Lucien Fugère

Lucien Fugère (22 July 1848, Paris – 15 January 1935, Paris) was a French baritone, particularly associated with the French repertory and Mozart roles. He enjoyed an exceptionally long career, singing into his 80s.

Fugère's father died when he was 6, and at the age of 12 he was apprenticed as a mason, working on repairing statues and gargoyles of Notre Dame with his brothers. He also joined, and got noticed, in the singing societies popular in Paris at that time.

Fugère was working as a jewellery salesman when he decided to try his luck at a career in music. After taking private voice lessons (he was refused by the Paris Conservatory), he made his debut as a chansonnier at the Bataclan in 1870. He then made his debut in operetta at the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens, in 1874, in La branche cassée by Serpette. In addition Fugère sang in La Boite au lait, Madame l'archiduc, Le Moulin du Vent-Galant and La créole at the Bouffes.

The turning point of his career came in 1877, when he made his debut at the Opéra-Comique as Jean, in Les noces de Jeannette by Victor Massé. He was to perform there regularly until 1920, creating roles in more than 30 operas, notably the father in Louise by Gustave Charpentier, Fritelli in Le roi malgré lui by Emmanuel Chabrier, and for Jules Massenet, Pandolfe in Cendrillon, the Devil in Grisélidis, des Grieux in Le portrait de Manon, Sancho in Don Quichotte, Boniface in Le jongleur de Notre-Dame, and for André Messager, Maitre André in Fortunio, Buvat in Le chevalier d'Harmental, and le Duc de Longueville in La Basoche. In total he sang in over 100 roles including Mozart's Figaro, Leporello, Papageno, Falstaff, and appeared at the Gaîté-Lyrique from 1908 until 1919.

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