Marie-Anne-Catherine Quinault
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Marie-Anne-Catherine Quinault (26 August 1695 – 1793) (known as Mademoiselle Quinault , the elder) was a French singer and composer. Quinault was born in
Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
. Her father was the actor (1656–1728), and one of her brothers was Jean-Baptiste-Maurice Quinault, a singer, composer, and actor. She made her debut at 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 ...
in 1709 in
Jean-Baptiste Lully Jean-Baptiste Lully ( , , ; born Giovanni Battista Lulli, ; – 22 March 1687) was an Italian-born French composer, guitarist, violinist, and dancer who is considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Best known for his operas, he ...
's '' Bellérophon''. She remained at the opera until 1713. In 1714 she began singing at the
Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...
, where she remained until 1722 Quinault composed
motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Margar ...
s for the Royal Chapel at the
Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...
. For one of these motets, thanks to the benevolence of the
Duke of Orléans Duke of Orléans (french: Duc d'Orléans) was a French royal title usually granted by the King of France to one of his close relatives (usually a younger brother or son), or otherwise inherited through the male line. First created in 1344 by King ...
, she was awarded the first and last ''grand cordon'' of the
Order of Saint Michael , status = Abolished by decree of Louis XVI on 20 June 1790Reestablished by Louis XVIII on 16 November 1816Abolished in 1830 after the July RevolutionRecognised as a dynastic order of chivalry by the ICOC , founder = Louis XI of France , h ...
ever given to a woman She was the mistress first of
Louis Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis ( ...
, the Duke of Orléans, and later of
Philippe Jules François Mancini Philippe Jules François Mancini, 9th Duke of Nevers (Paris, 1676 – Paris, 1768) was a French aristocrat and member of the Mancini family. Early life He was born as the son of Philippe Jules Mancini, 8th Duke of Nevers and Diane Gabrielle D ...
, the
Duke of Nevers The counts of Nevers were the rulers of the County of Nevers, which became a French Duchy of Nivernais, duchy in 1539, with the rulers of the duchy calling themselves Duke, dukes. History The history of the County of Nevers is closely connected ...
, to whom she may have secretly been married. This brought her into higher social spheres and earned her a pension on the King's
privy purse The Privy Purse is the British Sovereign's private income, mostly from the Duchy of Lancaster. This amounted to £20.1 million in net income for the year to 31 March 2018. Overview The Duchy is a landed estate of approximately 46,000 acres (200 ...
. From 1723 until 1793 she lived in an apartment in the
Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
, at the Pavilion de L'Infante. She died in Paris in 1793.


References


Sources

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Further reading

*Lamothe-Langon, Etienne-Léon. 1836. ''Mémoires de Mademoiselle Quinault ainée (de la Comédie-Française), duchesse de Nevers, Chevaliére de l'ordre royal de Saint-Michel, de 1715 à 1793'', 2 vols. Paris: Ch. Allardin. *Scott, Virginia. ''Women on the Stage in Early Modern France: 1540–1750''. Cambridge University Press, 2010. French women classical composers French Baroque composers 18th-century French women opera singers Musicians from Strasbourg 1695 births 1791 deaths 18th-century classical composers 18th-century French composers 18th-century women composers {{France-composer-stub