Sim Viva (12 January 1903 – 10 August 1982) was a Belgian

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 ...

singer and actress prominent in

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

and film in the 1920s and 1930s. She made several recordings on the Ultraphone,

Pathé Pathé SAS (; styled as PATHÉ!) is a French major film production and distribution company, owning a number of cinema chains through its subsidiary Pathé Cinémas and television networks across Europe. It is the name of a network of Fren ...

, and Odeon labels. .

Life and career

Sim Viva was born Simone Poncelet in

Saint-Josse-ten-Noode Saint-Josse-ten-Noode ( French, ) or Sint-Joost-ten-Node ( Dutch, ), often simply called Saint-Josse in French or Sint-Joost in Dutch, is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the north-eastern part o ...

, Belgium. By 1922 she was already appearing in Paris at Le Trianon where she sang in revivals

Planquette The river Planquette () is one of the small streams that flow from the plateau of the southern Boulonnais and Picardy, into the Canche. Its length is . The river rises at Planques Planques (; ) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department ...

's ''Le Paradis de Mahomet'' and Terrasse's ''Cartouche''. She returned there the following year in ''Sylvie''.

In operetta

Sim Viva's roles in operetta and musical theatre included: * ''Trois jeunes filles nues'' by

Raoul Moretti Raoul Moretti (1893–1954) was a French composer of film scores.Lamb p.198 Specialising in light music, he also wrote operettas. Selected filmography * '' King of the Hotel'' (1932) * '' If You Wish It'' (1932) * ''Simone Is Like That'' (1933) * ...

(1925)

Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens The Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens () is a Parisian theatre founded in 1855 by the composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers ...

, as Lilette (world premiere) * ''J'aime!'' by

Henri Christiné Henri Marius Christiné (27 December 1867 – 25 November 1941) was a French composer of Swiss birth. The son of a French Savoyard watchmaker, Christiné was born in Geneva, Switzerland. He began by teaching at the lycée in Geneva, while pu ...

(1926) Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens, as Nicole de Malassis de la Panouille (world premiere) * ''Mercenary Mary'' by

Con Conrad Con Conrad (born Conrad K. Dober; June 18, 1891 – September 28, 1938) was an American songwriter and producer. Biography Conrad was born in Manhattan, New York, and published his first song, "Down in Dear Old New Orleans", in 1912. Conrad p ...

and William B. Friedlander (1927) Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens, as Jenny (premiere of the French adaptation) * ''Rosy'' by Raoul Moretti (1930)

Théâtre des Folies-Wagram The Théâtre des Folies-Wagram was a theatre in Paris which operated from 1928 until 1964. From late 1935 it was known as the Théâtre de l'Étoile. Located at 35 Avenue de Wagram in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, 17th arrondissement, the the ...

, as Noisette (world premiere) *''Zou!'' by

Josef Szulc Josef Zygmunt Szulc (4 April 1875, Warsaw, Warsaw Governorate, Russian Empire – 10 April 1956, Paris, France) was a composer and conductor. He also used the pseudonym Jan Sulima. Life Born in Poland to a musical family, he began his formal tr ...

, (1930) Théâtre des Folies-Wagram, as Magali (world premiere) *''Nina-Rosa'' by

Sigmund Romberg Sigmund Romberg (July 29, 1887 – November 9, 1951) was a Hungarian-born American composer. He is best known for his Musical theatre, musicals and operettas, particularly ''The Student Prince'' (1924), ''The Desert Song'' (1926) and ''The New Moo ...

, (1931)

Théâtre du Châtelet The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a ...

, as Nina Rosa (French premiere) *'' Brummell'' by

Reynaldo Hahn Reynaldo Hahn de Echenagucia (9 August 1874 – 28 January 1947) was a Venezuelan-born French composer, conductor, music critic, and singer. He is best known for his songs – ''mélodies'' – of which he wrote more than 100. Hahn was born ...

(1931) Théâtre des Folies-Wagram, as Peggy (world premiere) *''La Madone du promenoir'' by Henri Christiné (1933)

Concert Mayol The name Concert Mayol refers to a former cabaret situated at 10 in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. Opened on the site of the former convent of the Filles-Dieu by MM. Valentin Fournier under the name Concert parisien, this café-chantant was a ...

, as Sylvette (world premiere) *''Miss Cocktail'' by Maurice Bertin (1934) as Janine (world premiere) *''Un p'tit bout d'femme'' by

René Mercier René Mercier (end of the 19th century – 1 January 1973) was a 20th-century French composer and conductor. Biography Little is known about the life of René Mercier. Even his birth date is unknown. Composer of second rank, he is best known as ...

(1936) Gaîté Lyrique, as Adrienne Baudry-Duclin (Paris premiere) *''L' Auberge du chat coiffé'' by Josef Szulc (1936)

Théâtre Pigalle The Théâtre Pigalle () was a theatre in Paris, located in the rue Pigalle in the ninth ''arrondissement''. History Opened on June 20, 1929, financed by Philippe de Rothschild on the estate of his father Henri de Rothschild, the Rothschilds' ...

as Toinette (world premiere)

Filmography

Sim Viva's film roles include: *' (1931) as Mady Lagarouste *' (1933) as Solange *' (1935) as Cherry *' (1935) as Mimi *''

Martha Martha (Aramaic language, Aramaic: מָרְתָא‎) is a Bible, biblical figure described in the Gospels of Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of John, John. Together with her siblings Lazarus of Bethany, Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is descr ...

'', based on Flotow's opera ''

'' (1936) as Lady Harriett ("Martha") *''Prince d'une nuit'' (1936) as Simone Dastières

References

External links

Sound clip
of Sim Viva and Louis Arnoult singing the duet "Je vous aimais sans le savoir" from '' Brummell'' (on Gallica) * 1903 births 1982 deaths Belgian operatic sopranos Belgian film actresses 20th-century Belgian women singers 20th-century Belgian singers {{Europe-actor-stub