Célestine Galli-Marié

C̩lestine Galli-Mari̩ (; November 1840 Р22 September 1905) was a French mezzo-soprano, who is most famous for creating the title role in Georges Bizet's ''Carmen''.Wright, L. A. "Galli-Mari̩". In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London & New York, 1992.

Early life

She was born Marie-Célestine Laurence Marié de l'Isle in November 1840 in Paris. She was taught singing by her father, Mécène Marié de l'Isle, who also had a successful opera career. Her début came in 1859 in Strasbourg, and she sang in Italian in Lisbon.Curtiss, M. ''Bizet and his World.'' New York: Vienna House, 1974. At the age of fifteen she had married a sculptor named Galli (who died in 1861) and thus took her stage name, Galli-Marié.

Career

Émile Perrin, the director of the Opéra-Comique, heard her performing Balfe's ''The Bohemian Girl'' at Rouen and brought her to Paris. She sang at the Opéra-Comique until 1885, premiering in Pergolesi's ''La serva padrona''. Her most famous roles were in Thomas's ''Mignon'' (1866) and Bizet's ''Carmen'' (1875). It was said that at the 33rd performance of ''Carmen'' on 2 June 1875, Galli-Marié had a premonition of Bizet's death while singing the cards scene in Act III, and fainted when she left the stage; the composer in fact died that night and the next performance was cancelled due to her indisposition. Undertaking much touring, she performed Carmen in Brussels (16 January 1876), Naples (the Italian premiere), Genoa, Barcelona, Lyon, Liege and Dieppe before returning in the Opéra-Comique revival of the original production on 22 October 1883. In London she appeared at Her Majesty's Theatre in a touring production in 1886, and returned to the Opéra-Comique in 1890 to sing in a fundraising performance to erect a monument to Bizet (this was her final performance).

She also created the roles of Lazarille in Massenet's '' Don César de Bazan'', Offenbach's Vendredi in '' Robinson Crusoé'' and the title role in '' Fantasio''. She performed as Kaleel in Aimé Maillart's ''Lara'' and as Blandine in François-Auguste Gevaert's ''Le Capitaine Henriot''. She sang in Victor Massé's ''Fior d'Aliza'', 's ''La Petite Fadette'', and Ernest Guiraud's ''Piccolino''. She also appeared as Taven in Gounod's '' Mireille'' and Rose Friquet in Maillart's '' Les dragons de Villars''.Soubies, A. & Malherbe, C. ''Histoire de l'Opéra comique – La seconde salle Favart 1840–1887.'' Paris: Flammarion, 1893.Martin J. ''Nos artistes des theatres et concerts.'' Paul Ollendorff, Paris, 1895. Sometime in the late 1860s and early 1870s she and the composer Émile Paladilhe became lovers. Curtiss notes that she kept pet marmosets, and sometimes took them to rehearsal.

She died on 22 September 1905, in Vence, France.

Her voice was described as being of a good timbre, with clear diction and phrasing. A high mezzo-soprano voice was at one time referred to as "Galli-Marié". Galli-Marié roles are now sometimes sung by sopranos.

Family

Her sisters Irma and were also professional singers. Irma created roles in ''L'amour chanteur'' in 1864 and in '' Les bergers'' in 1865; she toured the US before returning to the Paris Opéra-Comique. Paola was prominent in operetta and created roles for Charles Lecocq, appearing a great deal in the US. Galli-Marié and Irma sang together in ''Madeleine'' at the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens in 1869.Gänzl, K. ''The Encyclopaedia of the Musical Theatre.'' Oxford: Blackwell, 1994.

Notes and references

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Galli-Marie, Celestine
1837 births
1905 deaths
19th-century French women opera singers
Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery
Singers from Paris
French operatic mezzo-sopranos