Louise 'Louison' Moreau (born before 1668 – died after 1692) 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" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

tic soprano who belonged to the

Académie Royale de Musique The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be k ...

, also a popular celebrity commonly referred to as one of the ''filles de l'opéra.''

Opera career

Preceding her younger sister

Fanchon Moreau Françoise 'Fanchon' Moreau (1668 – after 1743) was a French operatic soprano who belonged to the Académie Royale de Musique, also a celebrated beauty who was a favourite of the Great Dauphin. Opera career Following her older sister Lou ...

by about three years, Louison made her debut at the

Paris Opéra The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be k ...

around 1680. Once dismissed for being pregnant, she was reinstated and remained until 1692. From 1683 to 1692 when both sisters were referred to as 'Mlle Moreau', it usually makes it difficult to determine who sang what, however popular songs of the day and gossip columns are sometimes revealing. It is known that Louison created the role of Amasie in the premiere of '' Orontée,'' a

tragédie en musique Tragédie en musique (, ''musical tragedy''), also known as tragédie lyrique (, ''lyric tragedy''), is a genre of French opera introduced by Jean-Baptiste Lully and used by his followers until the second half of the eighteenth century. Operas in ...

by Jean-Louis Lully, the son of Jean-Baptiste Lully, and

Paolo Lorenzani Paolo Francesco Lorenzani (5 January 1640 – 28 October 1713) was an Italian composer of the Baroque Era. While living in France, he helped promote appreciation for the Italian style of music. Lorenzani was born in Rome and was trained by ...

in 1688.

Celebrity

Like her sister, Louison received the attentions of Louis, the Great Dauphin, to whom she was introduced in error when it was intended to present her reputedly more beautiful younger sister to him.

Bibliography

*Clark, J. (1980). 'Les Folies Françoises' in ''Early Music'' 8(2):163-169

Sources

*Anthony, James R (1992), 'Moreau, Louison' in ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'', ed. Stanley Sadie (London) {{DEFAULTSORT:Moreau, Louison French operatic sopranos Year of birth uncertain Year of death unknown 17th-century French people