Marie Sasse by Reutlinger (1)

Marie Sasse (1834-1907); Belgian soprano.
In 1852 she made her debut in Venice as Gilda in Verdi’s “Rigoletto”. After an engagement at the Théâtre Lyrique she was engaged in 1860 by the Grand-Opéra Paris, where she was one of the leading sopranos for the next 17 years. Here she created the role of Elisabeth in the (Paris) premiere of Wagner's (revised) “Tannhäuser” (1861), the role of Sélika in the premiere of Meyerbeer's
“L'Africaine” (1865) and the role of Elisabeth de Valois in the premiere of Verdi's “Don Carlos” (1867). At the “La Scala” in Milan she created in 1870 the role of Cecilia in the opera “Il Guarany” by Gomes. She made guest appearances at St. Petersburg, Brussels, Cairo and Madrid. For a short period (1864/67) she was married to the famous bass singer Armand Castelmary (1834-1897). In 1877 she retired from the stage and worked as a singing teacher in Paris.She published her memoires in 1902 under the title “Souvenirs d’une artiste”. At the end of her life she lost her financial means and she died in poverty.


On the photo she is seen singing the "Marseillaise". When the Franco-Prussian War broke out in the summer of 1870 Auber's "La muette de Portici" was performed at the Grand Opera Paris. The "Marseillaise" was interpolated into the third act and sung by Marie Sasse with great conviction.