Sophie Arnould
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Sophie Arnould (February 13, 1740, Paris - October 18, 1802, Paris) was a French operatic soprano.
Born Magdeleine Sophie Arnould, she studied in Paris with Marie Fel and La Clairon, and made her stage debut at the Opéra de Paris on December 15, 1757, and sang there for 20 years.
She created for Christoph Wilibald Gluck the roles of Eurydice in Orphée et Eurydice and the title role in Iphigénie en Aulide. She also obtained considerable success in operas by Jean-Philippe Rameau, François Francoeur, and Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny.
According to her contemporaries, her voice was more beautiful than powerful, but she was a passionate actress. Her lack of discipline in both her professional and personal life led to a premature vocal decline, however she was able to retire in 1788 with an enviable pension of 2000 pounds (livres).
A spirited converstionalist, she was much in demand in Parisian society, and legend has it that Madame de Pompadour would have told her "With such talents, you could become a Princess". She was painted by Jean-Baptiste Greuze and Maurice Quentin de La Tour, and left her Souvenirs and an abundant correspondance.
[edit] Opera by Pierné
French composer Gabriel Pierné wrote an opera based on her tumultuous life entitled Sophie Arnould (1927).
[edit] Sources
- Le guide de l'opéra, les indispensables de la musique, R.Mancini & J.J.Rouvereux, (Fayard, 1986), ISBN 2-213-01563-6
