John O'Sullivan's Biography, Part 2

The voice of O'Sullivan was one of the most remarkable dramatic tenor voices that was ever recorded. His high D was produced with an incredible power that electrified audiences. In spite of a short period as a baritone (probably an error), he was always a real heroic tenor, never a baritone pushed to his limits. Except for the people of Anglo-Saxon taste, who find any trace of vibrato to be suspect, he was a titan for the rest of the world. He sang the heavier roles in an incredibly effortless way. He was the heir of tenors like Duprez, Escalaïs, Duc and Tamagno. Not only did he have the notes, but he was also a great artist and actor.

His legacy of recorded material included a total of thirty-seven 78-rpm sides with the companies of Parlophon, Columbia, French HMV, Odeon and Pathé. Approximately nineteen of these were recorded but unpublished (including an aria from Turandot). Unfortunately, many roles from his repertoire were never recorded, he made only six sides in French, two patriotic songs in 1916 for the French HMV, and four sides for Pathé. He forbade the publication of two sides of La Juive recorded by Pathé after hearing them. Pathé published two arias from L'Africaine and Guillaume Tell without him ever hearing them. When he finally heard them, he was furious, because his voice was badly reproduced and unrecognizable. Pathé's engineers told him not to sing full voice, but to hold back because it would not record well due to its highly resonant sound. The next recordings made after the HMV sides were made in Italy in the 1920s and are all sung as expected in Italian. So a great opportunity to record his French repertoire was missed (Samson, Prinzivalle, Éléazar, Sigurd, Jean). His very resonant voice was difficult to capture by the primitive recording systems of his time. This is in contrast to Georges Thill who had a phonogenic and less vibrant voice. Sullivan was never satisfied by his recordings. This is regrettable, as they are the only remaining souvenirs of this exceptional tenor. A successor seems to be very far away. How he came to record 4 test sides for APGA is a mystery, as he was unknown in 1906/7. However he did record arias from Lohengrin and Roméo et Juliette that he never recorded again. On the curiosity side the Carmen flower song is sung in English.

The following article, published in L'Oeuvre on August 29, 1942 by the well known critic Georges Pioch, gives an account of one of O'Sullivan's most acclaimed roles: Arnold in Guillaume Tell. By reading his words, we can only imagine the success that O'Sullivan had in the revival of this show, and can only hope to understand the impact he had on the world of opera during his lifetime.

"Guillaume Tell or A tenor's graveyard"

"This evening the 'Artistes lyriques associés' and Mr. Charles Béal are giving a performance of Guillaume Tell that has the potential to be a master piece, even if it is not Rossini's best work. The second act by itself would be sufficient to immortalize its composer. This performance, which I will discuss, will be followed by seven others. The audacity to produce it is not small. This work, where Rossini reached his peak, requires an orchestra of good quality, a large and sonorous chorus, and soloists: two sopranos, a first rate opera baritone, a deep bass and a basso cantante, a lyrical tenor, etc.. all must be gifted, not at the beginning of their careers. The score requires above all a tenor of great range, stamina and exceptional brilliance, and who is by the strength of his top a vocal rarity... In short the typical heroic tenor, a rare bird, is required. For lack of an Arnold (it is the name given to this tenor), Guillaume Tell had resigned itself to silence, and sometimes for a long period of time."

"I have never heard Mr. Nequeçaur, who sings tonight Arnold. As much as nature made him tenor, he cannot overlook the fact that a demanding curiosity awaits him: The one of the old Bel Canto connoisseurs, who will not allow him to avoid all the high C's and D-flat's all peppering the score, and will not permit him to cheat with the note and that he emits it in falsetto. Since the times of Nourrit and Duprez, it is traditional to produce it from the chest. May fate favor this audacious. If, as it is decent to expect, he succeeds in his task, his merit would not have been less astonishing than his audacity. Guillaume Tell is a tenor's graveyard. If you asked one of the rare tenors that dare to sing Arnold, one who has won the battle not without danger, and received a glorious triumph, he would tell you that he fought one of his hardest battles. Here transposition is not a tradition. Tradition, or maybe honor, requires that the tenor transposes nothing in the score of Arnold. The same singer that would lower half a tone the grand aria of La Juive, for example, would not dare to do the same thing in the penultimate act cavatine "Asile héréditaire". The old connoisseurs will wait for his high C that is the high point of the Cavatina.. Arnold sings "Pour la dernière fois..", but it is not the last time. In the subsequent aria "Amis, secondez ma vengeance!", Arnold must produce other electrifying high C's. He is like a torero that the idolatrous, but all the more more demanding public awaits at the final blow. Has he killed the bull, or better said, has he produced the note, it is a glorious triumph. Did he miss it, it is a pitiful downfall, from which he has no time to recover. It is easy to count the singers singing Arnold, even if the singers singing Raoul, Eléazar, Vasco de Gama, Jean de Leyde.., are not rare and plentiful. One can, and it is very often heard, yell out the role. One can, and many have excelled doing it, and an abundant public, knowing nothing about singing, has furiously applauded them. Fortunately, there are tenors that for the sake of their art, will not indulge in this easy success."

"Those like to really sing Rossini's music, like Mozart from which he originates, in a belcanto way. The heroic tenor, this vocal athlete, must also be a conscientious artist that dominates his gifts. I have heard many Arnolds: Escalaïs and Duc, two remarkable voices, whose power was phenomenal, Jaume, Paoli, Granier, Mr. Lauri-Volpi, whom in the face of his great reputation I expected to be more brilliant; Affre and Thill put their delicious voices into jeopardy when they sang Arnold. If I had to nominate the dramatic tenor who in Guillaume Tell impressed me the most with his brilliant top and the moving dignity of his style, I would have to name Mr. Sullivan in first place. And I can also certify that this exemplary Arnold was as well, and that could surprise the old connoisseurs, an admirable Tannhäuser."

One wonders what Mr. Pioch would say today, if he knew that the singer considered to be Arnold of the day can only sing his high notes in falsetto!