Marie-Thérèse Laruette (1744 –1837) was a French opera singer and playwright from Paris. She was a member of the troupe of the

Comédie-Italienne Comédie-Italienne () or Théâtre-Italien () are French names which have been used to refer to Italian-language theatre and opera when performed in France. The earliest recorded visits by Italian players were ''commedia dell'arte'' companies ...

, with which the

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...

was merged in 1762.

Biography

She was born Marie-Thérèse Vilette, the daughter of a master Parisian tailor who lived in Paris near the

Opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

and the Comédie-Italienne theaters. After noticing that his daughter was "addicted to the theater", her father took steps to make sure she acquired the education she would need to pursue an operatic career. At 14 years of age, Marie-Thérèse sang soprano for the first time at the Opéra-Comique. She made her professional debut at 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 kn ...

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the starting point of modern zoologic ...

before moving to the Comédie-Italienne in 1761. There she performed operas by Monsigny and Grétry, in particular '' Le déserteur'', in which she created the leading role of Louise, in

1767 Events January–March * January 1 – The first annual volume of ''The Nautical Almanac and Astronomical Ephemeris'', produced by British Astronomer Royal Nevil Maskelyne at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, gives navigators the ...

. At 17 years of age, she married, Jean-Louis Laruette (1731–1792), who was a singer and a composer in the Comédie-Italienne. Although she began her career as a beginner, over her years at with the company, her fame eclipsed the less brilliant career of her spouse who was eventually given supporting roles to play. According to Legrande, "Marie-Thérèse Laruette was credited with having oriented the style of the heroines of comic-opera towards more sensitivity and decency, especially in the 1770s." Marie-Thérèse Laruette retired from the theater at the age of 33, apparently due to poor health because of the rigorous work schedule requiring her to perform often during extremely heavy theatrical seasons. She died at 93.

Selected works

Laruette sang in numerous operas, including the following. *

1765 Events January–March * January 23 – Prince Joseph of Austria marries Princess Maria Josepha of Bavaria in Vienna. * January 29 – One week before his death, Mir Jafar, who had been enthroned as the Nawab of Bengal and ...

: '' La fée Urgèle'' *1765: ''

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

'' *1765: '' L'école de la jeunesse'' *

: '' Le Huron'' *1767: '' Le déserteur'' *

1769 Events January–March * February 2 – Pope Clement XIII dies, the night before preparing an order to dissolve the Jesuits.Denis De Lucca, ''Jesuits and Fortifications: The Contribution of the Jesuits to Military Architecture ...

: '' Le tableau parlant'' *

1771 Events January– March * January 5 – The Great Kalmyk (Torghut) Migration is led by Ubashi Khan, from the east bank of the Lower Volga River back to the homeland of Dzungaria, at this time under Qing dynasty rule. * January ...

: '' Zémire et Azor''

References

Bibliography

* Raphaelle Legrand, ''Personnes et personnages à l'Opéra-Comique de 1762 à 1786 : Marie-Thérèse Laruette et Marie-Jeanne Trial'', actes du colloque « L'Opéra-comique à l'époque de Boieldieu », Rouen, March 2001

Iconography

Jean-Baptiste Perronneau Jean-Baptiste Perronneau (; c. 1716 – 19 November 1783) was a French art, French Rococo painting, Rococo painter and draughtsman, best known for his portrait pastels. Biography Perronneau was born in Paris. His exact date of birth is un ...

, ''Portrait de femme: Marie-Thérèse de Villette, femme Laruette'' (54x43 cm) in ''Cent pastels du XVIIIe'' (Henry Michel-Lévy's collection), (p. 404) {{DEFAULTSORT:Laruette, Marie-Therese French operatic sopranos 1744 births 1837 deaths 18th-century French women opera singers Singers from Paris