19TH CENTURY OPERA SINGERS

BERTHA EHNN (1847-1932) Austrian Soprano Studied at the Vienna Conservatory as a student of Marie Andriessen of Lingke Debut in 1864 in Linz (Danube) as Nancy in Flotow's 'Martha' and as Irene in 'Belisario' by Donizetti . In 1864-65 she was engaged at the Theater of Graz. In 1865 she was at the Court Theatre of Hanover and also at the Municipal Theatre of Nuremberg. In 1865 she created for Nuremberg Selika in the local premiere of Meyerbeer's "Africaine '. 1866 she performed at the Court Theatre of Darmstadt as Marguerite in 'Faust' by Gounod, as Agathe in the 'Freischütz' and again as Selika; . 1866-68 she was a member of the Stuttgart Court Opera. Highlights in her stage repertoire included roles such as Cherubino and later the Countess in 'The Marriage of Figaro', Pamina in the Magic Flute, Agathe in the 'Freischütz', the title character in 'Euryanthe' by Weber, the Orsini in 'Lucrezia Borgia' by Donizetti, Leonore in 'La Favorita' by the same composer, Rachel in La Juive 'of Halévy and the Giulia in' I Capuleti ed I Montecchi "by Bellini.

LOUIS GROIS, 1809 - 8 April 1874 Austrian Bass He studied with Maria-Lenzendorf. And then went to Vienna for further study and during his time there he performed as a church singer. The director of the Vienna Court Opera Duport heard him by chance and stood up for the training of his voice. After this had taken to Vienna, he made his debut in 1828 at the Opera House of Lemberg (Lvov) as Sarastro in Zauberflöte. It was followed by engagements at theaters in Budapest, Sibiu in Transylvania (Sibiu) and Graz. He began to perform more as a comedian in operettas, musical comedies, comedies and musical antics as well as in popular plays. In this repertoire he has been at the Vienna Carl-Theatre . After the death of its director , he moved in 1854 to the Viennese Theatre in Leopoldstadt. Here he created the famous comedian quartet with actors and singers Nestroy, Treumann, Scholz, and was director of the theatre

ADELE ISAAC (8 January 1854 – 22 October 1915) French soprano, Isaac was born in Calais. After studying with Gilbert Duprez, her professional debut was in 1870 in Victor Massé's Les noces de Jeannette at the Théatre Montmartre. In February 1873 she attracted attention singing the young shepherd in Tannhäuser at La Monnaie (Bruxelles). Her first performance at the Opéra-Comique was in 1873 as Marie in La fille du régiment, going on to sing Mozart and Gounod. On 3 April 1882 she sang Angèle in the 1,000th performance of Le Domino Noir at the Opéra-Comique From 1883 to 1885 she appeared at the Opéra as Ophélia, Marguerite, Adele, Zerlina and Marguerite de Valois. She sang in the first Paris revival of Carmen in April 1883, and was chosen for the more restrained, even bland interpretation of the title role she offered. She created the roles of Olympia and Antonia in Les contes d'Hoffmann in 1881, Claire in Egmont by Salvayre in 1886, and Minka in Le roi malgré lui in 1887. Isaac was a great favourite at the Opéra-Comique: she sang Susanna in the 1882, 1886 and 1892 revivals of Le Nozze di Figaro. Her absence for a concert tour in Rome and Monte Carlo in early 1888 delayed repeat performances of Le roi malgré lui, and may have contributed to the end of its first run. In 1884 Adèle Isaac sang in the annual performances of Beethoven's 9th Symphony given at the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire; the following year she sang music from Egmont and The Magic Flute with the same orchestra .

ANNE ARSÈNE CHARTON-DEMEUR, 5 March 1827-30 November 1892 French Mezzo Soprano She studied in Bordeaux with Bizot, making her operatic debut there as “Lucia di Lammermoor” by Donizetti in 1842. After appearances in Toulouse and Brussels, she made her first appearance in London as Madeleine in “Le Postillon de Longjumeau” by Adam on July 18, 1846. In 1847 she married the Belgian flutist Jules-Antoine Demeur in London and took the professional name of Charton-Demeur. In 1849–50 she was the leading female member of Mitchell’s French troup in St James Theatre London, and in 1852 she sang at Her Majesty’s Theatre; she also appeared in concert with the Phil. Soc. in 1850. After singing at the Paris Opéra-Comique, she appeared with notable success in St. Petersburg, Vienna, and America; she also became a great favorite at the Paris Théâtre-Italien. She was befriended by Berlioz and did much to promote his music. She created the roles of Béatrice in his “Béatrice et Benedict” (Baden-Baden, Aug. 9, 1862) and Dido in his “ Les Troy ens à Carthage” (Paris, Nov. 4, 1863). From 1869 she pursued a concert career.

MARIE HEILBRONN ( 1851- 31 March 1886). Belgian soprano. She studied in Paris and made her début in 1867 at the Opéra-Comique, as Alice in the first performance of Jules Massenet's "La grand’tante". In 1870 she appeared at La Monnaie as Violetta, the role of her début at Covent Garden in 1874, and in 1878 at the Théâtre Ventadour as Juliet in Victor Capoul's "Les amants". She returned in 1879 as Ophelia (Hamlet). The same year she appeared at the Paris Opéra as Marguerite and in 1880 she sang Zerlina and Ophelia there. At Monte Carlo in 1883 she sang Susanna, Philine (Mignon), Marguerite, Victor Massé's Galatea and Rose in Aimé Maillart's Dragons de Villars. In 1884 she created the title role of Massenet's "Manon" at the Opéra-Comique.

ANTONIO TAMBURINI 28 March 1800 – 8 November 1876 Italian baritone Tamburini studied the orchestral horn with his father and voice with Aldobrando Rossi, before making his debut as a singer, aged 18, in La contessa di colle erbose (Pietro Generali) .Tamburini is famous for his association with the operas of Bellini such as I Puritani. Indeed, he was one of the so-called "Puritani Quartet" of leading international singers, along with Grisi, Rubini and the bass Luigi Lablache. The quartet was reunited on stage, albeit with Giovanni Mario replacing Rubini, in 1843 at the premiere of Donizetti's Don Pasquale. A particular favourite with London and Paris audiences, Tamburini was married to the contralto Marietta Gioia-Tamburini. They often sang together. He created :1820 Mercadante: Violenza e Costanza(Atlante):1822 Mercadante: Adele ed Emerico(Generale Banner) :1822 Donizetti: Chiara e Serafina(Picaro) :1824 Donizetti: L'ajo nell'imbarazzo (Don Giulio) :1826 Donizetti: Alahor in Granata (title role) :1827 Bellini: Il pirata (Ernesto) :1828 Donizetti: Alina, regina di Golconda(Volmar) :1828 Donizetti: Gianni di Calais(Rustano) :1828 Bellini: Bianca e Fernando (Filippo):1829 Pacini: Il talisamno (Riccardo Cuor di Leone) :1829 Bellini: La straniera (Valdeburgo) :1830 Donizetti: Imelda de' Lambertazzi (Bonifacio) :1831 Mercadante: Zaira (Orosmane) :1831 Donizetti: Francesca di Foix (il Re) :1831 Donizetti: La romanzesca e l'uomo nero (Filidoro) :1831 Coccia: Edoardo Stuart in Scozia(title role) :1832 Donizetti: Fausta (Costantino) :1835 Donizetti: Marin Faliero (Israele Bertucci) :1835 Bellini: I Puritani (Riccardo) :1836 Mercadante: I briganti (Hermann) :1843 Donizetti: Don Pasquale(Malatesta)

DELPHINE UGALDE, née Beaucé, (3 December 1829 – 19 July 1910) was a French soprano. She was the mother of Marguerite Ugalde. Delphine Ugalde was born in Paris. After studies with her mother and the tenor Théodore-François Moreau-Sainti in Paris, she made her debut at the Opéra Comique in 1848 as Angèle in Auber’s Le domino noir, followed by L'ambassadrice. She went on to create roles in several popular operas of the time including the title role in Galathée by Massé on 14 April 1852, Virginie in Le caïd by Thomas on 3 January 1849 and Coraline in Le Toréador on 18 May 1849. After a break, she returned for Psyché (Eros) by Thomas on 26 January 1857.She sang in Auber’s L’enfant prodigue in London in 1851. At the Paris Opéra she sang Alice in Robert le diable in 1851 and Leonora in Il Trovatore (1858). In 1858, she made her debut at the Théâtre Lyrique, where she sang Suzanne in Les Noces de Figaro, Carabosse Mélodine in La fée Carabosse by Massé (28 February 1859), Blondine in L’Enlèvement au Sérail (1859), Martine in Ma tante dort (21 Jan 1860), and the title role in Gil Blas (24 March 1860). Her final benefit performance on 14 May 1860 was a lavish affair with, as well as many popular singers, contributions from Massé, Sarasate and Gounod. She returned briefly in 1865 to sing Papagena. In February 1861, From 1863, she sang at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens (Orphée, Les bavards), including her own operetta Halte au Moulin (1867), but retired from the stage in 1871.

Méphisto in “Le petit Faust” by Hervé Creator théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques le 23 April 1869 CELINE ANNA VAN GHELL (1847-?) Dutch mezzo-soprano. Began her “French” career in Brussels in the role of Rothomago junior in Ennery’s theatre play “Rothomago”. After Brussels she continued her career at Paris where she performed the same role at The Châtelet in 1877. In 1869 she created at the Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques the role of Méphisto in Hervé’s “Le petit Faust” in which the composer himself (who was also a deserving tenor singer) created the role of Faust. In 1869 she also created the role of Prince Raphaël in the 3-act version of Offenbach’s “La Princesse de Trébizonde” at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens. She created the role of Gabrielle at the French première of Lecocq’s “Les cent vierges” (1872) and Bobeche in Offenbach’s “La foir Saint-Laurent” (1877

ADELAIDE BORGHI-MAMO (9 August 1826 – 29 September 1901) Italian Mezzo-soprano studied singing in Milan with Francesca Festa before making her professional opera debut in 1843 at the opera house in Urbino as Bianca in Saverio Mercadante's Il giuramento. The following year she joined the roster of singers at the Teatro Vittorio Emanuele in Messina.In 1851 she portrayed the role of Morna in the world premiere of Giovanni Pacini's Malvina di Scozia at the Teatro di San Carlo. She returned there in 1853 to create the role of Olimpia in the premiere of Saverio Mercadante's Statira and the role of Odetta in the premiere of Pacini's Romilda di Provenza. She was also heard at that house that year as Azucena in Giuseppe Verdi's Il trovatore and in the title role in Gaetano Braga's Alina. On 23 August 1853 she performed in the world premiere of Lauro Rossi's L'alchimista at the Teatro del Fondo in Naples. She was also heard in Vienna in 1853. In 1854 she sang in another premiere at the Teatro di San Carlo: the role of Tremacoldo in Errico Petrella's Marco Visconti.

Prince Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans 24 August 1869 – 28 March 1926 lover of Nellie Melba Prior to his imprisonment in France, Philippe had been unofficially engaged to his first-cousin Princess Marguerite of Orléans. The engagement was cancelled when Philippe's involvement with the Australian opera singer Nellie Melba was revealed. Although they had lived apart for some years, Melba was still married to Charles Nesbitt Armstrong. Armstrong filed for divorce from Melba on the grounds of adultery, naming Philippe as co-respondent; the case was eventually dropped.He was the Orléanist claimant to the throne of France from 1894 to 1926.

as Le Comte de Nevers "le Huguenots" by Meyerbeer JEAN-BAPTISTE FAURE 15 January 1830 – 9 November 1914) French operatic baritone Faure was born in Moulins. A choirboy in his youth, he entered the Paris Conservatory in 1851 and made his operatic debut the following year at the Opéra-Comique, as Pygmalion in Victor Massé's Galathée. He remained at the Opéra-Comique for over seven years, singing baritone roles such as Max in Adolphe Adam's Le chalet and Michel in Thomas's Le caïd. During this time he also created the Marquis d'Erigny in Auber's Manon Lescaut (1856) and Hoël in Meyerbeer's Le pardon de Ploërmel (1859; later known as Dinorah), among seven premieres at that house. He made his debut at the Royal Opera House, London, in 1860 as Hoël, and at the Paris Opera in 1861. He would sing at the Opera every season until 1869 and then again in 1872-76 and 1878. In addition, he continued to perform off and on in London until 1877 at venues such as Her Majesty's Theatre and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Among the many operas in which he appeared in Paris were Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Don Giovanni as well as L'étoile du nord, Les Huguenots and La favorite. He also made history by creating several important operatic roles written by such prominent composers as Giacomo Meyerbeer, Giuseppe Verdi and Ambroise Thomas. They included the leading baritone parts in L'Africaine, Don Carlos and Hamlet (in 1865, 1867, and 1868 respectively). His last stage appearances are recorded as taking place in Marseilles and Vichy in 1886.

JEANNE FRANCOISE BALBI 1842-???? French Soprano Debut 1861 at Opera Comique as Virginie in “Le Caid” by Thomas

as de Sainte-Croix in "PAUL ET VIRGINIE" by Masse CREATOR role l’Opéra-National-Lyrique 15 th November 1876 LEON MELCHISSEDEC (Clermont Ferrand,) 7 May 1843-23 March 1925 French baritone Studied with Alkan, Puget, Mocker and Levasseur at the Paris Conservatoire.Debut at the Paris Opéra-Comique on 16 July 1866 in Cohen's José Maria.He remained at the Opéra-Comique until 1877, His roles included Les Absents, Le premier jour de bonheur, Lalla-Roukh, Robinson Crusoé, Les dragons de Villars, Le pré aux clercs, Fantasio, Mireille, Richard Cœur de Lion and Le Caïd. In 1873 he became the first true baritone to sing the title role of Zampa .He went to the Théâtre-Lyrique, singing in Dimitri, Le capitaine Fracasse.] and the premieres of Paul et Virginie and Le timbre d’argent. In 1879 he joined the Paris Opéra, making his debut as Nevers in Les Huguenots on 17 November 1879. His repertoire there included Guillaume Tell, L'Africaine, La Favorite, Rigoletto, Faust, and he created roles in Le Tribut de Zamora, Tabarin, and Le Cid. Having sung Capulet in the first performance of Roméo et Juliette at the Opéra-Comique in 1873, he sang Mercutio when it transferred to the repertory of the Opéra. He left the Opéra in 1891 but rejoined from 1905–12, having become a professor of déclamation lyrique at the Paris Conservatoire in 1894.

BERNADINE HAMAKERS (Caroline Frederique Bernadine Hamakers) (12 June 1836 - 24 October 1912) Belguim Soprano She was the daughter of a soldier and was discovered by de Morny . Hamakers sang the baptismal mass at the baptism of the Prince Imperial in Notre Dame cathedral in June 1856. She created Benoni in "La Reine de Saba" by Gounod at Salle Le Peletier on February 28, 1862. Her many roles in Paris included Isabelle in "Robert de Diable" by Meyerbeer , Rachel in "La Juive" by Halevy , Isolier in 'Le Comte Ory " by Rossini , Ninka in " La dieu et la Bayadere" by Auber , Elvire in " La Musette de Portica" by Auber , Mathilde & Jemmy in "William Tell" by Rossini , Urbain & Marguerite in " Les Huguenots" Meyerbeer , She held the favour of the Paris public until her death, and one of her “stunts,” as Gilda in “Rigoletto,” by verdi was to trill, watch in hand, for a full minute or more.

JULIA HISSON March 16, 1849 - 26 November 1876 French Soprano She was a member of the Opera Paris from 1867 to 1873. She sang Marguerite in "Faust" by Gounod ;Valentine in "les Huguenots" by Meyerbeeer ; Agathe in " Der Freischütz " by Weber; Dona Anna in "Don Juan" by Mozart; Selika in "l'Africaine" by Meyerbeer; Leonora in 'Il Trovatore" by Verdi. She created Athénaïs in " Erostratus" by Reyer in the Paris Premiere 16the October 1871 (Athénaïs) Ernest Reyer.

MARIE BATTU 1838-1919 French Soprano Studied with Gilbert-Louis Duprez ,Debut theatre Italians Paris as Amina in “La Sonnambula” by Bellini ,12 January 1860.Covent Garden debut London as Gilda in ‘Rigoletto” by Verdi 17 June 1862 , Paris opera 1863-1864 .Monnaie Bruxelles 1869-1872 , Opera Comique debut 1872 as Countss in “ Marriage of Figaro” by Rossini. Created Inez in L’Africaine” in Paris at the Imperial Academy of Music (room Le Peletier) 28 April 1865, Sang Mathilde in Guillaume Tell” by Rossini in it’s 500th performance at the Academy of Music in Paris 1868,She sang in Paris, Bruxelles and London. After her retirement she taught singing in Paris, Her roles included Marguerite de Valois in ‘Les Huguenots” by Meyerbeer , Zerlina in “Don Giovanni” by Mozart , Gilda in “Rigoletto” and Oscar in “Un ballo Maschera” both by Verdi , Despina in “Cossi fan Tutte” by Mozart and Adalgesia in “Norma” by Bellini

Singers not identified

Georgine von Januschofsky 1859-1914 Austrian Soprano & Actress She entered the stage in Leipzig, During this time her pretty voice grew more and more, and so she made the transition to the opera, appropriately prepared. She started her musical activity at the Germania Theatre in New York. There she found an opportunity to train their voice further and it was the then conductor Adolf Neuendorff (whom she later married), ] He discovered the true character of her voice and her body for dramatic roles. After that, she was diligently studied, and after six years working in the New World (New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Mexico Canada), she returned to Europe. After Januschofsky had received great recognition in the Mannheim and then in the association of the Wiesbaden court theater, she received an application to the court theater in Vienna in 1893, where she was engaged. She was there until 1895, in which years she again went to America Back ihome, in 1899 she became a member of the court theater Graz. There she remained until at least 1902.