Eva Dell'Acqua

Eva Dell'Acqua (also Dall'Acqua, 28 January 1856, Schaerbeek12 February 1930, Ixelles) was a Belgian singer and composer of Italian ancestry. She wrote fifteen operas and operettas, as well as orchestral works, pieces for chamber orchestra, and other works for piano and solo voice. Dell'Acqua's song "Villanelle" for coloratura soprano has been widely performed and recorded, and has appeared on film soundtracks including Get Hep to Love and I Married an Angel (1942).

Biography Eva Dell'Acqua was born in 1856 in Schaerbeek, Brussels, Belgium, the daughter of the Italian painter Cesare Dell'Acqua and his wife Carolina van der Elst. Dell'Acqua had a younger sister, Aline, born July 18th, 1857. Sheet music of 'Villanelle' with translation, published ca. 1910 Dell'Acqua's name does not appear in documents from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, suggesting that her formal music education took place at home through private instruction. Given her father's connections within Brussels' artistic circles, she may have had access to influential musicians in the city, though no specific teacher has been definitively identified.

Dell'Acqua composed in the Romantic style and produced orchestral works, pieces for chamber orchestra, and other works for piano and solo voice, opera and stage. Her operettas La bachelette (1895), Tambour battant (1900), and Zizi (1906) were all performed publicly at the Théâtre Royal des Galeries in the Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries.

In terms of instrumental work, Dell'Acqua composed approximately 14 instrumental works, including four published works, six surviving manuscripts, and four works known only through references in literature. Incomplete dating in manuscripts and publishing catalogs make it difficult to establish reliable chronologies. Dell'Acqua died on 12 February 1930 in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium.

Works

Instrumental

Gavotte pour Piano et Violoncelle (1889) Aveu romance (1891) Romance pour violon avec accompagnement de piano (1891) Sérénade joyeuse (1897) Aline. Polka pour piano (1910) Tambour battant (1910) Tirailleurs (1910) Valse nº 1 (1912) Valse lente (1912) Sac au dos (1914) Gavotte Italia. Polka Mazurka Menuet. Air de ballet Valse pour piano

Mélodies

Ghazel (1892) Pourquoi rêver? (1892) Quand même (1892) Reproche (1892) Dernier vœu (1899) C'est une fauvette (1902) Le coffret (1902) Demande (1903) Pour la bercer (1906) Le printemps est là (1906) Vains regrets (1906) Ne cherchez pas (1910) Pour l'avril vainqueur (1911) Le ravin (1911) Au jardin de mon cœur Enfant, pourquoi pleurer Je voudrais Les roses de Saadi Soir de rêve

Operettas and opéras comiques

Une passion (1880) Le prince noir (1882) Le trésor de l'Emir (1883) Quintin Metzys (1884) Le secret de l'Alcade (1887) Les fiançailles de Pasquin (1888) Feu de paille (1889) L'oeillet blanc (1889) Au clair de lune (1891) La bachelette (1895) Une ruse de Pierrette (1890) Le guzla (1895) Tambour battant (1900) Zizi (1906) Pierrot menteur (1918) La visite imprévue (1921) Marraine de guerre (1921-1922) L'oiseau bleu

Other vocal works

Chanson de mai (1878) Amour défunt (1894) Aubade Chanson provençale (1899) Villanelle (1889) Menuet (1892) Noël d'enfant (1892) La valse des songes (1893) Sonnet d'amour (1896) Sérénade joyeuse (1897) Reviens! (1899) La Vièrge à la Crèche (1899) Bonjour Suzon (1902) Prière (1902) Je donnerais (1903) Les songes. Valse (1903) Les étoiles filantes (1904) Les anciens souvenirs (1905) Dors, mon chéri (1905) Mignarde (1905) Résignation (1906) Rondel sur l'eau (1906) A Mignonne (1907) Le pays du bonheur (1907) En regardant vos mains (1909) La chanson du rouet (1910) Le clavecin (1910) Ein Traumbild (1910) Kehre zurück (1910) Liebesbitte (1910) Liebes Sonnet (1910) Première feuille (1910) Prière d'amour (1910) Prière d'enfant (1910) Quand les pommiers sont fleuris (1910) Ritournelle. Joli mai (1910) Si vous consentiez (1910) Springtime (1910) Trüben Tage sind gekommen (1910) Valse tendre (1910) Verlassen Virelai. Ils sont venus les jours moroses... (1910) Vision (1910) État d'âme (1911) Sac au dos (1914) Droombeeld (1916) Nanette et son Seigneur (1919) A des yeux Le baiser d'Eunice J'ai dit aux fleurs Rondel à l'absente Une sérénade