Noémie Pérugia (7 November 1903 – 25 March 1992) was a French soprano.

Early life

Noémie Pérugia was born on 7 November, 1903, in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million

Career

Of Italian roots, Pérugia made her debut in

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...

's ''

Requiem A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is ...

'' in 1936 and in 1938, she won the ''Concours international Gabriel Fauré'' (Gabriel Fauré International Competition) and became the preferred interpreter of

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers. ...

's melodies throughout the world: Paris, United States, Netherlands. In 1941 she recorded '' Le jardin clos'' a song cycle based on a poem by Charles van Lerberghe: At the end of the 1930s, she corresponded with

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher, conductor and composer. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organis ...

, French composer, conductor, and teacher, and was directed by her, often with Hugues Cuénod as a tenor: * On April 26, 1939, she was the soloist soprano at Sanders Theater, Harvard University. * On April 16, 1939, she was the soloist soprano at Dumbarton Oaks. In September 1941, in Paris,

Arthur Honegger Arthur Honegger (; 10 March 1892 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss-French composer who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. Honegger was a member of Les Six. For Halbreich, '' Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher'' is "more even ...

dedicated to Pérugia the cycle ''Saluste du Bartas'', performed on March 21, 1942, by the same Pérugia, who created the cycle, accompanied by

Irène Aïtoff Irène Aïtoff (30 July 1904 – 5 June 2006) was a French pianist and vocal coach. Biography Born in Saint-Cast-le-Guildo, Saint-Cast (Côtes-d'Armor), Aïtoff was admitted in the Conservatoire de Paris after having been introduced to Alfred ...

, at

Salle Gaveau The Salle Gaveau, named after the French piano maker Gaveau, is a classical concert hall in Paris, located at 45-47 rue La Boétie, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It is particularly intended for chamber music. Construction The plans for t ...

, Paris. On May 1, 1942 Jacques Leguerney dedicated to Pérugia a song, performed on November 13, 1943, by the same Pérugia accompanied by Irène Aïtoff, at Salle Gaveau, Paris. After the

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, she devoted herself to the teaching and promotion of music: she taught at the

École Normale de Musique de Paris The École Normale de Musique de Paris "Alfred Cortot" (ENMP) is a leading conservatoire located in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. The school was founded in 1919 by Auguste Mangeot and Alfred Cortot. The term ''école normale'' (English: no ...

, at the Académie Long-Thibaud and at the

Schola Cantorum de Paris The Schola Cantorum de Paris ( being ) is a private conservatory in Paris. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Bordes, Alexandre Guilmant and Vincent d'Indy as a counterbalance to the Paris Conservatoire's emphasis on opera. History The Schola ...

. She was a frequent lecturer in many conservatories around the world, working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: London, Amsterdam, Rome, Buenos Aires, and many more. She founded the ''Concours international d'interprétation et d'accompagnement'' (International Competition for Interpretation and Accompaniment) in Paris and Netherlands and the ''Académie de Chant et d'Art Lyrique'' (School of Voice and Lyric Arts), both of which bear her name. In Amsterdam, she founded the ''Concours Gabriel Fauré'' (Gabriel Fauré Competition). In 1948 she was accompanied regularly by the pianist and composer Henriëtte Bosmans (1895–1952) with whom she formed a duo. Bosmans dedicates eleven of her melodies to Pérugia, on texts by Paul Faure. Bosmans was

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

and

Peter Pears Sir Peter Neville Luard Pears ( ; 22 June 19103 April 1986) was an English tenor. His career was closely associated with the composer Benjamin Britten, his personal and professional partner for nearly forty years. Pears' musical career started ...

's good friend, and they called her "Jetty"; in March 1942, Pears writes to Britten: In 1951 the composer Maurice Thiriet dedicated to Pérugia ''Fleurs'' (Flowers), 6 poems which he put in music according to the texts of Blanche Pierre-Biez. Noémie Pérugia sang them for the first time on May 24, 1951, accompanied on the piano by Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur. On November 28, 1953 she sang for the first time on a French Radio two songs by

Charles Koechlin Charles-Louis-Eugène Koechlin (; 27 November 186731 December 1950), commonly known as Charles Koechlin, was a French composer, teacher and musicologist. Among his better known works is '' Les Heures persanes'', a set of piano pieces based on th ...

, from Opera 68: ''Deux mélodies for Soprano'', ''Hymne à Vénus'' (Villiers de l'Isle-Adam) and ''Dissolution'' (

Paul Claudel Paul Claudel (; 6 August 1868 – 23 February 1955) was a French poet, dramatist and diplomat, and the younger brother of the sculptor Camille Claudel. He was most famous for his verse dramas, which often convey his devout Catholicism. Early lif ...

, from ''La connaissance de l'est'').

Death

Noémie Pérugia died on 25 March, 1992, at

Franeker Franeker (; ) is one of the eleven historical City rights in the Low Countries, cities of Friesland and capital of the municipality of Waadhoeke. It is located north of the Van Harinxmakanaal and about west of Leeuwarden. As of 2023, it had 13,0 ...

, Netherlands.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pérugia, Noémie 1903 births 1992 deaths French operatic sopranos Musicians from Nice 20th-century French women opera singers Academic staff of the École Normale de Musique de Paris