Nantier-Didiée, Constance (Betzy Rosabella)

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Nantier-Didiée, Constance (Betzy Rosabella)

Nantier-Didiée, Constance (Betzy Rosabella), French mezzo-soprano; b. St. Denis, Ile de Bourbon, Nov. 16, 1831; d. Madrid, Dec. 4, 1867. She was a pupil of Duprez at the Paris Cons., where she took the premier prix in opera in 1849. In 1850 she made her stage debut in Mercadante’s La Vestale at the Teatro Carignano in Turin. After appearing at the Salle Venta-dour (1851) and the ThéâtreItalien (1852) in Paris, she made her debut at Covent Garden in London as the Chevalier de Gondi in Donizetti’s Maria di Rohan (May 3, 1853), remaining there for 3 seasons. She also toured Spain in 1854 and North America in 1855–56. From 1856 to 1858 she performed once again at the Théâtre-Italien. She then resumed her association with Covent Garden, appearing as Urbain in Les Huguenots in the inaugural production of its new theater on May 15, 1858. She continued to sing there until 1864. On Nov. 10, 1862, she created the role of Preziosilla in La forza del destino in St. Petersburg.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis Mclntire