Born 1897, Paris, France
Died 1984, Draguignan, France
This tenor, regarded by some as the greatest French tenor of the 20th century, successfully sang both lyric and heroic roles for 29 years.
A student of the famous Italian tenor Fernando De Lucia until that notable’s death in 1923, he made his Paris Opéra debut as Nicias in Massenet’s Thaïs in 1924. He thus started at the top and stayed there until his final performance at the house in 1940 as Samson in Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalilah.
Thill’s singing reveals the bel canto training he had received from De Lucia. His legato is seamless, his lower register is solid, his middle voice warm and rich, his top is ringing and unforced, and his diction is exemplary. Listen to him singing “In fernem Land” in a French translation from Wagner’s Lohengrin, in which all of these factors are discernible.
Thill sang throughout Europe in the 1920s and 1930s, including Russia, and as far as Argentina and America. He appeared two seasons at the Met (1931-32), singing 14 performances of 7 roles, and making his debut there in 1931 as Romeo in Gounod’s opera Romeo et Juliette.
Georges Thill recorded widely for French Columbia Records from 1925 to 1943, producing 78 double-sided discs as well as a complete Werther and abridged versions of both Carmen and Louise. He also starred in several French language films, including “Chanson de Paris,” a cinematic version of Charpentier’s opera Louise, with Grace Moore.
In the 1940s Thill showed signs of vocal decline, and he retired from the stage, singing Canio in Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci.