Hippolyte Belhomme

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 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

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.