Anne-Alexandrine d'Herbez, known under the name Alexandrine Saint-Aubin, (9 April 1793 - 30 March 1867), was a French operatic

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

Life

Born in Paris, Saint-Aubin was the daughter of Augustin-Alexandre d'Herbez, known as "Saint-Aubin",

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

of the

Opéra de Paris The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

and Jeanne-Charlotte Schroeder, Madame Saint-Aubin,

at the

Comédie-Italienne Comédie-Italienne () or Théâtre-Italien () are French names which have been used to refer to Italian-language theatre and opera when performed in France. The earliest recorded visits by Italian players were ''commedia dell'arte'' companies ...

and at the

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...

. She is the younger sister of Cécile Duret-Saint-Aubin. She made a fleeting appearance at her mother's side in ''Le Prisonnier'' by Della-Maria. She made her real debut on November 3, 1809, at the Theatre Favard, in two of the roles that had earned her mother the most brilliant success, the ingenue of ''l'Opéra-Comique'' and the

soubrette A soubrette is a female minor stock character in opera and theatre, often a pert lady's maid. By extension, the term can refer generally to any saucy or flirtatious young woman. The term arrived in English from Provençal via French, and means " ...

by ''Ambroise ou Voilà ma journée''. In 1810, she plays the title role in '' Cendrillon'' by Nicolas Isouard, seventy-eight performances in less than a year, one hundred in total, which is rare at the Opéra-Comique, at the time. In 1812, she married , the singer of

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

s. She left the stage prematurely in 1817. Widowed in 1839, she remarried in 1840 to Alexandre Houdaille, wood merchant in Nevers. Saint-Aubin died in

Saint-Saulge Saint-Saulge () is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France. See also *Communes of the Nièvre department A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also r ...

at the age of 73.

Premieres

* 1810 : ''Cendrillon'', 3 acts Opéra-féerie by

Nicolas Isouard Nicolas Isouard (; also known as ''Nicolò'', ''Nicolò Isoiar'' or ''Nicolò de Malte''; 18 May 1773 – 23 March 1818) was a Franco-Maltese composer. Biography Born in Valletta, Malta, Isouard studied in Rabat or Mdina with Francesco Azopardi ...

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

Charles-Guillaume Étienne Charles-Guillaume Étienne (; 5 January 177813 March 1845) was a 19th-century French playwright. Biography He was born in Chamouilley, Haute-Marne. He held various municipal offices under the Revolution and came in 1793 to Paris, where he pr ...

, 22 February, in the

title role The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piëce. The title o ...

. * 1811 : ''La Victime des arts'', 27 February * 1812 : '' Jean de Paris'',

opera comique The Opera Comique was a 19th-century theatre constructed in Westminster, London, located between Wych Street, Holywell Street and the Strand. It opened in 1870 and was demolished in 1902, to make way for the construction of the Aldwych and K ...

in 2 acts, music by

François-Adrien Boieldieu François-Adrien Boieldieu (, also ) (16 December 1775 – 8 October 1834) was a French composer, mainly of operas, often called "the French Mozart".. Although his reputation is largely based upon his operas, Boieldieu composed other works and amo ...

after a libretto by Claude Godard d'Aucourt de Saint-Just, premiered at the Opéra-Comique (Théâtre Feydeau) 4 April, part of Lorezza. * 1812 : ''Les Rivaux d'un moment'',. * 1812 : ''Lulli et Quinault, ou le Déjeuner impossible'', 27 February, part of Laurette. * 1814 : ''Les Béarnais, ou Henri IV en voyage'', 21 May * 1817 : ''Les Rosières,'' rôle de Cateau.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint-Aubin, Alexandrine French operatic sopranos 1793 births 1867 deaths Singers from Paris

Life

Premieres

References

Further reading

Related article

External links