Description

GABRIELLE RITTER-CIAMPI (PARIS, FRANCE, NOVEMBER 2, 1886 – PAIMPOL, FRANCE, JULY 18, 1974)

She came from an artistic French-Italian family. Her father, Ezio Ciampi (1855–1927), was a tenor, and her uncle, Théodor Ritter, was a renowned pianist. Her mother, Cécile Ritter-Ciampi (1859–1939), had a distinguished career as a soprano at the Paris Opera. Initially, she pursued a career as a pianist and gave her first piano concerts at the age of 16. However, she later turned to singing, studying at the Paris Conservatoire and with her parents.

She made her operatic debut in 1917 at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris as Virginie in Massé’s Paul et Virginie, a role that her mother had created forty years earlier. In 1919, she joined the Paris Opéra-Comique after receiving critical acclaim for her performance in Mozart’s Schauspieldirektor at the Théâtre Lyrique. From 1921, she also performed at the Paris Grand Opéra.

In 1932, she sang the role of Constance in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail at the Salzburg Festival. The composer Reynaldo Hahn wrote the role of Dona Irène in Le Oui des Jeunes Filles specifically for her, which she premiered on June 21, 1949, at the Opéra-Comique. After retiring from the stage, she became a vocal teacher in Paris.

Chronology of some appearances

1917 Paris Théâtre Lyrique

1919 Paris Opéra-Comique

1921 Paris Grand Opera

TRACKLIST

1. Nozze di Figaro (Mozart): Viens, cher amant 0383 382 Pathé, Paris 1923?
2. Zauberflöte (Mozart): Ah, l’ingrat 0393 Pathé, Paris 1923?
3. Roméo et Juliette (Gounod): Je veux vivre 0393 Pathé, Paris 1923?
4. Fille du Régiment (Donizetti): Salut à la France 0416 949 Pathé, Paris 1924?
5. Mireille (Gounod): O légère hirondelle 0416 944 Pathé, Paris 1924?
6. Contes d’Hoffmann (Offenbach): Les oiseaux dans la charmille 0404, 917 Pathé, Paris 1924?
7. Huguenots (Meyerbeer): Nobles Seigneurs 0404, 925 Pathé, Paris 1924?
8. Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) Una voce poco fà, pt 166842 1503BM I Polydor, Paris? 1928
9. Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) Una voce poco fà, pt 2 66842 1504BM I Polydor, Paris? 1928
10. Faust (Gounod) Air des bijoux 66884 1485BM I Polydor, Paris? 1928
11. Faust (Gounod) Ballade du roi de Thulé 66998 1921BM Polydor, Paris? 1928
12. Il Pensieroso (Händel) Aria 66841 1494BM I Polydor, Paris? 1928
13. Il Re Pastore (Mozart) L’amerò, sarò costante 66841 1493½BM I I Polydor, Paris? 1928
14. Louise (Charpentier) Depuis le jour 66840 1486BM I Polydor, Paris? 1928
15. Nozze di Figaro (Mozart) Deh vieni, non tardar 66884 1489BM I Polydor, Paris? 1928
16. Zauberflöte (Mozart) Air de Pamina 66998 1920BM Polydor, Paris? 1928
17. Traviata (Verdi): Quel est donc ce trouble charmant 7191 Pathé, Paris 1929?
18. Traviata (Verdi): Pour jamais ta destinée 7191 Pathé, Paris 1929?