Camille D'Arville (June 21, 1863 — September 9, 1932), born Cornelia "Neeltye" Dykstra, was a Dutch-born light opera singer and a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

performer. She was a member of

The Bostonians ''The Bostonians'' is a novel by Henry James, first published as a serial in '' The Century Magazine'' in 1885–1886 and then as a book in 1886. This bittersweet tragicomedy centres on an odd triangle of characters: Basil Ransom, a political c ...

. (Her surname is also found as Darville, d'Arville, and D'arville.)

Early life

Neeltye Dykstra was from the province of

Overijssel Overijssel (, ; nds, Oaveriessel ; german: Oberyssel) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name translates to "across the IJssel", from the perspective of the ...

the daughter of Cornelius Dykstra, a merchant. She studied music in Amsterdam, where she made her concert debut at age 14, and pursued further training in Vienna. She changed her name to Camille D'Arville soon after her opera debut in London."Camille D'Arville"
Grande Musica.

Career

In London D'Arville was associated with the Gaiety Theatre; she appeared in the shows ''La Vie'', '' Chilperic'', ''

Rip Van Winkle "Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by the American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. It follows a Dutch-American villager in colonial America named Rip Van Winkle who meets mysterious Dutchmen, imbibes their liquor and falls aslee ...

'', '' Falka'', ''Mynheer Jan'', ''Carina'', and ''Cymbria'', among others. She moved to the United States in 1888. Her stage appearances included roles in '' The Queen's Mate'' (1888), ''Venus'' (1893),

Oscar Hammerstein I Oscar Hammerstein I (8 May 18461 August 1919) was a German-born businessman, theater impresario, and composer in New York City. His passion for opera led him to open several opera houses, and he rekindled opera's popularity in America. He was ...

's '' Santa Maria'' (1896), ''The Belle of London Town'' (1907), ''A Daughter of the Revolution'', ''

The Bohemian Girl ''The Bohemian Girl'' is an Irish Romantic opera composed by Michael William Balfe with a libretto by Alfred Bunn. The plot is loosely based on a Miguel de Cervantes' tale, ''La Gitanilla''. The best-known aria from the piece is " I Dreamt I Dwe ...

'', ''Robin Hood'', ''Madeleine'', ''The Highwayman'', and '' The Mascotte''. She was associated with the Bostonians light opera company for some of these shows. She was known for "cavalier" parts, in which female characters were disguised in masculine hat, tunic, boots, and tights for part of the show."She wears a military costume which is charmingly becoming to her, also a short curly blond wig," one reviewer noted. In 1894, she headed the Camille D'Arville Light Opera Company. She retired from the stage after 1908, though she had announced an intention to retire after her second marriage as early as 1900, writing "I believe that any other woman who pursues a profession after her marriage makes a miserable failure of it." Later in life, she worked behind the scenes with the Reginald Travers Company, as a financial patron and artistic advisor. She also purchased a large prune ranch near

Los Gatos, California Los Gatos (, ; ) is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population is 33,529 according to the 2020 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area just southwest of San Jose in the foothills of the ...

, in 1913. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

she was president of Stage Women's War Relief branch in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. She was also president of the San Francisco Light Opera Company."Camille D'Arville, Opera Star, Dies"
''The New York Times'' (September 11, 1932), p. 30.

Personal life

Camille D'Arville married twice. Her first husband was Andrew Wilson Lyons, an acrobat. They married in 1879 and divorced in 1899. She married businessman Ernest Willard Crellin and lived in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

in her later life. She died in 1932, aged 69 years, in San Francisco. She was survived by Crellin, by her son Louis Lyons Wilson, and by her sister Lena Dykstra."Lena Dykstra"
''New York Sun'' (September 4, 1945): 92.

References

External links

A cabinet card of Camille D'Arville
in the American Vaudeville Museum Archive at the University of Arizona.
Another cabinet card of Camille D'Arville
from the Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute, Ohio State University.
Cigarette card featuring Camille D'Arville
in the collection of the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

.
Camille D'Arville's listing at IBDB.
* {{DEFAULTSORT:DArville, Camille 1863 births 1932 deaths 19th-century Dutch opera singers Vaudeville performers 20th-century Dutch opera singers