlez
Fritz:
Mais général . . .
Silence, silence
Quand je me fâche l’on se tait,
Car ma rigueur on la connait.
Chorus :
Quand il se fâche, l’on se tait,
Car sa rigueur on la connait.
Le Général BOUM :
A cheval sur la discipline,
Par les vallons,
Je vais devant moi,
J’extermine
Les bataillons
Le plus fier ennemi se cache,
Tremblant penaud,
Quand il a perçoit le panache,
Que j’ai là-haut
Le panache que j’ai là haut.
Oui
Et pif paf pouf et ta ra pa pa poum
Je suis le général Boum Boum!
Et pif paf pouf et tara pa pa poum
Je suis moi le général Boum Boum.
General Boum Boum, Fritz , and chorus:
Et pif paf pouf et ta ra pa pa poum, Il est lui (Je suis moi)
Le général Boum Boum. :
Dans nos salons après la guerre,
Je reparais
Et la plus belle pour me plaire
Se met en frais
Elle caresse ma moustache
En souriant
En ce moment-là
Mon panache
Est fort gènant.
Oui.
Et pif paf pouf et ta ra papapoum,
J Et pif paf pouf et ta ra papapoum,
Je suis moi le général Boum Boum
e suis moi le général Boum Boum
General Boum Boum, Fritz , and chorus:
Et pif paf pouf et ta ra pa pa poum, Il est lui (Je suis moi)
General Boum:
Women in our camps,
What horrifying permissiveness
Fritz:
Cue the old bore
General Boom:
Have you, soldiers, lost all caution?
Fritz:
Does being a soldier leave you with any less of a heart?
Fritz:
But General
General Boum:
You again, you, speak
Silence, silence
When I get angry, everyone shuts up
Because my sternness requires it.
Chorus:
When he gets angry, everyone shuts up
Because we know about his sternness.
General Boum:
With a horse under me
Through the small valleys
I push on through
I destroy,
The fiercest enemy shuts up,
Trembling, contrite
When they see my feather,
That I have in my hat
The feather that I have in my cocked hat.
Yes.
And pif paf pouf et tarapa poum
For I am general Boum Boum!
And pif paf pouf et tarapapa poum
For I am general Boum Boum!
General Boum Boum, Fritz , and chorus:
And pif paf pouf et tarapapa poum, He is, most definitely, (I am most definitely)
General Boum Boum:
In our salons after a war,
To which I repair
And the most beautiful lady there
To please me, refreshes herself
She caresses my mustache
While smiling
And in that moment,
My feather
Is very maladroit.
Oui.
And pif paf pouf and tarapapa
poum,
And pif paf pouf and tarapapa poum,
For I am General Boum Boum
For I am General Boum Boum
General Boum Boum, Fritz , and chorus:
And pif paf pouf et tarapapa poum, He is really (I really am)
Louis Musy, October 22, 1902, Algeria – October 19, 1981, Paris, was a French operatic baritone and stage director principally active at the Paris Opéra-Comique. His teacher was Léon David.
He made his debut in Le Chemineau by Leroux in 1925 at the Opéra-Comique and went on to sing many other French and Italian roles in the Opéra-Comique repertoire.
Musy was a member of the four-member committee which ran the Opéra-Comique after the liberation of Paris during 1944. From 1947 he was a director of staging at the theatre. His pupils included Xavier Depraz, Jean Dupouy, Jacques Loreau, Irène Sicot and Remy Corazza.
In addition to Paris premieres of several operas, he took part in the world premieres of:
He sang in recordings of Carmen in 1927 (as Escamillo), Faust in 1930 (Valentin), The Tales of Hoffman in 1948 (Lindorf), and Louise in 1956 (Father); as well as L’école des maris by Emmanuel Bondeville in 1954 (Sganarelle), and Les mousquetaires au couvent 1957 (Bridaine) and La fille de Madame Angot in 1958 (Larivaudière).
He played Dr. Bartolo in the 1948 Opéra-Comique film of Le Barbier de Séville directed by Jean Loubignac and conducted by André Cluytens.