Julie Dorus-Gras
Encyclopedia
Julie Dorus-Gras was a Belgian opera
tic soprano
.
. She first studied with her father and began performing as a child, eventually becoming so well-known as a vocalist that she received a municipal scholarship which enabled her to continue her studies in Paris. She was admitted to the Paris Conservatoire in 1821 and studied singing in the class conducted by Blangini and Henri. Later she received additional vocal training from Bordogni
and Paer
.
. Her concert was so successful, that Count de Liederkerke offered her a contract to sing operatic roles. Although she had not previously considered performing in dramatic works, she agreed, as Cassel would coach her for six months to prepare her for singing and acting on stage. She made her debut in 1825 at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels. In 1829 she performed Elvire in the first Brussels performance of Auber's La muette de Portici
and repeated the role in the notorious performance of 25 August 1830 which precipitated the Belgian Revolution
.
The increasing political unrest in Belgium caused her to decide to return to Paris. She was engaged by the Paris Opera
and first performed there as the Countess in Rossini's Le comte Ory
on 9 November 1830. Later she created roles in the world premieres of several notable opera
s, including Alice in Giacomo Meyerbeer
's Robert le diable
on 21 November 1831, Oscar in Daniel Auber
's Gustave III, Pauline in Gaetano Donizetti
's Les Martyrs (the French version of Poliuto
), Princess Eudoxie in Fromental Halévy
's La Juive
, Ginevra in Halévy's Guido et Ginevra
, Marguerite de Valois in Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots
, and Teresa in Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini
.
Dorus acquired the name Gras in 1833 when she married one of the leading violinists in the orchestra of the Paris Opera. She died in Paris.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
.
Early life and training
She was born Julie-Aimée-Josèphe Van Steenkiste, the daughter of an ex-soldier who was the leader of the theatre orchestra in her native city ValenciennesValenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
. She first studied with her father and began performing as a child, eventually becoming so well-known as a vocalist that she received a municipal scholarship which enabled her to continue her studies in Paris. She was admitted to the Paris Conservatoire in 1821 and studied singing in the class conducted by Blangini and Henri. Later she received additional vocal training from Bordogni
Marco Bordogni
Giulio Marco Bordogni , usually called Marco Bordogni, was an Italian operatic tenor and singing teacher of great popularity and success, whose mature career was based in Paris.-Biography:...
and Paer
Ferdinando Paer
-Biography:Paer was born at Parma. His father was a trumpeter with the Ducal Bodyguards and also performed at church and court events. His name, Ferdinando, was after Duke Ferdinand of Parma and was given to him by Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria, Duke Ferdinand's wife...
.
Career
To begin her career she made a concert tour which took her to BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. Her concert was so successful, that Count de Liederkerke offered her a contract to sing operatic roles. Although she had not previously considered performing in dramatic works, she agreed, as Cassel would coach her for six months to prepare her for singing and acting on stage. She made her debut in 1825 at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels. In 1829 she performed Elvire in the first Brussels performance of Auber's La muette de Portici
La muette de Portici
La muette de Portici originally called Masaniello, ou La muette de Portici, is an opera in five acts by Daniel Auber, with a libretto by Germain Delavigne, revised by Eugène Scribe...
and repeated the role in the notorious performance of 25 August 1830 which precipitated the Belgian Revolution
Belgian Revolution
The Belgian Revolution was the conflict which led to the secession of the Southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and established an independent Kingdom of Belgium....
.
The increasing political unrest in Belgium caused her to decide to return to Paris. She was engaged by the Paris Opera
Paris Opera
The Paris Opera is the primary opera company of Paris, France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the Académie d'Opéra and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and renamed the Académie Royale de Musique...
and first performed there as the Countess in Rossini's Le comte Ory
Le comte Ory
Le comte Ory is an opéra written by Gioachino Rossini in 1828. Some of the music originates from his opera Il viaggio a Reims written three years earlier for the coronation of Charles X...
on 9 November 1830. Later she created roles in the world premieres of several notable opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
s, including Alice in Giacomo Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer was a noted German opera composer, and the first great exponent of "grand opera." At his peak in the 1830s and 1840s, he was the most famous and successful composer of opera in Europe, yet he is rarely performed today.-Early years:He was born to a Jewish family in Tasdorf , near...
's Robert le diable
Robert le diable
Robert le diable may refer to:* Robert le diable by Giacomo Meyerbeer* Robert the Devil, a medieval legend...
on 21 November 1831, Oscar in Daniel Auber
Daniel Auber
Daniel François Esprit Auber was a French composer.-Biography:The son of a Paris print-seller, Auber was born in Caen in Normandy. Though his father expected him to continue in the print-selling business, he also allowed his son to learn how to play several musical instruments...
's Gustave III, Pauline in Gaetano Donizetti
Gaetano Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. His best-known works are the operas L'elisir d'amore , Lucia di Lammermoor , and Don Pasquale , all in Italian, and the French operas La favorite and La fille du régiment...
's Les Martyrs (the French version of Poliuto
Poliuto
Poliuto is a tragedia lirica, or tragic opera, by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian libretto after Pierre Corneille's play Polyeucte . It was composed in 1838 and first performed on 30 November 1848 at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples...
), Princess Eudoxie in Fromental Halévy
Fromental Halévy
Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy , was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera La Juive.-Early career:...
's La Juive
La Juive
La Juive is a grand opera in five acts by Fromental Halévy to an original French libretto by Eugène Scribe; it was first performed at the Opéra, Paris, on February 23, 1835.-Composition history:...
, Ginevra in Halévy's Guido et Ginevra
Guido et Ginevra
Guido et Ginevra, ou La Peste de Florence is a grand opera in five acts by Fromental Halévy to a libretto by Eugène Scribe...
, Marguerite de Valois in Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots
Les Huguenots
Les Huguenots is a French opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer, one of the most popular and spectacular examples of the style of grand opera. The opera is in five acts and premiered in Paris in 1836. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps....
, and Teresa in Berlioz's Benvenuto Cellini
Benvenuto Cellini (opera)
Benvenuto Cellini is an opera in two acts with music by Hector Berlioz and libretto by Léon de Wailly and Henri Auguste Barbier. It was the first of Berlioz's operas. The story is loosely based on the memoirs of the Florentine sculptor Benvenuto Cellini. The opera is technically very challenging...
.
Dorus acquired the name Gras in 1833 when she married one of the leading violinists in the orchestra of the Paris Opera. She died in Paris.
Sources
- Kuhn, Laura, editor (1992). Baker's Dictionary of Opera. New York: Schirmer Books. ISBN 9780028653495.
- Pitou, Spire (1990). The Paris Opéra: An Encyclopedia of Operas, Ballets, Composers, and Performers. Growth and Grandeur, 1815–1914. New York: Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313262180.
- Sadie, Stanley, editor (1992). The New Grove Dictionary of Opera (4 volumes). London: Macmillan. ISBN 9781561592289.
- Sadie, Stanley, editor; John Tyrell; executive editor (2001). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd edition. London: Macmillan. ISBN 9781561592395 (hardcover). (eBook).
- Warrack, John; West, Ewan (1992). The Oxford Dictionary of Opera. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198691648.