Jane Bathori facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jane Bathori |
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Jane Bathori, 1912
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jeanne-Marie Berthier |
| Born | 14 June 1877 Paris |
| Died | 25 January 1970 Paris |
| Genres | western classical music |
| Occupation(s) | opera singer, director |
| Years active | 1898-1970 |
Jane Bathori (born Jeanne-Marie Berthier, 14 June 1877 – 25 January 1970) was a famous French mezzo-soprano singer. A mezzo-soprano is a female singer with a voice range between a soprano and a contralto. She was well-known for her performances in operas and played a big part in helping new French music become popular.
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Early Life and Musical Start
Jane Bathori was born in Paris, France, on June 14, 1877. Her birth name was Jeanne-Marie Berthier. When she was young, she first studied the piano and hoped to become a concert pianist. However, she soon decided to focus on singing instead.
First Performances
Bathori made her first professional singing appearance around 1898. This was at a small theater in Paris called the Théâtre de la Bodinière. She sang in a concert that celebrated the poet Paul Verlaine. In the same year, she also performed in bigger concerts at the Concerts du Conservatoire. She sang in important works like Fauré's La Naissance de Vénus and Saint-Saëns's Messe de Requiem.
Operatic Debut
Between 1899 and 1900, Jane Bathori made her first appearance in an opera in Nantes. She sang roles that were usually for a soprano, which is a higher female voice. These roles included Mimi in La bohème and Micaëla in Carmen.
Career Highlights and New Music
In the early 1900s, Bathori began studying with a teacher named Pierre-Émile Engel. She later married him in 1908.
Working with Maurice Ravel
Jane Bathori became very famous for singing the song cycle Shéhérazade (Ravel) by the composer Maurice Ravel. A song cycle is a group of songs meant to be performed together. She also performed the very first versions of Ravel's Histoires naturelles and his Chansons madécasses. Ravel even dedicated Histoires naturelles to her.
Theater Director and New Composers
In 1917, Bathori took on a new role. She became the director of the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in Paris. In the early 1920s, she played a very important part in spreading new music. She especially helped composers from a group known as Les Six. She gave many first performances of their works and the works of other new composers.
International Performances and Recognition
Throughout the 1930s, Jane Bathori performed every year at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1935, France honored her for her contributions to French music. She was given the Legion of Honour, which is a very high award.
During the Second World War, when Germany occupied France, she made Buenos Aires her home. After the war, she returned to France. She then taught singing and often gave talks on French radio.
Jane Bathori passed away in Paris in 1970, at the age of 92.
See also
In Spanish: Jane Bathori para niños
