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Emma Vecla (most widely used stage name), birth name Ernestine Louise Telmat, alternate stage name Adrienne Telma, (1877–1972) was a French operatic soprano who was born in
Emma Vecla (most widely used stage name), birth name Ernestine Louise Telmat, alternate stage name Adrienne Telma, (1877–1972) was a French operatic soprano who was born in Maghnia
Maghnia () (formerly Marnia) is a town in Tlemcen Province, northwestern Algeria. It is the second most populated town in Tlemcen Province, after Tlemcen. The current population is over 200,000.
History
Archaeologists have found evidence of prehi ...
, Algeria. She made her début at the Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief rival, the Comédie-Italienne ...
in 1898 as Filina in Ambroise Thomas' '' Mignon''. She is remembered in particular for her operetta performances from 1907 in Italy, where she became quite a celebrity.
Biography
Born on 11 January 1877 in Maghnia, Algeria into a French family, Ernestine Louise Telmat was educated at the Paris conservatory. She made her début at theOpéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief rival, the Comédie-Italienne ...
in 1898 as Filina in Ambroise Thomas' '' Mignon''. At the Opéra-Comique, she also played the title role in ''Cendrillon
''Cendrillon'' (''Cinderella'') is an opera—described as a "fairy tale"—in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Caïn based on Perrault's 1698 version of the Cinderella fairy tale.
It had its premiere performance on 24 ...
'', Henriette in Enrique Granados' ''Follet'', the Sandman in '' Hansel and Gretel'' and Ellen in '' Lakmé''.
She probably first performed in Italy in 1903 at the Teatro Lirico in Milan, taking the title role in '' Thaïs''. She also performed at opera houses in France, Spain and South America. In 1907, she turned from opera to operetta
Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...
, becoming a celebrated performer in both French and German.
Her performances in grand opera included the title role in Jules Massenet
Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are '' Manon'' (1884) and ''Werther' ...
's ''Manon
''Manon'' () is an ''opéra comique'' in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel '' L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut'' by the Abbé Prévost. It was first ...
'', Mimi in '' La bohème'', Marguerite in Gounod's '' Faust'', the title role in Léo Delibes
Clément Philibert Léo Delibes (; 21 February 1836 – 16 January 1891) was a French Romantic composer, best known for his ballets and operas. His works include the ballets ''Coppélia'' (1870) and '' Sylvia'' (1876) and the opera ''Lakmà ...
' '' Lakmé'' and Zerline in Daniel Auber's ''Fra Diavolo
Fra Diavolo (lit. Brother Devil; 7 April 1771–11 November 1806), is the popular name given to Michele Pezza, a famous guerrilla leader who resisted the French occupation of Naples, proving an "inspirational practitioner of popular insurrect ...
''. From 1907 to 1930, she was one of the most prominent operetta singers, especially in Italy where she was greatly appreciated. There she played the role of Hanna Glawari in Franz Lehár's ''The Merry Widow
''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt t ...
'' no less than 985 times.
Emma Vecla died in Milan on 29 May 1972.
Vecla made a wide range of recordings on the Fonotipia
Fonotipia Records, or Dischi Fonotipia, was an Italian gramophone record label established in 1904 with a charter to record the art of leading opera singers and some other celebrity musicians, chiefly violinists. Fonotipia continued to operate int ...
label.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vecla, Emma 1877 births 1972 deaths French operatic sopranos 19th-century French opera singers People from Maghnia