Laure Cinti-Damoreau
Encyclopedia
Laura Cinti-Damoreau was a French soprano
particularly associated with Rossini roles.
, and made her professional debut at the Théâtre-Italien in Paris, in Una cosa rara
by Vicente Martin y Soler
, later singing Cherubino and Zerlina.
After complementary studies with composer Gioachino Rossini, she sang in the Paris premiere of Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra
, and created Mosè in Egitto
(the French revision) and Il viaggio a Reims
.
She made her debut at the Paris Opera
in 1826, where she created roles in other Rossini operas such as; Le comte Ory
, Guillaume Tell, Le siège de Corinthe
, and also took part in the creation of notably; Auber
's La muette de Portici
and Le domino noir
, and Meyerbeer's Robert le diable
.
She taught at the Paris Conservatory from 1833 until 1856, and published a "Méthode de chant" in 1849, still available today as "Classic Bel Canto Technique".
She also produced a notable series of "notebooks" where she wrote down in music notation her own embelishments to key sections of many roles and arias she performed. These notebooks are currently kept at the Lilly Library
(Indiana University
) and are a major primary source for the study of bel-canto performance practice and Rossini scholarship.
She was married to tenor Vincent-Charles Damoreau (1793-1863) from 1828 until 1834, with whom she had a daughter, Maria Cinti-Damoreau, also a soprano, who married the librarian-composer Jean-Baptiste Weckerlin
.
She died in Chantilly
.
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...
particularly associated with Rossini roles.
Life and career
Born Laure-Cinthie Montalant in Paris, she studied in Paris with tenor Giulio Marco Bordogni and soprano Angelica CatalaniAngelica Catalani
Angelica Catalani was an Italian opera singer, the daughter of a tradesman.At Sinigaglia, she was educated at the convent of Santa Lucia at Gubbio, where her soprano voice soon became famous....
, and made her professional debut at the Théâtre-Italien in Paris, in Una cosa rara
Una cosa rara
Una cosa rara, ossia Bellezza ed onestà is an opera by the composer Vicente Martín y Soler. It takes the form of a dramma giocoso in two acts. The libretto, by Lorenzo da Ponte, is based on the play La luna de la sierra by Luis Vélez de Guevara. The opera was first performed at the Burgtheater,...
by Vicente Martin y Soler
Vicente Martín y Soler
Vicente Martín y Soler was a Spanish composer of opera and ballet. Although relatively obscure today, in his own day he was compared favorably with his contemporary, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as a composer of opera buffa. He has been called the Valencian Mozart.He was born in Valencia and studied...
, later singing Cherubino and Zerlina.
After complementary studies with composer Gioachino Rossini, she sang in the Paris premiere of Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra
Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra
Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra, is a dramma per musica or opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Giovanni Schmidt, from the play The Page of Leicester by Carlo Federici...
, and created Mosè in Egitto
Mosè in Egitto
Mosè in Egitto is a three-act opera written by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, which was based on a play by Francesco Ringhieri, L'Osiride, of 1760....
(the French revision) and Il viaggio a Reims
Il viaggio a Reims
Il viaggio a Reims, ossia L'albergo del giglio d'oro is an operatic dramma giocoso, originally performed in three acts, by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Balocchi, based in part on Corinne, ou L'Italie by Mme de Staël.Rossini's last opera in the Italian language Il viaggio a...
.
She made her debut at 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...
in 1826, where she created roles in other Rossini operas such as; 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...
, Guillaume Tell, Le siège de Corinthe
Le siège de Corinthe
Le siège de Corinthe is an opera in three acts by Gioachino Rossini to a French libretto by Luigi Balocchi and Alexandre Soumet, based on Maometto II by Cesare della Valle...
, and also took part in the creation of notably; 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 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 Le domino noir
Le domino noir
Le domino noir is an opéra comique by the French composer Daniel Auber, first performed on 2 December 1837 by the Opéra-Comique at the Salle de la Bourse in Paris. The libretto to the three-act piece is by Auber's usual collaborator, Eugène Scribe. It was one of Auber's most successful works,...
, and Meyerbeer's Robert le diable
Robert le diable (opera)
Robert le diable is an opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer, often regarded as the first grand opera. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe and Casimir Delavigne and has little connection to the medieval legend of Robert the Devil. Originally planned as a three-act opéra comique, "Meyerbeer persuaded...
.
She taught at the Paris Conservatory from 1833 until 1856, and published a "Méthode de chant" in 1849, still available today as "Classic Bel Canto Technique".
She also produced a notable series of "notebooks" where she wrote down in music notation her own embelishments to key sections of many roles and arias she performed. These notebooks are currently kept at the Lilly Library
Lilly Library
The Lilly Library, located on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, is a large rare book and manuscript library in the United States.-History:...
(Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
) and are a major primary source for the study of bel-canto performance practice and Rossini scholarship.
She was married to tenor Vincent-Charles Damoreau (1793-1863) from 1828 until 1834, with whom she had a daughter, Maria Cinti-Damoreau, also a soprano, who married the librarian-composer Jean-Baptiste Weckerlin
Jean-Baptiste Weckerlin
Jean-Baptiste Théodore Weckerlin or Wekerlin was an Alsatian French composer and music publisher.-Biography:...
.
She died in Chantilly
Chantilly, Oise
Chantilly is a small city in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune in the department of Oise.It is in the metropolitan area of Paris 38.4 km...
.
Sources
- Roland Mancini and Jean-Jacques Rouveroux, (orig. H. Rosenthal and J. Warrack, French edition), Guide de l’opéra, Les indispensables de la musique (Fayard, 1995). ISBN 2-213-01563-6
- http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/lilly/mss/index.php?p=helm