Jeanne-Anaïs Castellan (real name Jeanne Anaïs Castel or Chastel), born in

Beaujeu, Rhône Beaujeu ( frp, Biôjor) is a commune of the Rhône department in eastern France. It lies between Mâcon and Lyon. Beaujeu gives its name to the famous wine region of Beaujolais (''Biôjolês''), a former province of France of which it is the ...

on 26 October 1819, died in Paris 1861, was a French soprano. She is most notable for creating the part of Berthe in ''

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 ...

'' by

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 ...

Training and career

Jeanne-Anaïs Castellan entered the

Paris Conservatoire The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

aged only twelve and studied there for six years, as a pupil of Laure Cinti-Damoreau and others. Upon completing her studies at the Conservatoire in 1836, she won first prize in singing. She began her career in Italy, singing in Rome, Milan and Florence among other cities, where she met and married the Italian tenor Emilio Giampietro. Castellan enjoyed an international career, singing in Cuba, the United States, England and Russia. In the Italian premiere of 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 ...

'' she sang the role of Isabelle, with Jenny Lind as Alice. This production was attended by the composer, who brought her to Paris to create the leading role of Berthe in his sensationally successful opera ''Le prophète'' at the Paris Opera. She had further engagements at the Opera and the Théâtre-Italien and was the soprano soloist in Mozart's Requiem, performed at Chopin's funeral in Paris. She sang frequently in Portugal and England as well as France. Jeanne-Anaïs Castellan apparently retired from the stage in 1858 and lived in retirement until her death three years later.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castellan, Jeanne-Anaïs 1819 births 1861 deaths French operatic sopranos 19th-century French women opera singers Conservatoire de Paris alumni People from Villefranche-sur-Saône