F. Halévy
Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy (French: [fʁɔmɑ̃tal alevi]; 27 May 1799 – 17 March 1862), was a French opera composer, widely regarded in his lifetime as one of the central figures of 19th-century French music. A student of Luigi Cherubini, he achieved his first major triumph with La Juive (1835), a cornerstone of the grand opéra repertoire, and which Gustav Mahler considered one of the greatest operas ever written. The 368th performance of La Juive inaugurated the new Paris opera house, the Palais Garnier, in 1875. Halévy's bust stands on the façade, with the inscription "Poésie lyrique" above it. During the following two decades, Halévy became a leading presence on the Parisian stage, contributing more than 30 operas including grand opéra, opéra-comique, and opéra-lyrique. Celebrated for uniting melodic invention with learned craftsmanship, Halévy was considered the leader of the French school; the greatest French musician of the modern dramatic school; and (with Daniel Auber) the most important French composer of serious opera since Jean-Philippe Rameau. Many of his works were mainstays of the Opéra and Opéra-Comique for decades. L'Eclair (1835) was performed more than 200 times until 1899; La Reine de Chypre (1841) 152 times by 1879; Les Mousquetaires de la Reine (1846) 200 times by 1865; and Le Val d'Andorre, his second-most popular work after La Juive, 334 times. Other notable successes included Le Dilettante d'Avignon (1829): 119 performances in Paris; La Tentation (1832): 102 performances; La Fée aux Roses (1849): 100 performances; and Jaguarita l'Indienne (1855), the Théâtre-Lyrique's longest running success to that point, 124 performances. Despite much acclaim, Halévy's reputation waned after his death. By the 20th century, only La Juive remained in the repertoire. Halévy's works have begun to re-emerge: La Reine de Chypre was revived in concert by the Palazzetto Bru Zane and awarded Gramophone’s Opera Recording of the Year (2018). Other modern revivals include Charles VI (1843) in Compiègne in 2005; Clari (1828) in Zurich, 2008, with Cecilia Bartoli; La Magicienne (1858) in Montpellier, 2011; Le Dilettante d'Avignon in Avignon, 2014; L'Éclair in Geneva, and La Tempesta in Wexford, both 2022. |
Birth and Death Data: Born former 7th arrondissement of Paris (one of the twelve administrative districts of Paris, France, before 1860), Died 1862 (Nice (city and commune in Alpes-Maritimes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1900 - 1941
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer
Notes: Name also appears in Victor ledgers as J. F. E. Halévy.
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 46 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]460 | 7-in. | 10/26/1900 | Call me thine own | Frank Badollet ; Jean Moeremans | Flute and saxophone duet | composer | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]1061 | 7-in. | 10/25/1901 | Call me thine own | Jules Levy | Cornet solo | composer | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]1061 | 10-in. | 10/25/1901 | Call me thine own | Jules Levy | Cornet solo | composer | |
| Victor | C-2975 | 12-in. | 1/2/1906 | Call me thine own | Charles D'Almaine ; Darius Lyons | Flute and violin duet, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | C-8494 | 12-in. | 12/17/1909 | Rachele, allor che Iddio | Nicola Zerola | Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | B-11023 | 10-in. | 9/27/1911 | L'eclair | Instrumental Trio | Instrumental trio | composer | |
| Victor | B-13517 | 10-in. | 7/3/1913 | Rachele, allor che iddio | Alberto Amadi | Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | C-23742 | 12-in. | 2/18/1920 | Call me thine own | Mabel Garrison | Soprano vocal solo, with violin and orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | C-24461 | 12-in. | 9/14/1920 | Rachel! Quand du Seigneur la grâce tutélaire | Enrico Caruso | Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | B-29019 | 10-in. | 11/22/1923 | Call me thine own | Clement Barone ; Alexander Schmidt | Violin and flute duet, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | C-31354 | 12-in. | 11/25/1924 | Der elbershter heiliger Gott | Dmitri Dobkin | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | C-31363 | 12-in. | 12/3/1924 | Que ma voix tremblante | Giovanni Martinelli | Tenor vocal solo, with harp and orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | CVE-31363 | 12-in. | 6/22/1925 | Que ma voix tremblante | Giovanni Martinelli | Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | C-31364 | 12-in. | 12/3/1924 | Rachel quand du Seigneur | Giovanni Martinelli | Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | CVE-31364 | 12-in. | 6/22/1925 | Rachel, quand du Seigneur | Giovanni Martinelli | Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-35165 | 10-in. | 6/1/1926 | Instrumental combinations, no. 3 | Victor Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-35166 | 10-in. | 6/1/1926 | Instrumental combinations, no. 4 | Victor Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-37862 | 10-in. | 3/22/1927 | Si la rigueur | Ezio Pinza | Bass vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-37865 | 10-in. | 3/22/1927 | Vous qui du Dieu vivant | Ezio Pinza | Bass vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | CVE-49015 | 12-in. | 12/24/1928 | O Dieu, Dieu de nos pères | Giovanni Martinelli | Tenor vocal solo, with chorus and orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | CVE-49016 | 12-in. | 12/24/1928 | Si trahison ou perfidie | Giovanni Martinelli ; Metropolitan Opera Orchestra ; Giulio Setti | Tenor vocal solo, with chorus and orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | CS-066760 | 12-in. | 9/11/1941 | La juive, part 1 | Jan Peerce ; Wilfrid Pelletier ; Dorothy Sarnoff ; Victor Symphony Orchestra | Vocal duet (soprano and tenor), with vocal chorus and orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | CS-066761 | 12-in. | 9/11/1941 | La juive, part 2 | Jan Peerce ; Wilfrid Pelletier ; Dorothy Sarnoff ; Victor Symphony Orchestra | Vocal duet (soprano and tenor), with vocal chorus and orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | [Trial 1914-03-23-02] | Not documented | 3/23/1914 | Aria | Mr. P. R. Stephens | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Columbia | 39891 | 10-in. | 2/25/1915 | Call me thine own | Marshall P. Lufsky ; Charles Schuetze ; George Stehl | Instrumental trio | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Halévy, F.," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102723.
Halévy, F.. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102723.
"Halévy, F.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Fromental Halévy
Discogs: F. Halévy
Allmusic: F. Halévy
Grove: F. Halévy
IMSLP: F. Halévy
RISM: F. Halévy
IMDb: F. Halévy
Britannica: F. Halévy
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Halévy, F., 1799-1862 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n80032196
Wikidata: Fromental Halévy - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q313917
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/95257808
MusicBrainz: Fromental Halévy - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/6ee2b4d1-febd-44c4-89d2-aeb38e9c8d59
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/51779 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/51779
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