Partner Pierre de Bréville
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Rue du Dr Germain See, 75016 Paris, France
Maurice Bagès (1862 - November 1908), also known as Maurice Bagès de Trigny, was born in 1862 and passed away in November 1908 in La Spezia. He was a Belgian light tenor and society singer who lived in Paris and became one of the most popular vocal interpreters of his era. Though he performed primarily in elite private salons—singing for notable figures such as the Princess of Cystria, Marguerite de Saint-Marceaux, Girette, and the Prince and Princess Stirbey—his artistic legacy is deeply intertwined with the history of French classical music through his close association with the composer Gabriel Fauré.
From the late 1880s, as Fauré's reputation grew, Bagès became the composer's concert singer of preference. He played a pivotal role in premiering some of Fauré's most celebrated vocal works. Notably, Bagès gave the very first performance of Fauré's song cycle La bonne chanson on April 25, 1894. Demonstrating international reach, Bagès also delivered the first London performance of the work on April 1, 1898, hosted at the home of Frank Schuster on Old Queen Street. For this London occasion, Fauré specially arranged the version for piano and string quintet, creating a distinctive tone color separate from the solo piano version.
Beyond his professional and artistic achievements, Bagès was part of Parisian fin-de-siècle artistic circles, maintaining a personal life that included his partner, the composer and critic Pierre de Bréville. Bagès died in November 1908, leaving behind a legacy as a refined purveyor of French mélodie and a trusted muse to Fauré.
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