Jean-Blaise Martin, full nameNicolas Jean-Blaise Martin[1] (February 24, 1768 in Paris – October 28, 1837 inTourzel-Ronzières) was a Frenchopera singer whosetessitura lay betweentenor andbaritone, which became later known as "baryton-martin".
Jean-Blaise Martin began singing publicly as a child, before his voice broke. He made his professional operatic debut in 1789, at theThéâtre Feydeau, in Paris, in a parody calledLe Marquis de Tulipano. He then studied withMadame Dugazon, and made his debut at theOpéra-Comique in 1794, and sang there until 1823. He became a member of the theatre's administrative committee in 1801. He also taught at theConservatoire de Musique of Paris, from 1825 to 1837.
He composed oneopéra comique,Les oiseaux de mer, produced at the Théâtre Feydeau in 1796.
During his career, he created some 15 roles in operas byNicolas Dalayrac,François Devienne,André Grétry,Étienne Méhul,Nicolas Isouard,Ferdinando Paer, etc.
Martin's voice was described as a "ténor grave et sombre", meaning a deep-voiced dark tenor, or as a "baryton aigu et clair", meaning a clear-voiced high baritone; the compass was E flat to a, with afalsetto extension to a'. His vocal type became known asbaryton-martin, most often found in Frenchoperetta. Modern examples of this voice type include French baritoneMichel Dens, and more recentlyBernard Sinclair, who can be heard in a few operetta recordings such asLa fille de Madame Angot,Les cloches de Corneville, andValses de Vienne.
In the operatic repertoire, the most famous role forbaryton-martin is Pelléas inClaude Debussy'sPelléas et Mélisande.Camille Maurane andJacques Jansen are widely recognized as having been the best exponents of the role.
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