Eloi Sylva
Titus in Berlin
Eloi Sylva was born on November 29th, 1843 in Gramont, Belgium. From 1852 to 1858, Sylva went to school at the Saint-Joseph
school. Sylva left school at 15 years old, and joined his father's workshop. Apparently, Sylva was singing while working
there, when the Count de Launoy, an art patron, overheard him and offered to pay for Sylva's vocal training. Sylva left his
village for Brussels. There he studied with Cornélis and graduated in 1866. After the death of his father, Sylva
decided to leave Gramont forever. Count de Launoy advised him to complete his training with Gilbert Duprez in Paris. After
polishing his art with Duprez, Sylva allegedly made his debut in Nantes in 1868, then went to Lyon in 1869 and finally to
Lille in 1871. Sylva made his Paris debut, Salle Le Peletier, on May 15th, 1872 in Robert le diable. While in Paris, Sylva
created L'esclave. This opera in five acts was composed by Membrée. It was created at Salle Ventadour, Paris, on July
15th, 1874 with Sylva, Lassalle, Gailhard, Bataille and Mauduit.
Sylva sang at the Palais Garnier, Paris, in La Juive and Freischütz in 1875. From October 8th, 1875 to
January 5th, 1876, Sylva sang at La Monnaie in Robert le diable, La Juive, Il trovatore, L'Africaine, and La reine de Saba.
In 1879, Sylva sang first at Covent Garden, then La Monnaie. His great reputation opened him the doors of the Bolshoj
in Moscow and the Imperial Theater in St. Petersburg in 1877. In 1885, Sylva sang at the Met in New York and toured with
the company. Sylva moved to Berlin in 1889. Later he became a Kammersänger. Sylva sang in Berlin until 1902. Sylva
probably retired after his Berlin career. During the First World War, Sylva stayed until 1915, before
going back to Belgium. He stayed there until probably 1918, then he returned to Berlin, where he died on September 7th, 1919.
Sylva's minimum chronology
Sylva at La Monnaie
4 September 1879 L'Africaine
14 September 1879 Robert le diable
2 October 1879 Le trouvère
13 October 1879 Jérusalem
13 November 1879 Le prophète
30 December 1879 Lohengrin
15 March 1880 Der Freischütz
August 1880 La muette de Portici
September 1880 Le prophète
October 1880 Aida
21 December 1980 La Juive
28 December 1880 La Juive
9 March 1881 Les vêpres siciliennes
Sylva at the Metropolitan Opera House
27 November 1885 Le prophète
9 December 1885 Le prophète
11 December 1885 Tannhäuser
6 January 1886 Tannhäuser
23 January 1886 Le prophète
5 February 1886 Rienzi
8 February 1886 Rienzi
10 February 1886 Rienzi
12 February 1886 Tannhäuser
17 February 1886 Rienzi
20 February 1886 Rienzi
27 February 1886 Rienzi
1 March 1886 Rienzi
3 March 1886 Tannhäuser
Met on tour, 1885/86
Philadelphia:
21/26/31 December Tannhäuser
22/30 December Le prophète
Chicago:
15/17/20 March Rienzi
23/25/27 March Tannhäuser
St. Louis:
30 March Tannhäuser
1/3 April Rienzi
Cincinnati:
6 April Rienzi
Cleveland:
8 April Rienzi
10 April Tannhäuser
Sylva at the Royal Theater in Antwerp
Season 1873/74
Sylva at the Royal Theater in Ghent
31 March 1876 Le trouvère
Sylva at Covent Garden
17 April 1879 Robert le diable
28 April 1879 Il trovatore
3 May 1879 Tannhäuser
16 June 1879 Norma
5 July 1879 Le prophète
1 June 1882 Lohengrin
6 June 1882 L'Africaine
20 June 1882 Le prophète
Sylva in Lille
30 April 1872 Robert le diable
3 March 1872 Concert
14 October 1873 Le trouvère
4 October 1874 Robert le diable
6 October 1874 Le trouvère
9 October 1874 La Juive
24 April 1875 Le trouvère
26 April 1875 Robert le diable
10 July 1875 Concert
Sylva in St. Petersburg
1877 Il trovatore
9 January 1878 Robert le diable
26 January 1878 Le prophète
23 February 1878 La Juive
Oct or Nov 1878 Robert le diable
4 November 1878 Le prophète
December 1878 Le prophète
8 January 1879 Tannhäuser
21 January 1879 La Juive
October 1882 Robert le diable
October 1882 L'Africaine
19 November 1882 Jérusalem
26 December 1882 Le roi de Lahore
8 January 1883 Les huguenots
February 1883 Le prophète
4 October 1883 L'Africaine
25 October 1883 Robert le diable
22 November 1883 La Juive
early 1884 Nerone
7 October 1884 Robert le diable
28 October 1884 L'Africaine
3 November 1884 Robert le diable
Nov or Dec 1884 Le prophète
Nov or Dec 1884 Il trovatore
22 December 1884 Nerone
February 1885 Poliuto
Sylva in Moscow
Bolshoj
21 October 1877 Robert le diable
23 December 1877 L'Africaine
30 December 1877 Le prophète
May 1884 Il trovatore
May 1884 Les huguenots ?
Private Theater
late 1887 La muette de Portici
1 December 1887 Il trovatore
23 January 1888 Norma
23 February 1887 Lohengrin
Sylva in Berlin, Unter den Linden
1 February 1890 Otello
5 December 1890 Tannhäuser
5 September 1891 Robert le diable
21 October 1891 Cavalleria rusticana
15 November 1891 Titus
5 December 1891 Idomeneus
19 March 1892 Der Freund Fritz
15 January 1892 Genesius
5 December 1892 Der Bajazzo
13 January 1893 Die Hexe
11 October 1893 Mara
17 February 1894 I Medici
4 October 1894 Der Prophet
23 March 1895 Rienzi
4 May 1895 Der Evangelimann
23 October 1895 Fidelio
26 November 1895 Ivanhoe
21 May 1896 Ingo
15 May 1897 Aida
31 March 1898 Odysseus Heimkehr
18 June 1898 Die Stumme von Portici
Premieres in Berlin
4 October 1894 Meyerbeer, Der Prophet:
Josef Sucher/Eloi Sylva (Johann von Leyden), Marie Goetze (Fides),
Ida Hiedler (Bertha), Julius Lieban (Jonas), Rudolf Krasa (Mathisen),
Josef Mödlinger (Zacharias), Franz Krolop (Graf Oberthal)
23 March 1895 Wagner, Rienzi:
Karl Muck/Eloi Sylva (title role), Ida Hiedler (Irene), Emil Stammer (Colonna),
Marie Goetze (Adriano), Ludwig Fränkel (Orsini), Josef Mödlinger
(Raimondo), Kurt Sommer (Baroncelli), Rudolf Krasa (Cecco del Vecchio), Emilie Herzog,
Marie Dietrich, Adrienne Weitz, Bertha Anita Krainz, Marie Deppe, Therese Rothauser
(Friedensboten), Robert Philipp (Herold)
4 May 1895 Kienzl, Der Evangelimann (world premiere):
Karl Muck/Josef Mödlinger (Friedrich Engel), Bertha Pierson (Martha),
Marie Goetze (Magdalena), Paul Bulß (Johannes Freudhofer), Eloi Sylva
(Mathias), Julius Lieban (Xaver Zitterbart), Franz Krolop (Anton Schnappauf),
Emil Stammer (Friedrich Aibler), Martha Kopka (Aiblers Frau), Martha
Hönsch (Frau Huber), Robert Philipp (Hans), Rudolf Krasa (Nachtwächter),
Helena Verena (Lumpensammlerin), Walter Beck (Knabe)
23.10.1895 Beethoven, Fidelio:
Felix v. Weingartner, Franz Betz (Don Fernando), Josef Mödlinger (Don Pizarro),
Eloi Sylva (Florestan), Ida Hiedler (Leonore), Emil Stammer (Rocco), Marie Dietrich
(Marzelline), Robert Philipp (Jaquino), Kurt Sommer, Rudolf Krasa (Gefangene)
26.11.1895 Sullivan, Ivanhoe:
Karl Muck/Emil Stammer (Richard Löwenherz), Ludwig Fränkel (Prinz Johann),
Eloi Sylva (Ivanhoe), Theodor Schmidt (Cedric), Adrienne Weitz (Lady Rowena), Josef
Mödlinger (de Beaumanoir), Paul Bulß (du Bois Gilbert), Robert Philipp
(de Bracy), Franz Krolop (Bruder Tuck), Kurt Sommer (Locksley),
Rudolf Krasa (York)-Ida Hiedler (Rebecca), Marie Goetze (Ulrica)
15 May 1916, 1897 Verdi: Aida
Josef Sucher/Franz Krolop (König) Marie Goetze (Amneris), Ida Hiedler (Aida)-
Eloi Sylva (Radames), Josef Mödlinger (Ramphis), Baptist Hoffmann (Amonasro),
Marian Alma (Bote), Henny Pohl (Priesterin)
31 March 1898, August Bungert: Odysseus' Heimkehr,
Franz Schalk, Josefine Reinl (Athene), Baptist Hoffmann (Odysseus), Marie Goetze
(Penelopeia), Therese Rothauser (Telemachos), Emil Stammer (Laertes), Josef
Mödlinger (Eumäos), Henny Pohl (Eurykleia), Rudolf Krasa (Mentor),
Robert Philipp (Hyperion), Eloi Sylva (Antinoos)-Hermann Bachmann (Eurymachos) u.a.
18 June 1898 Auber: La muette Portici (at the Kroll opera theater)
Josef Sucher, Franz Naval (Alfonso), Emilie Herzog (Elvira), Marian Alma (Lorenzo),
Eloi Sylva (Masaniello), Baptist Hoffmann (Pietro), Rudolf Krasa (Borello), Rudolf
Berger (Selva) und Ballettmitglieder
Source: Apollini et Musis: 250 Jahre Opernhaus Unter den Linden,
Berlin 1992 (ed.: Georg Quander)
Discography
The Belgian collector Alfred de Cock had in his possession a cylinder sung by Sylva from Le prophète (Roi du ciel).
Unfortunately he exchanged the cylinder with late collector Bill Violi without taking note of the cylinder number.
The whereabouts of the cylinder are now unknown.
I wish to thank Pierre Duré, Alfred de Cock, Tom Kaufman and Guido Bathe for their help.
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