Marguerite Ugalde (née Marie Varcollier) (1862–1940) was a French

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

. She was the daughter of the singer and theatre manager Delphine Ugalde.Forbes E. Delphine Ugalde. In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London and New York, 1997. After studies in Paris with her mother, her first professional engagement was in 1879 at

Étretat Étretat () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of Northwestern France. It is a tourist and farming town situated about northeast of Le Havre, at the junction of the D 940, D 11 and D 139 roads. It is located on ...

; she made her debut at the

Opéra Comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular '' opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Fair Theatres of St Germain and St Laurent (and to a l ...

on 19 April 1880 as Marie in ''

La fille du régiment ' (''The Daughter of the Regiment'') is an opéra comique in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti, set to a French libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Jean-François Bayard. It was first performed on 11 February 1840 by the Paris Opéra- ...

''.Martin J. ''Nos artists; portraits et biographies.'' Paul Ollendorff, Paris, 1895. She created the roles of Mnazile in ''Le Bois'' (11 October 1880) and Nicklausse in the first performance of ''

Les contes d'Hoffmann ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' (French: ) is an by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, who is the protagonist of the story. It was Offenbach's final work; he died ...

'' by Offenbach in 1881. On the 18 November 1881, before the unveiling of a bust of Offenbach Ugalde and

Adèle Isaac Adèle Isaac (8 January 1854 – 22 October 1915) was a French operatic soprano, active in Paris in the late 19th century. Isaac was born in Calais. After studying with Gilbert Duprez, her professional debut was in 1870 in Victor Massé's ...

sang, and encored, the

barcarolle A barcarolle (; from French, also barcarole; originally, Italian barcarola or barcaruola, from ''barca'' 'boat') is a traditional folk song sung by Venetian gondoliers, or a piece of music composed in that style. In classical music, two of the ...

from Hoffmann.Soubies A, Malherbe C. ''Histoire de l'opéra comique — La seconde salle Favart 1840–1887.'' Flammarion, Paris, 1893. After this short period at the Opéra Comique Ugalde moved over to operetta, both in Paris and elsewhere. At the

Théâtre des Nouveautés The Théâtre des Nouveautés ("Theatre of the New") is a Parisian theatre built in 1921 and located at 24 boulevard Poissonnière (Paris, 9th arr.). The name was also used by several earlier Parisian theatre companies and their buildings, begin ...

she created Manola in ''

Le jour et la nuit ''Day and Night'' (french: Le Jour et la Nuit) is a 1997 French drama film directed by public intellectual Bernard-Henri Lévy and starring Alain Delon, Lauren Bacall, Arielle Dombasle and Francisco Rabal. The film follows a French author who fled ...

'' (5 November 1881), Wladimir in ''

Fatinitza ''Fatinitza'' was the first full-length, three-act operetta by Franz von Suppé. The libretto by F. Zell (a pseudonym for Camillo Walzel) and Richard Genée was based on the libretto to ''La circassienne'' by Eugène Scribe (which had been set t ...

'' (6 April 1882), Falka in ''

Le droit d'aînesse ''Le droit d'aînesse'' ("The Birthright") is an opéra bouffe, a form of operetta, in three acts by Francis Chassaigne with a French libretto by Eugène Leterrier and Albert Vanloo. It premiered in Paris in 1883. An English-language version ti ...

'' (27 January 1883), Stenio Strozzi in ''L’Oiseau bleu'' (16 January 1884), Denisette in ''Le Petit Chaperon rouge'' (1885) and Rosette in ''Serment d'amour'' (1886). She sang the first D’Artagnan in ''Les petits mousquetaires'' (5 March 1885) at the

Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques The Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques was a theatre in Paris in the 19th and 20th centuries. Opened first in 1832 in the site of the old Théâtre de l'Ambigu-Comique on the Boulevard du Temple, under Frédérick Lemaître it became a noted venue ...

, as well as, after a serious illness, triumphing as René Belamour in Suppé’s ''Juanita''. At the

Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens The Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens () is a Parisian theatre founded in 1855 by the composer Jacques Offenbach for the performance of opéra bouffe and operetta. The current theatre is located in the 2nd arrondissement at 4 rue Monsigny with an ...

(from 1887), where her mother had taken over the management, she gave first performances in several other operettas. Ugalde toured Belgium in 1888 and 1889 before returning to the Nouveautés as Jovaline in ''Le Royaume des Femmes'' (28 February 1889). At the Théâtre du Gymnase, she created Colinette in the comic play ''L'art de tromper les femmes'' (7 October 1890), following this with Koudjé in ''Mon oncle Barbassou'' (6 November 1891). In the vaudeville operetta ''Vingt-huit jours de Clairette'' she sang the title role (Folies-Dramatiques, 3 May 1892) and also appeared in a revival of ''Juanita''. Further successes at 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 ...

followed (Fragoletto in ''Les brigands'', 1893) and as Joseph in ''Gamin de Paris'' at the Théâtre des Nations. She played Nicole in ''

Le bourgeois gentilhomme ''Le Bourgeois gentilhomme'' (, translated as ''The Bourgeois Gentleman'', ''The Middle-Class Aristocrat'', or ''The Would-Be Noble'') is a five-act ''comédie-ballet'' – a Play (theatre), play intermingled with music, dance and singing – wri ...

'' (1904) and Toinette in ''

Le malade imaginaire ''The Imaginary Invalid'', ''The Hypochondriac'', or ''The Would-Be Invalid'' ( French title ''Le Malade imaginaire'', ) is a three- act ''comédie-ballet'' by the French playwright Molière with dance sequences and musical interludes (H.495, H. ...

'' (1905) in productions of Molière at the Gaité. In 1908 she played Mme Brémont in ''Le Jouet'' at the Théâtre Femina.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ugalde, Marguerite French stage actresses French operatic mezzo-sopranos French operatic sopranos 1862 births 1940 deaths 19th-century French actresses Burials at Montmartre Cemetery 20th-century French actresses 19th-century French women opera singers