A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Artôt, Marguerite

by Alexis Chitty

ARTÔT, Marguérite Josephine Désirée Montagney, born July 21, 1835, at Paris, daughter of Jean Désiré Montagney Artôt, horn professor at the Brussels Conservatoire, niece both of the above and of Baugniet the Belgian portrait-painter. She was taught singing by Mme. Viardot-Garcia, and first appeared in concerts in Belgium, Holland, and England, viz. at a state concert June 19, 1857. In 1858 she was engaged at the Paris Opera, through Meyerbeer, where on Feb. 5 she made her début with great success as Fides, and subsequently played the heroine in a condensed version of Gounod's Sappho. In spite of praise lavished on her by many critics, among others by Berlioz in the Débats, Feb. 17, she abandoned the French in favour of the Italian stage. In 1859 she sang in opera in Italy, and at the end of the year at Berlin, on the opening of the Victoria Theatre, as a member of Lorini's Italian company. In that city she made a furore in the Barbiere and Cenerentola, in Trovatore, and even in the small part of Maddalena in 'Rigoletto,' from which time the greater part of her career has been passed in Germany both in Italian and German opera, she having in the meantime abandoned the mezzo for soprano parts. In 1859–60 she sang with great applause at the Philharmonic and at other concerts. In 1863 she sang at her Majesty's as Maria ('La Figlia') in which she made her début May 19th, as La Traviata, and as Adalgisa to the Norma of Titiens. In 1864 and 1866 she sang at the Royal Italian Opera in the first two parts, in 'Faust,' 'Figaro,' and the 'Barbiere,' but in spite of the great impression she invariably made, being an admirable and very complete artist, she never reappeared in England. On Sept. 15, 1869, she married at Sèvres the Spanish baritone Padilla-y-Ramos,^[1] and with him has sung in Italian opera in Germany, Austria, Russia, and elsewhere, until her retirement. Among other parts she has played in German with great success the heroines in 'Domino Noir' and 'Les Diamants.' On March 22, 1887, she appeared with her husband in a scene from 'Don Juan,' performed for the Emperor's birthday at the Schloss at Berlin, in which city she has settled as a teacher of singing.

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1. Padilla-y-Ramos, born 1842 at Murcia, studied under Mobellini of Florence, and has sung in Italian opera ever since. On Oct. 1, 1881, he first appeared with success in England as Hoel in 'Dinorah,' at a winter season at the Lyceum. He played in 1886 in the short but disastrous season at Her Majesty's, and in the autumn with Mapleson in the provinces, and was engaged for last season (1887) at Covent Garden Theatre.