Plançon, Pol Henri

1854

French basso prof undo; born at Fumay. He came of a musical family and sang remarkably well when but four years old. He began the study of music at the cole Duprez. Later Sbriglia was his teacher. He made his debut as St. Bris in Les Huguenots, at Lyons, in 1877, with such success that he was engaged for two years. Going to Paris, he sang in the Lamoureux concerts, and in 1883 sang in the role of Mephistopheles. For ten years he sang at the Opera, in the meantime making his London debut at Covent Garden in 1891, in his favorite role Mephisto, which he has sung more than a hundred times. From 1891 until 1904 he visited London annually. His first trip to America, in 1893, was attended with such success that he has returned every winter. His repertory includes the bass parts of nearly all the standard operas. He has created Francis I in Saint-Saen's Ascanio, as well as Pittacus in Gounod's Sapho, Don Gormas in Le Cid, by Massenet, and Norfolk 'in Henry VIII. He has sung in Aida, Romeo, Tannhauser  Lohengrin, Die Meistersinger, La Favorita, etc., also as General Garrido in La Navarraise, and Phanuel in Salome, Ariofarne in Ero e Leandro by Mancinelli, the Friar in Stanford's Much Ado About Nothing, and the King in Princesse Osra.