Hippolyte Belhomme
Introduction '''Hippolyte-Adolphe Belhomme''', (2 December 1854, Paris - 16 January 1923) was a prominent French bass or bass-baritone and long-term member of the Opéra-Comique company in Paris. He also made some important early opera recordings, displaying on them a lyrical voice of great flexibility.
Career As a pupil of Boulanger and Ponchard he won second prize for singing and opéra comique at the Paris Conservatoire. Belhomme made his debut as Baskir in ''Lalla-Roukh'' at the Opéra-Comique on 11 November 1879; although of short stature his vocal authority was impressive.Belhomme sang much of the repertoire for the basses chantantes at the Opéra-Comique up to June 1886 and then again from 1891 to 1916: he sang in ''Carmen'' (Escamillo and Dancaïre), ''Cendrillon'' (Pandolphe), ''La fille du régiment'' (Sulpice) ''Madama Butterfly'' (the Bonze), ''Mignon'' (Lothario), ''Tosca'' (Sacristan) and ''Werther'' (Le bailli), as well as roles in many other French and Italian operas in the Opéra-Comique repertory. Belhomme created the following roles  at the Opéra-Comique:*Mathurin in ''Monsieur de Floridor''*Crespel in ''Les contes d'Hoffmann'' (1881)*Cordier in ''Les fugitifs''*Tripalarga in ''La jota''*Le bohême in ''Louise'' (1900)*Marchande d’allumettes in ''Le sonneur''*Télémaque in ''Hémistikos''*Bustamente in ''La Navarraise'' (Paris premiere)*Le père Vincent in ''Noel''*Landry in ''On ne badine pas avec l’amour''*Albornas in ''La sorcière''*Morel in ''Thérèse'' (Paris premiere)*Un cocher in ''Les visitadines''*Le précepteur in ''Le voile de bonheur''*Un ainé in ''Léone''He also spent time at the opera houses of Lyon (September 1886 to May 1899) and Marseille (1889–90) before returning to the Opéra-Comique in September 1891, where he took part in Paris premieres of ''Falstaff'' and ''La bohème''.From 1902, Belhomme appeared each season at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, as Osmin in ''Die Entführung aus dem Serail'' (in French) and the devil in ''Grisélidis'' in 1902, Doronte in ''Attendez-moi sous l'orme'' in 1903, the sacristan in ''Tosca'' in 1904, the vicar in ''Pepita Jiménez'' and the Duc de Longueville in ''La Basoche'' in 1905, Brander in ''La damnation de Faust'' and a soldier in ''The Trojans'' in 1906, Kezal in ''La fiancée vendue'' and a Jew in ''Salomé'' in 1907.
Recordings Belhomme sang in the complete 1911 recording of ''Carmen'' (Dancaire), the 1912 ''La traviata'' (Docteur Germont), 1912 ''Rigoletto'' (Ceprano), and the 1912 ''Roméo et Juliette'' (Gregorio). In addition, he recorded many solo arias from French operas popular during his day.
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