Maria Duchêne
Encyclopedia
Maria Duchêne-Billiard (1884 - ?) was a French contralto
of the Metropolitan Opera
from 1912 to 1916. She portrayed such roles as Amneris in Aida
, Giulietta in The Tales of Hoffmann, Lola in Cavalleria rusticana
, Maddalena in Rigoletto
. She sang the role of the Old Woman in L'amore dei tre re
, Rosette in Manon
, Schwertleite in Die Walküre
, and the Solo Madrigalist in Manon Lescaut
among others.
She was born in 1884. She made her debut at the Met on March 16, 1912 as La Cieca in Amilcare Ponchielli
's La Gioconda
with Emmy Destinn
in the title role, Enrico Caruso as Enzo, and Arturo Toscanini
conducting.
She appeared in the American premiere of Boris Godunov
as the Nurse in 1912 with Arturo Toscanini
conducting.
On March 12, 1913 she was to sing the role of Giulietta in Les Contes d'Hoffmann
when she fainted and her role was taken over by madam Fremsted who had sung the role when it premiered in the United States.
With the company she notably portrayed the role of the Peasant Woman in the United States premiere of Gustave Charpentier
's Julien
on February 26, 1914.
Her mother, Elizabeth Duchêne (1859-1915) died in 1915 of pneumonia just as Maria was about to take the stage as Lola in Cavalleria rusticana
.
Her final and 166th performance with the Met was as Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera
in an out of town performance at the Boston Opera House
on April 18, 1916. The date of her death is not known.
Contralto
Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
of the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
from 1912 to 1916. She portrayed such roles as Amneris in Aida
Aida
Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
, Giulietta in The Tales of Hoffmann, Lola in Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from a play written by Giovanni Verga based on his short story. Considered one of the classic verismo operas, it premiered on May 17, 1890 at the Teatro...
, Maddalena in Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
. She sang the role of the Old Woman in L'amore dei tre re
L'amore dei tre re
L'amore dei tre re is an opera in three acts by Italo Montemezzi. Its Italian-language libretto was written by playwright Sem Benelli who based it on his own play of the same title.-Performance history:...
, Rosette in Manon
Manon
Manon is an opéra comique in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost...
, Schwertleite in Die Walküre
Die Walküre
Die Walküre , WWV 86B, is the second of the four operas that form the cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen , by Richard Wagner...
, and the Solo Madrigalist in Manon Lescaut
Manon Lescaut
Manon Lescaut is a short novel by French author Abbé Prévost. Published in 1731, it is the seventh and final volume of Mémoires et aventures d'un homme de qualité . It was controversial in its time and was banned in France upon publication...
among others.
Biography
She was born in 1884. She made her debut at the Met on March 16, 1912 as La Cieca in Amilcare Ponchielli
Amilcare Ponchielli
Amilcare Ponchielli was an Italian composer, largely of operas.-Biography:Born in Paderno Fasolaro, now Paderno Ponchielli, near Cremona, Ponchielli won a scholarship at the age of nine to study music at the Milan Conservatory, writing his first symphony by the time he was ten years old.Two years...
's La Gioconda
La Gioconda (opera)
La Gioconda is an opera in four acts by Amilcare Ponchielli set to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Angelo, tyran de Padoue, a play in prose by Victor Hugo, dating from 1835...
with Emmy Destinn
Emmy Destinn
Emmy Destinn was a Czech operatic soprano with a strong and soaring lyric-dramatic voice. She had a career both in Europe and at the New York Metropolitan Opera.- Biography :...
in the title role, Enrico Caruso as Enzo, and Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th century, he was renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory...
conducting.
She appeared in the American premiere of Boris Godunov
Boris Godunov (opera)
Boris Godunov is an opera by Modest Mussorgsky . The work was composed between 1868 and 1873 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is Mussorgsky's only completed opera and is considered his masterpiece. Its subjects are the Russian ruler Boris Godunov, who reigned as Tsar during the Time of Troubles,...
as the Nurse in 1912 with Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th century, he was renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory...
conducting.
On March 12, 1913 she was to sing the role of Giulietta in Les Contes d'Hoffmann
Les contes d'Hoffmann
Les contes d'Hoffmann is an opéra by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on short stories by E. T. A...
when she fainted and her role was taken over by madam Fremsted who had sung the role when it premiered in the United States.
With the company she notably portrayed the role of the Peasant Woman in the United States premiere of Gustave Charpentier
Gustave Charpentier
Gustave Charpentier, , born in Dieuze, Moselle on 25 June 1860, died Paris, 18 February 1956) was a French composer, best known for his opera Louise.-Life and career:...
's Julien
Julien (opera)
Julien, ou La vie du poète is a 1914 poème lyrique or opera by composer Gustave Charpentier. The work is devised in a prologue and four acts and uses a French libretto by the composer. Julien is a sequel to Charpentier's Louise and describes the artistic aspirations of Louise’s suitor Julien...
on February 26, 1914.
Her mother, Elizabeth Duchêne (1859-1915) died in 1915 of pneumonia just as Maria was about to take the stage as Lola in Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from a play written by Giovanni Verga based on his short story. Considered one of the classic verismo operas, it premiered on May 17, 1890 at the Teatro...
.
Her final and 166th performance with the Met was as Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera
Un ballo in maschera
Un ballo in maschera , is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi with text by Antonio Somma. The libretto is loosely based on an 1833 play, Gustave III, by French playwright Eugène Scribe who wrote about the historical assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden...
in an out of town performance at the Boston Opera House
Boston Opera House (1909)
The Boston Opera House was an opera house located on Huntington Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts. It opened in 1909 as the home of the Boston Opera Company and was demolished in 1958 after years of disuse....
on April 18, 1916. The date of her death is not known.