Arnould, (Madeleine) Sophie
Arnould, (Madeleine) Sophie
Arnould, (Madeleine) Sophie, notable French soprano; b. Paris, Feb. 13, 1740; d. there, Oct. 22, 1802. She studied with Marie Fel and Hippolyte Clairon. In 1757 she joined the Paris Opéra, where she was one of its principal members until her retirement on a state pension of 2, 000 livres in 1788. She created the title role in Gluck’s Iphigénie en Aulide there on April 19, 1774, and also had fine success in operas by Rameau, Monsigny, and Fancoeur. She also became a favorite in Parisian society. Pierné chose her as the subject of his opera Sophie Arnould (1927).
Bibliography
A. Deville, A.iana (Paris, 1813); E. and J. de Gon-court, S. A. d’après sa correspondance et ses mémoires (Paris, 1857); R. Douglas, S. A., Actress and Wit (Paris, 1898); B. Dussanc, S. A.: La plus spirituelle des bacchantes (Paris, 1938).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire