Hortense Schneider on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Hortense Catherine Schneider, ''La Snédèr'', (30 April 1833 in Bordeaux, France – 5 May 1920, in Paris, France) was a French soprano, one of the greatest operetta stars of the 19th century, particularly associated with the works of composer
An accomplished singer and actress, she was much admired for her brio and verve on stage, was the toast of the 
Her house at 123 Avenue de Versailles was given to L'Orphelinat des Arts (The Association / Les Enfants des Arts) in her will, with an instruction not to change the interior until 1950.
Schneider was the subject of the 1950 film '' La Valse de Paris'' by
Hortense Catherine Schneider, ''La Snédèr'', (30 April 1833 in Bordeaux, France – 5 May 1920, in Paris, France) was a French soprano, one of the greatest operetta stars of the 19th century, particularly associated with the works of composer Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach (, also , , ; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario of the Romantic period. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera ' ...
.
Biography
Born inBordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...
, where she studied with Schaffner, she made her debut in Agen
The commune of Agen (, ; ) is the prefecture of the Lot-et-Garonne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It lies on the river Garonne southeast of Bordeaux.
Geography
The city of Agen lies in the southwestern department ...
in 1853, as Inès in ''La favorite
''La favorite'' (''The Favourite'', sometimes referred to by its Italian title: ''La favorita'') is a grand opera in four acts by Gaetano Donizetti to a French-language libretto by Alphonse Royer and Gustave Vaëz, based on the play ''Le com ...
''.
She came to Paris and was turned down by the director of the Théâtre des Variétés
The Théâtre des Variétés is a theatre and "salle de spectacles" at 7–8, boulevard Montmartre, 2nd arrondissement, in Paris. It was declared a monument historique in 1974.
History
It owes its creation to the theatre director Mademoiselle ...
but was noticed by Jacques Offenbach who invited her to the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens, where she made her debut in 1855 in '' Le violoneux''. She enjoyed immediate success and created for Offenbach the role of Boulotte in '' Barbe-bleue'' and the title roles in ''La belle Hélène
''La belle Hélène'' (, ''The Beautiful Helen'') is an opéra bouffe in three acts, with music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. The piece parodies the story of Helen of Troy, Helen's elopement with Paris (myt ...
'', ''La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein
''La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein'' (''The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein'') is an opéra bouffe (a form of operetta), in three acts and four tableaux by Jacques Offenbach to an original French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. The s ...
'' and ''La Périchole
''La Périchole'' () is an opéra bouffe in three acts by Jacques Offenbach. Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy wrote the French libretto based on the 1829 one act play '' Le carrosse du Saint-Sacrement'' by Prosper Mérimée, which was revived o ...
'', all resounding triumphs. She also appeared in London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
and Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, to great acclaim.
An accomplished singer and actress, she was much admired for her brio and verve on stage, was the toast of the Second Empire Second Empire may refer to:
* Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783
* Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396)
* Second French Empire (1852–1870)
** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...
and a favourite of royal visitors to Paris. ''La Snédèr'' was reputedly one of King Edward VII's mistresses (because of the favours which she liberally granted to the members of the nobility, she was known as ''Le Passage des Princes''.). She retired after her marriage in 1878 and died in Paris; she was buried in the Protestant Cemetery of Bordeaux.
Her house at 123 Avenue de Versailles was given to L'Orphelinat des Arts (The Association / Les Enfants des Arts) in her will, with an instruction not to change the interior until 1950.
Schneider was the subject of the 1950 film '' La Valse de Paris'' by Marcel Achard
Marcel Achard (5 July 1899 – 4 September 1974) was a French playwright and screenwriter whose popular sentimental comedies Garzanti p. 3 maintained his position as a highly recognizable name in his country's theatrical and literary circles ...
, where she was played by Yvonne Printemps
Yvonne Printemps (; born Yvonne Wigniolle; 25 July 1894 – 19 January 1977) was a French singer and actress who achieved stardom on stage and screen in France and internationally.
Printemps went on the stage in Paris at the age of 12, and ...
.
References
Sources
* ''Le guide de l'opéra'', Roland Mancini & Jean-Jacques Rouveroux, (Fayard, 1986) * ''La diva d'Offenbach. Hortense Schneider (1833–1920)'', Jean-Paul Bonami, (Romillat, 2004) * Peter Hawig: ''Hortense Schneider. Bedingungen und Stationen einer Erfolgsbiographie''. Bad Emser Hefte, Nr. 258. VGDL, Bad Ems 2006, 47 S. *External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schneider, Hortense French operatic sopranos 1833 births Mistresses of Edward VII 1920 deaths 19th-century French actresses Musicians from Bordeaux 19th-century French women opera singers