Constance Jawureck (also Jawurek or Javoureck) (1803–1858)Weinstock (1968) p.446 was a French

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

opera singer. The daughter of a German musician, she was born in Paris and entered the

Paris Conservatory The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

at the age of 14 where she studied singing under Plantade and Garat and acting under Baptiste. She made her stage debut to considerable success in 1822 as Zarine in the posthumous premiere of Isouard's ''Aladin ou La lampe merveilleuse''. She continued to be cast in relatively small roles until her success in 1826 as Amazily in a revival of

Gasparo Spontini Gaspare Luigi Pacifico Spontini (14 November 177424 January 1851) was an Italian opera composer and conductor from the classical era. During the first two decades of the 19th century, Spontini was an important figure in French ''opera'', and co ...

's ''

Fernand Cortez ''Fernand Cortez, ou La conquête du Mexique '' (''Hernán Cortés, or The Conquest of Mexico'') is an opera in three acts by Gaspare Spontini with a French libretto by Étienne de Jouy and Joseph-Alphonse Esménard. It was first performed on 28 ...

'' after which she became a leading mezzo-soprano at the

Paris Opera 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 ...

. Amongst the roles she created there were in Inès in Auber's ''Vendôme en Espagne'' (1822), Isolier in

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano p ...

's ''

Le comte Ory ''Le comte Ory'' (''Count Ory'') is a comic opera 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. The French libretto was by Eug� ...

'' (1828), Jeanette in Auber's ''Le philtre'' (1831) and Fleur de Lys in

Bertin Bertin (; 615 – ''c''. 709 AD), also known as Saint Bertin the Great, was the Frankish abbot of a monastery in Saint-Omer later named the Abbey of Saint Bertin after him. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The ...

's '' La Esmeralda'' (1836). She remained at the Paris Opera until 1837 and then became a leading singer in Brussels where she sang the title role in

Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian Romantic composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the ''bel canto'' opera ...

's ''

Lucie de Lammermoor ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel ''The Bride of Lammermoor''. ...

'' for its first performance at the

Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie The Royal Theatre of La Monnaie (, ; , ; both translating as the "Royal Theatre of the Mint") is an opera house in central Brussels, Belgium. The National Opera of Belgium, a federal institution, takes the name of this theatre in which it is ho ...

(1839). Jawureck was known for her beauty as well as her voice, and according to

Hector Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the ''Symphonie fantastique'' and ''Harold en Italie, Harold in Italy'' ...

's biographer, David Cairns, both Berlioz and his friend, the poet , were hopelessly in love with her, a sentiment which she did not reciprocate.Cairns (2003) p. 345

Notes and references

Sources * Burat de Gurgy, Edmond (1837)
"Mlle. Jawureck"
''Biographie des acteurs de Paris''. Edouard Proux * Cairns, David (2003)
''Berlioz: Volume One: The Making of an Artist, 1803–1832''
University of California Press. *; * Weinstock, Herbert (1968)
''Rossini: A Biography''
Oxford University Press

Notes and references

Further reading