Célestine Marié

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Célestine Marié (November 1840 – September 22, 1905) was a French mezzo-soprano, most famous for being the original Carmen.

She was born Célestine Marié de L'Isle in Paris. She was taught singing by her father, who was an accomplished musician. Her début came in 1859 in Strassbourg, and she soon married a sculptor named Galli (d.1861). She then took the stage name of Galli-Marié. Émile Perrin, the director of the Opéra-Comique, heard her performing at Rouen and brought her to Paris. She sang at the Opéra-Comique until 1885, premiering in La serva padrona (Pergolesi). Her most famous roles were in Mignon (1866) and Carmen (1875). She performed in London at Her Majesty's Theatre in a touring production in 1886, and returned to the Opéra-Comique in 1890 to sing in a fundraising performance to erect a monument to Bizet. Her voice was described as being of a good timbre, with clear diction and phrasing. She died in Vence, near Nice.

A high mezzo-soprano voice is sometimes referred to as Galli-Marié. Galli-Marié parts are now often sung by sopranos. A major exception to this is the title role of Carmen.

[edit] References

• Harold Rosenthal. "Célestine Galli-Marié", The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed. Stanley Sadie (London: Macmillan, 1980), vii, 127.