Pierre-Jean Garat

Garat

Pierre-Jean Garat (born April 26, 1762 in Bordeaux , † March 1, 1823 in Paris ) was a French singer ( baritone ).

The son of the lawyer Dominique Garat, who came from the Basque Ustaritz , came to Paris in 1783 to study law there at the will of his father. Instead, he devoted himself to musical studies, which led to a falling out with his father.

He became secretary to the Count of Artois (and later King Charles X ), who promoted him because of his musical talent and introduced him to Queen Marie Antoinette , and in 1786 received a position as administrator of the Royal Lottery, which offered him a secure income.

The pupil of Bernardo Mengozzi , who sang bass, tenor and even soprano arias in the original key due to his extraordinary range, soon earned the reputation of the Orphée de la France . During the first turmoil of the French Revolution, he went on a concert tour through England with the violinist Pierre Rode .

He was imprisoned in Rouen for a few months for singing a song about the misfortune of the royal family, after which he stayed in Hamburg, from where he returned to Paris in 1794. There he became a teacher at the newly opened Conservatoire de Paris .

His low voice volume meant that Garat never appeared on the opera stage, but always appeared as a concert singer. The focus of his repertoire was on the compositions of Christoph Willibald Gluck , which he interpreted throughout Europe. He also composed a number of romances that enjoyed great success in his day, including Bélisaire (for vocals with guitar accompaniment), Je t'aime tant , Le Ménestrel and Incantation à la nuit .