Similarities?

Shall we share?

Differences?

Variety is the spice of life!!

Judging moi?

La Maupin Interview

                   Hello and welcome La Maupin!!

  1.   N So La Maupin what events in you early life made you get interested in the arts?

M Well my darling there were really only two. My father and my second husband. My father’s job was the education of the Sun King's pages and the training of his horses. People say that he had odd views on the proper education of women (Burrows, 2008). My father raised me in much of the ways of royal pages in which I was instructed to learn the arts of dancing, drawing, writing and grammar (Sadie,1992). Also the art of the sword, my father wanted me to be safe regarding my sex. Oh silly me I got off topic…. My father did introduce me to art, but all my life I had the personality that was fit for the stage (Burrows, 2008).

N  You said there was another event in you early life that made you interested in the arts?

M Yes mon amie. I was in my second marriage. He was a police officer and believed highly in the art of the sword. But he was in a duel and killed someone! We fled to the country immediately. We shortly ran out of money so we would duel for entertainment and I would sing while we dueled. To get even more attention I would dress up in men’s clothing. That was my first time singing and got me interested in the beautiful art (Burrows, 2008).

     2.   N Malle Maupin?

M Yes my love?

N What role did mentors play in helping you develop the interests and talents you have as an artist?

M Oh I have so many. Well first it would have to be my father that introduced me to the arts in general. Another mentor was Pierre Gaulteir. Gaulteir had a music academy in Marseilles a beautiful city and a gateway to the Mediterranean. Gaultier fell in love with my beautiful contralto voice (Salmonson, 1982). 

N Parrier Gaultier? Wasn’t he close friends with Lully?

M Oui, Lully was a wonderful Italian man that influenced the French opera a great deal over his life time (Naxos, 2011) 

N Before the interview you were talking about a man named Marechal?

M Oh yes. He taught me many things about music being a musician himself. He would always say that I was made for the stage! And also that I needed to go to Paris and perform and that I would become very popular!(Salmonson,1982) 

     3.    N What was the world of art like in your field of art during your lifetime?

 M Well my dear in my early life there wern’t that many opera singers. Italian composers were just getting popular. The Sun King loved them and had Lully and others compose operas for him (Sartorius, 2006).The style of music back then was Baroque which was a Catholic style church music (Howell, 2011).

 N So when did you get into singing operas ?

 M In the 17th Century darling. The composer André Campra and made operas more famous in France, well at least Paris. (Pompadour 2009) Andre was a brilliant man, as great as Lully. Andre was more lively and amusing which fit my personality perfectly! Tancrède were a very successful opera and revived for a long time. It was written for me. Many said that my gorgeous alto voice and personal life was renowned. It was also the first opera in Paris whose leading female was not a soprano. Yes! I finally got a lead roll instead of a soprano!(Campardon,1984)

     4.   N Oh ha ha ha. Let’s move on. So how did the major cultural, economic, and political situation of the time impact your work?

M Well when I was younger my father was very wealthy. He worked for the Sun King so I never had troubles as a child and raised me to understand politics. When I married my first husband he too was wealthy and also worked for the Sun King. But after he couldn’t handle me anymore he left me for a job outside of France.  I had my first economic situation when my second husband killed someone and we had to flee the county from then on I struggled (Gautier,1989).

N Struggled how?

M Well my sweet trying to support us both. He had no job and I was the one with the talents so I had to make the bread. And in my culture the man was suppose to take care of the woman.

N That must have been hard. How did you over come?

M To be completely honest I didn’t. I left him and did it on my own. But then I would fall in love again and I would find the people that could not support me! Then I was the one who was supporting them. I didn’t mind. I got used to it and I was doing something I loved which was singing and dueling (Burrows 2008).

N WOW! Your life was very fast? what were your major accomplishments and the methods you used?

5. I had many accomplishments but I will talk about the three I’m still very proud of. 

N Your first one would be? 

M My first one is that I played amazing “trouser roles” that is playing male roles. People wouldn’t even recognize me when I dressed and acted like a man. (Dautheville 1995) But I also played many women’s roles beautifully like goddesses Minerva and Pallas Athena, Queens Medea and Dido, founder of Carthage and the warrior woman Clorinda. The first opera I ever sang was Opera as Pallas Athena in Cadmus & Hermione (Dautheville 1995). All very good. 

N Your other one would be?

M Before my operatic career blossomed I had. A second career as a professional duelist in Paris. Having been trained as a little one and then honing my skills all over France I was very successful as a duelist. My last great accomplishment was when my friend Andre Campra wrote the opera Tancrède for me to sing. I was so very honored. Oh I almost forgot! I had a successful run as Medee in La Grange’s opera Medus. This role was so difficult that my other colleagues from the opera turned it down.

      6.   N You have accomplished a lot in your life but what were the key opportunities you had that led to turning pints in your life and art?

M Well there were really just three.

N hmmm....

M The first one was when I got into the music academy. I was taught very well by Pierre Gaultier who loved my deep voice. The second turning point was when I was trained by Marechal and what he taught me was a true revelation. As I went to Paris he said take whatever job I could find in the theatre and if I continued fame and fortune would be mine. Just keep trying and never give up! (Velde 1995) Both opportunities changed the way I thought about opera. They showed me that having a deeper and being a woman was okay. And both of those opportunities led me to my career in the opera.

Then the last changing point in my life was when I first went to the opera in Paris. When I first stated people weren’t really into it yet. It wasn’t as popular as it was when I came back. But when I first got into the opera It showed me and taught me how and what to do while performing. Also it molded me into the sexy beautiful star I became (Velde 1995).

     7.    N We are almost finished with the interview. 

M Oh, okay darling.

N Next question. What personal choices did you make to become successful?

M  My first really good choice was when I decided I wanted to sing in the Paris Opera. It took a while to get into it, but I got in. When I was in the opera I was immediately famous. All the people loved my stories and my personality. Even the Sun King enjoyed my company (Dautheville 2011). And that is saying something! 

N That is a very good choice! Any others?

M Oh yes! Another great choice was way in my early years. It was when I decided that I wanted to perform for a living. When I was with my second husband and we had to leave Paris we had no money. So I said that I shall sing and we shall duell! (Dautheville 2011) That was the point where I never stopped performing. 

    8      N Your life seemed like it was really hard. What hardships or roadblocks did you have to overcome in order to be an artist?

M I had many hardships.... But the one that really sticks out as an artist was when I was trying to get into the Paris opera but Lully wasn’t then managing the theater. It was his son-in-law and he wasn’t impressed with my singing ability. That didn’t stop me though. I had many influential friends that got me into the Opera house. When I got in, I impressed Lully’s son and was the most famous singer in the company! (Sadie1992)

Another hardship was when in my earlier years and I feel in love with this beautiful young lady. But her parents forbid her to see me! Being in love makes you do stupid thing. A nun just had died so I put the nun in her bed and set her room afire. We left for three amazing months ,just us and love. Then she was missing her parents and getting on my nerves, so I left her and she went to her parents ashamed. I was sentenced as a man for arson, kidnapping, body snatching, and for homosexual activities (Sartorius 2006). I left Paris and couldn’t perform in the operas or  go back until I got my one my friends in law to ask the king to dismiss my charges. That was the day I found out that I amused the king (Sadie1992).

9        N That must have been very hard to go through. What other kinds of limitations did you run into as both an artist and a person?

M Well the first one that I can think of was when I fell deeply in love with a beautiful soprano La Moreau. She was not like all the other women I fell in love with like Marthe Le Rochois and Fanchon Moreau that I just used for love. This woman, I loved to my core. When she failed to love me in that way I tried to commit suicide. (Burrows 2008).  I did not want to feel the pain of love any longer. I hurt too much....

N That must have been very hard.

M It was one of the hardest things I have ever gone through. But I still have gone through a lot. When I was a young girl my father was a good man, but he was a gambler and a drunkard. He would be very hard on me as a child. As I got older and was taught by the musician Marechal, he too was a drunkard and was too hard to stay with so I left a little too soon to be taught extremely well. (Rembrandt 2002)

   10    N What personal stories best illustrate you becoming a successful artist?

M When I attended King Louis XIV’s ball. I dressed as a man and set my eyes on a beautiful young woman. We had several dances together and everyone was looking and talking about us. Then in the middle of the dance floor, I gave her a passionate kiss and it was too much for her suitors to watch. So I said suggested a duel in the gardens. It was three against one and I won! This story shows how good I became at trouser roles no one recognized me.(Burrows 2008)

 Another story that showed me becoming successful as an artist was when I returned to Paris and resumed my career on the Opera’s stage. During that time André Campra wrote the opera Tancrède for me. Tancrède is about warrior’s love tragedy. The opera was so good and I played my part so well that they showed Tancrède numerous times. That is the best story that illustrated me becoming a successful Artist.(Rembrandt 2002)

Bibliography

Burrows, Jim. "Mademoiselle Maupin Home Page." N.P., 2008. Web. 23 Feb 2011. <http://www.eldacur.com/~brons/Maupin/MaupinIndex.html>.

Campardon, Emile. " L'Academie Royale de Musique au 18e siecl." N.p., paris, 1884. Web. < http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/velde/opera.htm>.

Dautheville, Anne France. "Julie, Chevalier de Maupin." N.p., 1995. Web. 25 Feb 2011. <http://www.eldacur.com/~brons/Maupin/MaupinSources.html#Fetis>.

Gautier, Theophile, . " Mademoiselle de Maupin." English translation, The Heritage Press, 1944. Web.  <http://www.eldacur.com/~brons/Maupin/MaupinSources.html#Fetis>.

Howell, John. "Early Music FAQ." N.p., July 1999. Web. 25 Feb 2011. < http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/misc/opera.html>.

"Naxous." N.p., 2011. Web. 25 Feb 2011. <http://www.naxos.com/person/Jean_Baptiste_Lully/22610.htm>.

Pompadour, Bender aka. André Campra. N.p., 2009. Web. 25 Feb 2011. <http://www.manteau.de/andre.html>.

Rembrandt, Delft. ""Pompadour's Early Music" is part of THE EARLY MUSIC WEB RING." N.p., 1996-2002. Web. <http://www.manteau.de/>.

Sadie, Ulie Anne. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_d'Aubigny. N.p., London,1992. Web. < http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/velde/opera.htm>

Salmonson, jessica. " Mademoiselle de Maupin." From the Introduction to Amazons II. N.p., 1982. Web. <http://www.eldacur.com/~brons/Maupin/MaupinSources.html#AmazonsII>.

Sartorius, Michael. "Baroque Music Pages ." N.p., 2006. Web. <      http://www.baroquemusic.org/barcomp.html#FR

Velde, François. "Biographie Universelle des Musiciens." English translation, The Heritage Press, 1995. Web. 25 Feb 2011.< http://www.archive.org/details/biographieuniver187801ft>.

Artifact Reference List

Reference List for La Maupin Artifacts

This is my last picture I will show you this evening. This is me and another woman and we are dueling and I and sining. 

9.  This is a picture of me dressed as a man and the lovely lady doesn't know how I am.