Jeanne Leclerc (1868 – August 1914) was a French operatic soprano who made her début in Paris in 1888 as Aurore de Nevers in the première of

Charles Grisart Charles Jean Baptiste Grisart (29 September 1837, in Paris – 11 March 1904, in Compiègne) was a French opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" ...

's ''Le Bossu''. From 1890 to 1905, she performed in a wide variety of soprano roles 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 ...

. She also appeared in Monte-Carlo and

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

as well as in concerts at the Théâtre du Châtelet.

Biography

Born in Lille in 1868, Leclerc trained at the Paris Conservatory under Léon Duprez and Eugénie Vergin. She made her début in Paris at the Théâtre de la Gaîté on 19 March 1888 creating the role of Aurore de Nevers in the première of

's ''Le Bossu''. In November 1889 she was engaged by the

where she first performed on 30 May 1890 in the première of André Messager's ''

La Basoche ''La Basoche'' is an opéra comique in three acts, with music by André Messager and words by Albert Carré. The opera is set in Paris in 1514 and depicts the complications that arise when the elected "king" of the student guild, the Basoche, is ...

'' as the First Young Girl. At the Opéra-Comique she also performed in several other premières: as Rosette in

Antoine Banès Antoine Banés, real name Antoine Anatole, (8 June 1856 – 9 January 1924) was a French composer of operettas and ballets. Biography Antoine Banes studied music under the direction of Émile Durand, professor of harmony at the Paris Conservat ...

's ''Madame Rose'' (September 1893), as Hortense in

André Gedalge André Gedalge (27 December 1856 – 5 February 1926) was a French composer and teacher. Biography André Gedalge was born at 75 rue des Saints-Pères in Paris where he first worked as a bookseller and editor, specialising in ''livres de prix' ...

's ''Pris au piège'' (June 1895), as Mélie in Théodore Dubois's ''Xavière'' (November 1895) and as Amore in the Opéra-Comique's first performance of Gluck's ''

Orphée et Eurydice ' (; French: '; English: ''Orpheus and Eurydice'') is an opera composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck, based on the myth of Orpheus and set to a libretto by Ranieri de' Calzabigi. It belongs to the genre of the '' azione teatrale'', meaning an ...

'' (March 1896). She also performed soprano roles in several other operas, including ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

'', '' Les dragons de Villars'', '' Lakmé'', '' Les noces de Jeannette'', '' Philémon et Baucis'' and '' Werther''. She sang on several occasions in Monte-Carlo, in particular as Tyndaris in the première of Isadore de Lara's '' Messaline'' in March 1899. That year, at the Théâtre de la Renaissance in Paris, she performed the role of Lucie in Donizetti's Lucie de Lammermoor together with Gabriel Soulacroix. In November 1899, also at La Renaissaince, she created Chloé in

Henri Maréchal Henri Maréchal (22 January 1842 – 12 May 1924) was a French composer. Life Born in Paris, Maréchal studied music theory with Émile Chevé and Édouard Batiste and piano with Louis Chollet. On the advice of Alexis de Castillon, he entered ...

's ''Daphnis et Chloé''. Jeanne Leclerc died in Paris in mid-August 1914.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leclerc, Jeanne 1868 births 1914 deaths French operatic sopranos 19th-century French opera singers Musicians from Lille