Fanchon Moreau
Encyclopedia
Françoise 'Fanchon' Moreau (born 1668 - died after 1743) was a French opera
tic soprano
who belonged to the Académie Royale de Musique
, also a celebrated beauty who was a favourite of the Great Dauphin.
, Fanchon made her debut at the Paris Opéra
in 1683 in the prologue of Phaëton
by Lully
, probably playing the role of Astrée. She remained with the company until at least 1702. Her sister stayed until 1692, during which period both sisters were referred to as Mlle Moreau, which sometimes makes it difficult to determine who sang what. She sang in operas by Lully, Campra
, Charpentier
, Destouches
, Collasse
, Desmarets
and Gatti including many premieres.
, the swordswoman and opera singer known as La Maupin, also fell in love with her and tried to commit suicide when she was rejected. Fanchon later became the long-term mistress of Philippe de Vendôme
, fourth Duke of Vendôme.
Fanchon's colourful love life was referred to in François Couperin
's La femme entre deux draps and was also the subject of his harpsichord
composition La tendre Fanchon.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
who belonged to the Académie Royale de Musique
Académie Royale de Musique
The Salle Le Peletier was the home of the Paris Opera from 1821 until the building was destroyed by fire in 1873. The theatre was designed and constructed by the architect François Debret on the site of the former Hôtel de Choiseul...
, also a celebrated beauty who was a favourite of the Great Dauphin.
Opera career
Following her older sister Louison MoreauLouison Moreau
Louise 'Louison' Moreau was a French operatic soprano who belonged to the Académie Royale de Musique, also a popular celebrity commonly referred to as one of the filles de l'opéra.-Opera career:...
, Fanchon made her debut at the Paris Opéra
Académie Royale de Musique
The Salle Le Peletier was the home of the Paris Opera from 1821 until the building was destroyed by fire in 1873. The theatre was designed and constructed by the architect François Debret on the site of the former Hôtel de Choiseul...
in 1683 in the prologue of Phaëton
Phaëton (Lully)
Phaëton is a tragédie en musique in a prologue and five acts by Jean-Baptiste Lully. Philippe Quinault wrote the French libretto after a story from Ovid's Metamorphoses. It was premiered at Versailles on January 6, 1683, and can be read as an allegorical depiction of the punishment awaiting those...
by Lully
Jean-Baptiste Lully
Jean-Baptiste de Lully was an Italian-born French composer who spent most of his life working in the court of Louis XIV of France. He is considered the chief master of the French Baroque style. Lully disavowed any Italian influence in French music of the period. He became a French subject in...
, probably playing the role of Astrée. She remained with the company until at least 1702. Her sister stayed until 1692, during which period both sisters were referred to as Mlle Moreau, which sometimes makes it difficult to determine who sang what. She sang in operas by Lully, Campra
André Campra
André Campra was a French composer and conductor.Campra was one of the leading French opera composers in the period between Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau. He wrote several tragédies en musique, but his chief claim to fame is as the creator of a new genre, opéra-ballet...
, Charpentier
Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Marc-Antoine Charpentier, , was a French composer of the Baroque era.Exceptionally prolific and versatile, he produced compositions of the highest quality in several genres...
, Destouches
André Cardinal Destouches
André Cardinal Destouches was a French composer best known for the opéra-ballet Les élémens....
, Collasse
Pascal Collasse
Pascal Collasse was a French composer of the Baroque era. Born in Rheims, Collasse became a disciple of Jean-Baptiste Lully during the latter's domination of the French operatic stage...
, Desmarets
Henri Desmarets
Henri Desmarets was a French composer of the Baroque period primarily known for his stage works, although he also composed sacred music as well as secular cantatas, songs and instrumental works....
and Gatti including many premieres.
Roles created
- Astrée (?) in Lully's PhaëtonPhaëton (Lully)Phaëton is a tragédie en musique in a prologue and five acts by Jean-Baptiste Lully. Philippe Quinault wrote the French libretto after a story from Ovid's Metamorphoses. It was premiered at Versailles on January 6, 1683, and can be read as an allegorical depiction of the punishment awaiting those...
(Paris, 1683) - Oriane in Lully's AmadisAmadis (Lully)Amadis or Amadis de Gaule is a tragédie en musique in a prologue and five acts by Jean-Baptiste Lully to a libretto by Philippe Quinault based on Nicolas Herberay des Essarts' adaptation of Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo's Amadis de Gaula. It was premiered at the Paris Opéra January 18, 1684...
(Paris, 1684) - Sidonie in Lully's ArmideArmide (Lully)Armide is an opera by Jean-Baptiste Lully. The libretto was written by Philippe Quinault, based on Torquato Tasso's La Gerusalemme liberata .Critics in the 18th century regarded Armide as Lully's masterpiece...
(Paris, 1686) - Anne in Henri DesmaretsHenri DesmaretsHenri Desmarets was a French composer of the Baroque period primarily known for his stage works, although he also composed sacred music as well as secular cantatas, songs and instrumental works....
's DidonDidon (Desmarets)Didon is a tragédie en musique or opera in 1 prologue and 5 Acts by composer Henri Desmarets. The work uses a French language libretto by Louise-Geneviève Gillot de Saintonge...
(Paris, 1693) - Créuse in Charpentier's MédéeMédée (Charpentier)Médée is a tragédie mise en musique in five acts and a prologue by Marc-Antoine Charpentier to a French libretto by Thomas Corneille. It was premiered in Paris on December 4, 1693. Médée is the only opera Charpentier wrote for the Académie Royale de Musique...
(Paris, 1693) - Doris in DestouchesAndré Cardinal DestouchesAndré Cardinal Destouches was a French composer best known for the opéra-ballet Les élémens....
's IsséIssé (opera)Issé is a operatic pastorale héroïque by the French composer André Cardinal Destouches. It has a prologue and three acts. The libretto was by Antoine Houdar de la Motte.-Performance history:...
(Paris, 1697) - Olympia in Campra's L'Europe galanteL'Europe galanteL'Europe galante is an opéra-ballet in a prologue and four entrées by André Campra, The French text was by Antoine Houdar de la Motte....
(Paris, 1697) - The title role of Campra's HésioneHésioneHésione is an opera by the French composer André Campra. It takes the form of a tragédie en musique in a prologue and five acts. The libretto, by Antoine Danchet, is based on the Greek myth of Hesione and Laomedon....
(Paris, 1700)
Celebrity
Like her sister, Fanchon received the attentions of Louis, the Great Dauphin. Julie d'AubignyJulie d'Aubigny
Julie d'Aubigny , better known as Mademoiselle Maupin or La Maupin, was a 17th-century swordswoman and opera singer. Her tumultuous career and flamboyant life were the subject of gossip and colorful stories in her own time, and inspired romances and novels afterwards...
, the swordswoman and opera singer known as La Maupin, also fell in love with her and tried to commit suicide when she was rejected. Fanchon later became the long-term mistress of Philippe de Vendôme
Philippe de Vendôme
Philippe de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme the "Grand Prior" was the fourth Duke of Vendôme and Grand Prior for France in the Order of Malta, a French army commander and the younger brother of Louis Joseph, duc de Vendôme....
, fourth Duke of Vendôme.
Fanchon's colourful love life was referred to in François Couperin
François Couperin
François Couperin was a French Baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist. He was known as Couperin le Grand to distinguish him from other members of the musically talented Couperin family.-Life:Couperin was born in Paris...
's La femme entre deux draps and was also the subject of his harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
composition La tendre Fanchon.
Sources
- Anthony, James R (1992), 'Moreau, Fanchon' in The New Grove Dictionary of OperaNew Grove Dictionary of OperaThe New Grove Dictionary of Opera is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes....
, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7