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Sibyl Sanderson (December 7, 1864May 16, 1903) was a famous American operatic
Sibyl Sanderson Dead: Singer Passes Away in Paris, New York Times, May 16, 1903.
/ref> Sanderson was responsible for helping launch the career of another soprano made famous in the French repertoire, Mary Garden.
findagrave.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanderson, Sybil 1865 births 1903 deaths American operatic sopranos 19th-century American actresses American stage actresses Musicians from Sacramento, California American expatriate actresses in France Deaths from pneumonia in France 19th-century American women opera singers Singers from California Infectious disease deaths in France Classical musicians from California Belle Époque
Sibyl Sanderson (December 7, 1864May 16, 1903) was a famous American operatic dramatic coloratura soprano
A coloratura soprano is a type of operatic soprano voice that specializes in music that is distinguished by agile runs, leaps and trills.
The term ''coloratura'' refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, which is a typical component of ...
during the Parisian Belle Époque
The Belle Époque or La Belle Époque (; French for "Beautiful Epoch") is a period of French and European history, usually considered to begin around 1871–1880 and to end with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era o ...
.
Biography
She was born inSacramento, California
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...
, in the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
. Sibyl's father Silas Sanderson was a California politician and lawyer; after serving as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California, he became a highly paid legal advisor to the Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was ...
. After his death in 1886, she and her mother and sisters moved back to Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
and became transplanted socialites. Sanderson proved to be a remarkably gifted singer and began to appear on the stages of the Opéra-Comique, and later Opéra, in Paris, most notably in the works of Jules Massenet. She was his favorite soprano and appeared in the premieres of a number of his operas, the roles having been created for her unique talents (her professional debut took place in Paris in the title role in '' Esclarmonde''). She was also a famous interpreter of '' Manon'', Massenet's most enduring opera.
Sanderson was also admired by Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (; 9 October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Second Piano Concerto ...
, who wrote the title role in '' Phryné'' for her. Success outside of Paris was elusive for Sanderson; she appeared at Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...
and the Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...
(debut in title role of ''Manon'' on January 16, 1895, the last performance as Juliette in '' Roméo et Juliette'' on December 31, 1901) to lackluster reviews.
In 1897 she married a Cuban millionaire and sugar heir Antonio E. Terry
Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...
(d. 1899), after which she temporarily halted her operatic activity, making an unsuccessful comeback two years later.
Her last years were marred by depression, alcoholism and illness and she died in Paris of a malignant influenza (pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...
), at the age of thirty-eight./ref> Sanderson was responsible for helping launch the career of another soprano made famous in the French repertoire, Mary Garden.
Roles created for Sanderson
*The title role in '' Esclarmonde'' by Massenet, on May 14, 1889 *The title role in ''Phryné'' by Saint-Saëns on May 24, 1893 *The title role in '' Thaïs'' by Massenet on March 16, 1894Further reading
*References
External links
findagrave.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanderson, Sybil 1865 births 1903 deaths American operatic sopranos 19th-century American actresses American stage actresses Musicians from Sacramento, California American expatriate actresses in France Deaths from pneumonia in France 19th-century American women opera singers Singers from California Infectious disease deaths in France Classical musicians from California Belle Époque