Zélie de Lussan

Zélie de Lussan (21 December 1861 – 18 December 1949) was an American opera singer of French descent who was successful in her native country but made most of her career in England. The wide range of her voice allowed her to sing both mezzo-soprano and soprano roles. Among de Lussan's most famous roles was the title role in Bizet's Carmen, which she performed 2,000 times. She appeared with Sir Thomas Beecham's opera companies, at Covent Garden and with the Carl Rosa Opera Company. After retiring from the stage she made her home in London, where she continued to teach singing for many years.

Life and career

Early years Zelie De Lussan, ca. 1859–1870; from the Carte de Visite Collection of the Boston Public Library. Zélie de Lussan was born in Brooklyn, New York, to French parents, Paul Louis de Lussan and his wife Amédée Eugénie Bizel, a professional soprano. After training with her mother, de Lussan made her operatic début in 1884 in Boston, Massachusetts, as Arline in Balfe's The Bohemian Girl, in which she was an immediate success. Some critics compared her favourably to Emma Calvé, then the leading interpreter of the role. Later, George Bernard Shaw was less enthusiastic: "the performance was slipshod and perfunctory. Melba, De Reszke, Lasalle and Miranda sang in French; Ciampi and the chorus sang in Italian; and Miss de Lussan sang in whatever language seemed to have the best of it for the moment." Shaw nevertheless acknowledged de Lussan's prominence: "Last Wednesday I was told that Siegfried was to be produced that evening at Covent Garden. I was incredulous, and asked my informant whether he did not mean Carmen, with Miss Zélie de Lussan in the title part."

In London her successes included Zerlina in Don Giovanni, and, in 1897, Musetta in London's first performances of La bohème. In 1910 she sang Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro in Thomas Beecham's Mozart season at His Majesty's Theatre. Her recording of the Habanera from Carmen from this session is the earliest operatic aria recorded on a Red Seal disc. In 1906 she made another four records on the Beka label.

Later years After her marriage in 1907 to the pianist Angelo Fronani she gradually retired, though she played Carmen as late as 1915. In 1914 The Manchester Guardian commented, "Though it would be flattery to say that she is as good as ever, her Carmen is still the best (with the exception of her own) that we have ever heard." In 1915 she again played Cherubino, in which role Samuel Langford described her as "inimitable ... she dominates the stage". In the same year she gave her 2,000th performance as Carmen.

After her husband died in 1918 she continued to make her home in London. According to Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "She taught for many years in England, retaining the vitality and charm of her personality well into old age. Her recordings are few but show something of her rich voice and lively temperament." She died in London three days short of her 88th birthday.

Additional Information Zelie De Lussan Papers, 1863-1949 , Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College.