Artot, Marguerite Josephine Desiree Montagney

1835-

Famous French opera singer and teacher, daughter of Jean Desiree Montagney, horn professor at the Brussels Conservatory. She was born in Paris, enjoyed the instruction of Madame Viardot-Garcia, and began her musical career by singing in concerts in England, Holland and Belgium. At the Paris Opera, she made a very successful debut, in 1858, as Fides, but though enthusiastically praised by the critics, she shortly relinquished French Opera for Italian. She sang in Italy, and in Berlin, creating a furore in II Barbiere, Cenerentola, and II Trovatore. She was a great favorite in Germany, where she sang several years, appearing both in German and Italian Opera, reaching the height of her career. She made her London debut, in opera, in 1863, visited England again the following year and in 1866, and was also very highly esteemed by the English. In 1869 she married the Spanish barytone singer, Padilla y Ramois, and toured with him in Austria, Russia, Germany and elsewhere. She was settled in Berlin, for a while, as teacher of singing, but in 1889 returned to Paris, and in this center has been very successful as a teacher. She has formed several celebrated pupils from the north, among them the Swedish dramatic soprano Sigrid Arnoldson.