Rosine Stoltz (born Victoire or Victorine Noël) (13 January 1815 – 30 July 1903) 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 ...
. A prominent member of 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 ...
, she created many leading roles there including Ascanio in
Berlioz's ''
Benvenuto Cellini'', Marguerite in
Auber's ''
Le lac des fées'', the title role in ''
Marie Stuart'', and two
Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the ''bel canto'' opera style duri ...
heroines, Léonor 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 ...
'' and Zayda in ''
Dom Sébastien
''Dom Sébastien, Roi de Portugal'' (''Don Sebastian, King of Portugal'') is a French grand opera in five acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe, based on Paul Foucher's play ''Don Sébastien de Portugal'' which pre ...
''.
Early life and training
Stoltz was born Victoire Noël on the
boulevard du Montparnasse
The Boulevard du Montparnasse is a two-way boulevard in Montparnasse, in the 6th, 14th and 15th arrondissements in Paris.
Situation
The boulevard joins the place Léon Paul Fargue and place Camille Jullian. The Tour Montparnasse and plac ...
in Paris, the daughter of the
concierge
A concierge () is an employee of a multi-tenant building, such as a hotel or apartment building, who receives guests. The concept has been applied more generally to other hospitality settings and to personal concierges who manage the errands of ...
s Florentin Noël and Clara Stoll. She received her first vocal training as a pensionnaire at the École Royale de Chant et Déclamation directed by
Alexandre-Étienne Choron
Alexandre-Étienne Choron (21 October 1771 – 29 June 1834) was a French musicologist. For a short time he directed the Paris Opera. He made a distinction between sacred and secular music and was one of the originators of French interest in mu ...
.
Early career
Just short of her sixteenth birthday she left Choron's school to travel in the
Low Countries
The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...
under the name of Mlle Ternaux. Her principal biographer Gustave Bord speculates that she had run away from the school with the son of the famous merchant of shawls on the
Place des Victoires
The Place des Victoires is a circular ''place'' in Paris, located a short distance northeast from the Palais Royal and straddling the border between the 1st and the 2nd arrondissements. The Place des Victoires is at the confluence of six streets ...
, Monsieur Ternaux. In Brussels, after having performed in the chorus of the
Théâtre de la Monnaie
The Royal Theatre of La Monnaie (french: Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, italic=no, ; nl, Koninklijke Muntschouwburg, italic=no; both translating as the "Royal Theatre of the Mint") is an opera house in central Brussels, Belgium. The National O ...
, she made a tentative and unsuccessful attempt at performing in
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
. In 1831 she was engaged as second female vocalist with the opera in
Spa
A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...
, before appearing in
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, and
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
under the name Mlle Héloïse.
[Tamvaco 2000, p. 1074.]
For the 1832–1833 season, she appeared in secondary roles at the Monnaie under the name of Mlle Ternaux, and in 1833–1834 was heard in
Lille
Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...
in Rossini's operas ''
Il barbiere di Siviglia
''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( it, Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ) is an ''opera buffa'' in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was base ...
'', ''
Tancredi
''Tancredi'' is a ''melodramma eroico'' ('' opera seria'' or heroic opera) in two acts by composer Gioachino Rossini and librettist Gaetano Rossi (who was also to write ''Semiramide'' ten years later), based on Voltaire's play ''Tancrède'' (176 ...
'', and ''
Otello
''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play ''Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 5 February 1887.
Th ...
'', performing in Italian. It was during this period that she began her rivalry with the
soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...
Julie Dorus-Gras
Julie Dorus-Gras (born Valenciennes 7 September 1805 – 6 February 1896) was a Belgian operatic soprano.
Early life and training
She was born Julie-Aimée-Josèphe Van Steenkiste,Forbes, Elizabeth. "Dorus-Gras (née Van Steenkiste), Julie( ...
, who had come to Lille to sing Alice in Meyerbeer's ''
Robert le diable
''Robert le diable'' (''Robert the Devil'') is an opera in five acts composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer between 1827 and 1831, to a libretto written by Eugène Scribe and Germain Delavigne. ''Robert le diable'' is regarded as one of the first grand o ...
''. After Dorus-Gras' departure, Stoltz wanted to sing Alice, but the management offered it instead to the house soprano, Mme Léon. However, by the end of 1834 Stoltz appeared as Alice at the theatre in Antwerp, and also sang there as Gertrude in Paer's ''
Le maître de chapelle''.
[
In 1835 Stoltz was again engaged at the Monnaie to sing secondary roles, and leading roles when needed, and opened the 1835–1836 season on 5 May 1835, under the name Mme Stoltz (inspired by her mother's maiden name), in the role of Alice in ''Robert le diable''. On 23 December she sang Rachel in the Brussels's premiere of Halévy's '' La Juive'', the success of which equaled that of ''Robert le diable'' in the same house on 10 October 1833. She also appeared as Petit-Jacques in Rossini's '' La pie voleuse'' (''The Thieving Magpie'') on 14 May 1835 and as Marguerite in Hérold's '']Le pré aux clercs
''Le pré aux clercs'' (''The Clerks' Meadow'') is an opéra comique in three acts by Ferdinand Hérold with a libretto by François-Antoine-Eugène de Planard based on Prosper Mérimée's ''Chronique du temps de Charles IX'' of 1829.Pougin A. ...
'' on 15 May.
In the 1836–1837 season she came to the attention of the leading tenor from the Paris Opera, Adolphe Nourrit
Adolphe Nourrit (3 March 1802 – 8 March 1839) was a French operatic tenor, librettist, and composer. One of the most esteemed opera singers of the 1820s and 1830s, he was particularly associated with the works of Gioachino Rossini and Giacomo ...
, who returned to the Monnaie in June to appear in ''Robert le diable'', followed by Auber's '' Gustave III'' and '' La muette'', Rossini's ''Guillaume Tell
''William Tell'' (french: Guillaume Tell, link=no; it, Guglielmo Tell, link=no) is a French-language opera in four acts by Italian composer Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Victor-Joseph Étienne de Jouy and L. F. Bis, based on Friedrich Sc ...
'', Boieldieu's ''La dame blanche
''La dame blanche'' ( English: ''The White Lady'') is an opéra comique in three acts by the French composer François-Adrien Boieldieu. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe and is based on episodes from no fewer than five works of the Sc ...
'', Halévy's ''La Juive'', and Gaveaux's ''Le bouffe et le tailleur'' (in which Nourrit sang the role of Cavatini and Stoltz, Célestine). Impressed by her talent, Nourrit encouraged her and promised to arrange for her debut at the Paris Opera. This was delayed, however, since Stoltz disappeared so abruptly and completely, that many believed she might have died. It was later learned that on 2 March 1837 she had married Alphonse Lescuyer, director of the Monnaie, having given birth to his son, also named Alphonse, on 21 September 1836 in Brussels.
Paris Opera
Stoltz finally made her debut at the Paris Opera on 25 August 1837 in ''La Juive'', partnered not by Nourrit, with whom she would never again appear, but with his rival Gilbert Duprez. Despite her stage fright, which she was unable to control, she was well received. After a subsequent performance, it was recognized that she possessed a pure voice with a fine timbre
In music, timbre ( ), also known as tone color or tone quality (from psychoacoustics), is the perceived sound quality of a musical note, sound or musical tone, tone. Timbre distinguishes different types of sound production, such as choir voice ...
and a remarkable range
Range may refer to:
Geography
* Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra)
** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands
* Range, a term used to i ...
. She was praised for the beauty of her tones in the contralto
A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type.
The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typica ...
range and compared to one of the Opera's leading sopranos, Cornélie Falcon
Cornélie Falcon (28 January 1814 – 25 February 1897) was a French soprano who sang at the Opéra in Paris. Her greatest success was creating the role of Valentine in Meyerbeer's '' Les Huguenots''. She possessed "a full, resonant voice"Warra ...
. On 6 September Stoltz appeared as Valentine in Meyerbeer's ''Les Huguenots
() is an opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer and is one of the most popular and spectacular examples of grand opera. In five acts, to a libretto by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps, it premiered in Paris on 29 February 1836.
Composition history
...
'', the other role for which Falcon was most renowned. Falcon was suffering recurrent vocal difficulties after losing her voice during a performance of Niedermeyer's '' Stradella'' in March 1837, and she withdrew from further performances at the Opera for an extended period after an appearance as Valentine on 15 January 1838. Stoltz's first creation at the Opera was Ricciarda in Halévy's '' Guido et Ginevra'' on 5 March 1838.
Eventually Stoltz's place of prominence at the Paris Opera was influenced by her relationship with the director, Léon Pillet Léon Pillet (6 December 1803 – 20 March 1868),Huebner 1992. was a 19th-century French journalist, civil servant, and director of the Paris Opera from 1840 to 1847. A political appointee, he was probably the least successful director of the Paris ...
. Pillet refused to mount an opera without a role for his mistress; this was one reason for the long-delayed première of Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer (born Jakob Liebmann Beer; 5 September 1791 – 2 May 1864) was a German opera composer, "the most frequently performed opera composer during the nineteenth century, linking Mozart and Wagner". With his 1831 opera ''Robert le d ...
's opera ''Le prophète
''Le prophète'' (''The Prophet'') is a grand opera in five acts by Giacomo Meyerbeer, which was premiered in Paris on 16 April 1849. The French-language libretto was by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps, after passages from the ''Essay on the ...
'', as the composer, who could not abide Stoltz, insisted on Pauline Viardot
Pauline Viardot (; 18 July 1821 – 18 May 1910) was a nineteenth-century French mezzo-soprano, pedagogue and composer of Spanish descent.
Born Michelle Ferdinande Pauline García, her name appears in various forms. When it is not simply "Pauli ...
for the role of Fidès. In view of the circumstances, Donizetti decided to abandon his original project for the Opéra, ''Le duc d'Albe
''Le duc d'Albe'' (its original French title) or ''Il duca d'Alba'' (its later Italian title) is an opera in three acts originally composed by Gaetano Donizetti in 1839 to a French language libretto by Eugène Scribe and Charles Duveyrier. Its ...
'', and instead composed ''La favorite'' with the role of Léonor perfectly suited for Stoltz.
Later career and life
Stoltz resigned from the Opera in 1847 in a scandal over her relationship with Pillet. She may have had a child with Pillet, as they traveled Le Havre for a time due to her "indisposition". She later married Manuel de Godoy di Bassano, 3rd Prince de Godoy di Bassano, and was the longtime mistress of Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Ernest II (german: Ernst August Karl Johann Leopold Alexander Eduard, link=no; 21 June 181822 August 1893) was Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 29 January 1844 to his death in 1893. He was born in Coburg to Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfel ...
, who offered her the Castle of Ketschendorf.
Stoltz died in Paris, the city of her birth, aged 88.
List of roles created at the Paris Opera
This list is based on Pitou, unless otherwise noted.[Pitou 1990, pp. 1265–1266.]
* Ricciarda in Halévy's '' Guido et Ginevra'' on 5 March 1838
* Ascanio in Berlioz's '' Benvenuto Cellini'' on 3 September 1838
* Marguerite in Auber's '' Le lac des fées'' on 1 April 1839
* Lazarillo in ''La xacarilla'' on 28 October 1839
* Loyse in Bazin Bazin may refer to
Places
*Bazin, Zanjan, a village in Iran
*Gazan Bazin, Hormozgan, a village in Iran
*Kingdom of Bazin, a medieval Beja polity
*Bazin, Hungarian name of Pezinok, in Slovakia
Other
*Bazin (surname) Bazin is a French surname of Ger ...
's cantata ''Loyse de Montfort'' on 7 October 1840
* Léonor in Donizetti's ''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 ...
'' on 2 December 1840
* Agathe in Weber's ''Le freischütz'' (French adaptation of ''Der Freischütz
' ( J. 277, Op. 77 ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is a German opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind, based on a story by Johann August Apel and Friedrich Laun from their 181 ...
'') on 7 June 1841
* Catarina in Halévy's ''La reine de Chypre
''La reine de Chypre'' (''The Queen of Cyprus'') is an 1841 grand opera in five acts composed by Fromental Halévy to a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges.
Performance history
''La reine de Chypre'', first performed at the Salle Le ...
'' on 22 December 1841
* Odette in Halévy's '' Charles VI'' on 15 March 1843
* Zayda in Donizetti's '' Dom Sébastien, roi de Portugal'' on 13 November 1843
* Beppo in Halévy's '' Le lazzarone'' on 29 March 1844
* Desdémone in Rossini's ''Othello'' (French adaptation of ''Otello
''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play ''Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 5 February 1887.
Th ...
'') on 2 September 1844
* Marie Stuart in Niedermeyer's '' Marie Stuart'' on 6 December 1844
* Estrelle in Balfe's '' L'étoile de Séville'' on 17 December 1845
* David in Mermet's ''David'' on 3 June 1846
* Marie in the Rossini pastiche ''Robert Bruce
Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventuall ...
'' on 30 December 1846
References
Notes
Cited sources
* (1909)
''Rosina Stoltz''
Henri Daragon, 1909
* Gossett, Philip (2006). ''Divas and Scholars: Performing Italian Opera''. University of Chicago Press.
* Jordan, Ruth (1994). ''Fromental Halévy: His Life & Music, 1799–1862''. London: Kahn & Averill. .
* Kutsch, K. J.
Karl-Josef Kutsch, also known as K. J. Kutsch, (born 11 May 1924) is a German physician and co-author with Leo Riemens of the ''Großes Sängerlexikon'', the standard reference for opera singers.
Life and work
Born in Gangelt, Kutsch studied me ...
; Riemens, Leo
Leonardus Antony Marinus Riemens (3 December 1910 – 3 April 1985) was a Dutch musicologist and cultural journalist. He wrote a book about Maria Callas, and together with Karl-Josef Kutsch began a reference book about opera singers in 1962, which ...
(2003). ''Großes Sängerlexikon
''Großes Sängerlexikon'' (''Biographical Dictionary of Singers'', literally: Large singers' lexicon) is a single-field dictionary of singers in classical music, edited by Karl-Josef Kutsch and Leo Riemens and first published in 1987. The first ...
'' (fourth edition, in German). Munich: K. G. Saur. .
* Pitou, Spire (1990). ''The Paris Opéra: An Encyclopedia of Operas, Ballets, Composers, and Performers. Growth and Grandeur, 1815–1914''. New York: Greenwood Press. .
* Pougin, Arthur
Arthur Pougin ( 6 August 1834 – 8 August 1921) was a French musical and dramatic critic and writer. He was born at Châteauroux (Indre) and studied music at the Conservatoire de Paris under Jean Delphin Alard, Alard (violin) and Napoléon Henri ...
(2 August 1903)
"Rosine Stoltz"
''Le Ménestrel
''Le Ménestrel'' (The Minstrel) was an influential French music journal published weekly from 1833 until 1940. It was founded by Joseph-Hippolyte l'Henry and originally printed by Poussièlgue. In 1840 it was acquired by the music publishers Heug ...
''. Retrieved online via the Bibliothèque nationale de France 11 May 2013 .
* Randel, Don Michael (1996). ''The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. .
* Robinson, Philip E. J.; Walton, Benjamin (2001). "Falcon, (Marie) Cornélie", in ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and theo ...
'', 2nd edition edited by Stanley Sadie
Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was an influential and prolific British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), which was publ ...
. London: Macmillan. (hardcover). (eBook).
* Smart, Mary Ann (2003)
"Roles, reputations, shadows: Singers at the Opéra"
in David Charlton (ed.), '' The Cambridge Companion to Grand Opera'', 108–130. Cambridge University Press.
* Smart, Mary Ann (2008)
"Stoltz, Rosine (Noël, Victoire)"
in Laura Williams Macy (ed), ''The Grove Book of Opera Singers'', pp. 467–468. Oxford University Press
* (2000). ''Les Cancans de l'Opéra. Chroniques de l'Académie Royale de Musique et du théâtre, à Paris sous les deux restorations'' (2 volumes, in French). Paris: CNRS Editions.
Other sources
*
* Smart, Mary Ann (1994). "The Lost Voice of Rosine Stoltz", ''Cambridge Opera Journal'', vol. 6, no. 1 (March 1994), pp. 31–50
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stoltz, Rosine
1815 births
1903 deaths
Singers from Paris
French operatic mezzo-sopranos
19th-century French women opera singers