LablacheLuigi (1794 - 1858)

bass and Franco-Italian baritone

Luigi Lablache, Portrait, 1827

Luigi Lablache, one of the most admired basses of his time, enjoyed a particularly long and rich career. For almost half a century, he took part in the creation of numerous operas, particularly those by Meyerbeer, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi.

At the Théâtre Italien in Paris, Lablache formed a legendary vocal quartet with Giulia Grisi, Antonio Tamburini and Giovanni Battista Rubini (with whom he premiered Bellini 's I Puritani in 1835), and later, after Rubini's departure for Naples, with Giovanni Matteo Mario (with whom he premiered de Don Pasquale in 1843).

Lablache was not only a celebrated singer in his own lifetime, but also a major figure in musical pedagogy. Singing teacher to the future Queen Victoria in 1836, he wrote a complete Méthode de chant in Paris in 1840.

He died in Naples on January 23, 1858, just one year after retiring from the stage.

Discover the artist's world through various documents: each image opens the door to one of his interpretations, his portraits in civilian clothes, his autographs or press articles about him from the period