Reszke, Jean de

Reszke, Jean de (zhäN də rĕsh`kē), 1850–1935, Polish singer. His voice, at first a baritone, developed into one of the finest tenors of the 19th cent. He first appeared as a tenor in Madrid in 1879, but it was after his debut (1884) at the Paris Opéra, where he created the leading roles in several of Massenet's operas, that he began to receive his greatest acclaim. Reszke sang (1888–1900) at Covent Garden, London, and from 1891 to 1901 was leading tenor of the Metropolitan Opera Company, New York City. From 1902 until his death he was a teacher in Paris. His brother,

Edouard de Reszke, 1853–1917, a bass, made his debut in Paris in 1876, sang (1880–84) in London, and from 1891 to 1903 was a leading bass of the Metropolitan Opera Company.

Bibliography

See biography of J. de Reszke by C. Leiser (1934).