Clamma Dale
Clamma Dale (Soprano)
Memorabilia
Memorabilia
Memorabilia
Memorabilia
Maria D'Apparecida (Brazil)
Maria D'Apparecida (Mezzo)
Brazilian Mezzo Soprano, Maria D'Apparecida, was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro. As a child, she studied piano, dance, and French. After completing her studies at the Rio de Janeiro Music Conservatory in 1949, she wished to pursue lyrical singing, however, was told; "Beautiful voice Maria...but because you're "black, and too dark," you'll never sing opera at the Theatro Municipal," Rio de Janeiro's premiere Opera House.
After having such ignorant narrow-minded racism thrown directly into her face, Maria became a Primary School Teacher. She took on a second job, at night, as a radio station announcer and host for several Brazilian radio stations where she played music recordings, conducted interviews, and read children's bedtime stories. It was at one of these stations that Maria learned of a vocal competition being held in Italy. Sponsored by the Brazilian Press Association, Maria was flown to Rome, and competed in the Gian Battista Viotti International Voice Competition in Vercelli, Italy.
Out of 500 applicants, Maria finished second place, winning the Silver Medal. Part of the prize was a one year scholarship to further develop her voice in Europe. She would attend the Sorbonne, and the Conservatoire National Superieure de Music et Dance de Paris. This was in 1959.
In 1960, Miss D'Apparecida relocated to France, and made it her permanent residence. She, along with composer pianist Waldemar Henrique, started out by giving recitals of Brazilian Lieder (Folklore Art Songs) composed by Braga, Villa-Lobos, Tavares, and Henrique at Concert Halls in Lisbon, Madrid, and Paris. One of these recitals was given at the Theatre du Odeon, in Paris.
In 1962, she made her official opera debut at the Grand Theatre de Bordeaux singing the title roles of Bizet's Carmen, and Dido in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. Later that year, she recorded the role of Suzuki in Puccini's Madama Butterfly with soprano Geori Boue (Cio-Cio-San), tenor Michel Cadiou (Pinkerton), and baritone Xavier DuPraz (Sharpless.) This recording may very well be the first, and only, commercial LP recording of Madama Butterfly in which Suzuki is sung by a Black mezzo. *(Official confirmation still needed.)
It was around this time that the renowned French surrealist painter, Felix Labisse, began painting portraits of Maria. At their first sitting, Labisse became increasingly frustrated with not being able to create the exact paint pigment color that matched Maria's skin tone. Maria, becoming increasingly frustrated with Labisse's frustration, abruptly insisted that she be painted blue, making it obvious that the subject matter is not white, and the viewing public can make their own conclusion as to which non-white hue she was, and thus, putting an end to the Artist Temper Tantrum Labisse had now begun to throw, with himself.
For the next two decades, Labisse painted over 15 well known portraits of Maria D'Apparecida, half of which dipict her as a Blue Woman, and are on display in museums throughout France and Belgium.
Despite Felix Labisse being married, and 20 years Maria's senior, they began an affair, and remained lovers for two decades, with full approval consent from Jony Labisse, Felix's wife. When Felix died in 1982, he did so while in the arms of Maria, and when Jony followed her husband, six months later, it was Maria who tended to, and sat by her bedside, until the very end.
1965 was a momentous year for Miss D'apparecida. By now, she had already sung at major Opera Houses in London, Brussels, Rome, and Berlin. Maria was asked to step-in, at the last moment, for Maria Callas who had fallen ill shortly before a Carmen performance at the Paris Opera. The press, critics, and audience went berserk with nothing but the highest of praises for her performance. That night, Maria D'Apparecida became the very first Black Brazilian to perform at the Paris Opera, and the first Black Latina. Three years prior, it was Martinican soprano, Christienne Eda-Pierre, who became the first Black Caribbean singer to do so.
Miss D'Apparecida was immediately asked to complete the Carmen run, and was offered a contract for the following 1966 season to sing the roles of Carmen, and Madame Lidoine in Poulenc's Les Dialouges des Carmelites. The newspaper, Le Parisien wrote: "D'Apparecida is, without doubt, the most complete Carmen we have ever known. Her voice has the bass notes of a cello and the high notes of a brilliant unbroken metal."
1965 was also the 400th Anniversary of the city of Rio de Janeiro. As part of the celebrations, the Paris Opera was invited to perform at the Theatro Municipal. The Paris Opera brought with them two productions. One of Carmen, the other of Les Dialogues des Carmelites, with Maria D'Apparecida singing lead roles in both, on the very same stage that, six years earlier, slammed the door in her face, before she had a chance to knock. Now, as a contracted member of the Paris Opera, she would return to perform as a European Prima Donna, in her home land, thus making her the first Black Brazilian to sing at the Theatro Municipal. All performances, of both operas, were sold out to full capacity one day before the first performance for which, in attendance, was the President of Brazil.
Maria received the same splendid reception from the Brazilian press, critics, and audiences that she did in Paris, by their French counterparts. However, behind the lavish scenes of a Bull Fighting Seville, and of a Guillotine Fearing France, things were not so lavish. The ignorant narrow-minded racism serpent was still slithering around on the floors of the Theatro's backstage corridors, conducting it's own Opera.
It began with a riveting duet between the Theatro's House Nurse, and the House Masseur, whom for both, absolutely refused to service Maria under any circumstances, what so ever. This was followed by a stirring Anthem performed by the White Brazilian Chorus singers who were extremely cold, rude, and distant towards her. Even the White Stage Technicians displayed their agile Coloralura by loudly joking among themselves, saying; "Why is everyone chasing after this Maria D"Apparecida?...She doesn't even resemble a Carmen...She looks more like a black girl running to buy bread for her boss."
Did this antiquated low-life behavior shock Maria? No, because, it had only been six years since Maria last left Brazil, and she didn't fool herself into expecting things would have improved in such a short period of time. Did it, nonetheless, sting a little? It began stinging the second Maria was born on Brazilian soil. Back in Europe, she was sting free.
Maria would end the year of 1965 being greeted by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. after a performance at the Berlin Opera. They sat briefly with one another, and discussed Universal Racism. Three years later, Miss D'Apparecida would participate in an Anti-Racism Demonstration at the Sorbonne's Amphitheater in Paris, one of her Alma Maters.
Between 1960 - 1974, Maria D'Apparecida had sung the roles of Amneris, Azucena, Concepcion, Cherubino, Dido, Mallika, Madame Lidoine, Nicklausse, Siebel, Suzuki, Ulrica, La Voix Humaine, premiered two operas - Fiancailles 'a Saint Domingue, and Lucrece de Padoue, was soloist for Beethovan's 9th Sym, Brahms Alto Rhapsody, and gave recitals at major opera houses in the UK, The Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Spain Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Bulgaria, Russia, and France (Opera Comique, Grand Theatre de Bordeaux, Theatre Gerard Philipe, Theatre des Arts, Rouen, Theatre Graslin, Nantes, and the Paris Opera).
In addition, she received the Grand Prix de l'Academie Lyrique Orphee d'Or for her album, "Chant Bresiliens,"with classical guitarist, Turibio Santos, in 1966, received the Prix Printemps de Suede for her album "Airs Bresiliens", with solo Harpist for the Paris Opera, Bernard Galais, in 1971, and received the Grand Prix de L'Academie du Disque Francais for her Album 'Maria D'Apparecida Canta o Brasil" with pianist Wilfredo Voguet, in 1972, performing Brazilian Folklore Airs (Lieder) of Villa Lobos, Braga, Mignone, Pinto, Oville, and Henrique. However, 1974 would end very horribly, with devastating affects for Maria.
On Christmas Eve Day, 1974, while Maria rode on the back seat of a taxi in Brussels, Belgium, either her taxi driver ran the red light, or the other vehicle involved was the culprit. Whomever was at fault, the impact of the collision thrusted Maria forward, hurling her straight through the taxi's front windshield, head first, narrowly escaping blindness and decapitation. She laid in hospital for 3 months, with six surgeries. It took three long years for Maria to fully recover, and the horrific ordeal left her permanently disfigured and scarred, maladies for which she masked brilliantly and beautifully!!!
With her lyrical voice miraculously still in tact, she made a couple of heroic attempts at returning to opera, but soon made the heart wrenching decision that she would no longer perform opera on stage because the pain she endured while reaching for high notes was excruciating, making her skull and face feel as if they were being struck by lightning, and she could not complete a full opera.
Vocally and physically fully warmed up, minus any stratospheric high notes, she focused her singing on Brazilian Art Songs, and Brazilian Pop Music, (MBP) which had become quite popular in France, Spain, and Portugal. She sought out virtuoso Brazilian-Portuguese guitarist Baden Powell, considered the greatest guitarist of Brazil, who was in Paris at the time. They met and collaborated on repertoire for a new album. Maria pondered heavily on weather she would completely loose her Opera Fan Base, and, would she be accepted by the more "Hip" crowd that enjoyed MBP, or would she be deemed a highfalutin Opera Singer, now making a farce out of Popular Music. Would Popular Music make a farce out of Maria?
When the album was released in 1977, it immediately shot up on the billboard charts for Brazilian Pop Music. Opera fans, and MBP fans alike, adored it. Maria D'Apparecida was back on top, only this time, in another genre. She would go on to record 20 more of such albums with various renowned artists in the fields of Jazz, Oratorio Jazz, Brazilian Jazz, Brazilian Folklore Art Songs, French Folklore Songs, MBP, Bossa Nova, Samba, and Choros.
One of these albums won the Charles Cros Grand Prix International Academie Lyric du disque Francais, in 1988, for the album, "Brasileirissimo."
She toured all over Western Europe as an Ambassador of MPB, and Brazilian Folklore Airs, making guest cameo appearances on numerous television shows, and concerts. She recorded her last album in 1997, at age 71.
Among the numerous honors bestowed upon her were the Medaille de la Ville de Paris, presented to her by then, Mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac, in 1981. Ten years later, it would be the President of France, Francois Mitterrand, who presented her with the Chevalier des la Legion d'Honneur, Officier des Arts et des Lettres.
After 2008, Maria gradually became more, and more withdrawn from the limelight, and society. She began returning all letters addressed to her from Brazil, unread and unopened, and only ventured outside if she deemed it necessary. Pretty soon, she would become a total recluse, hardly ever leaving her apartment, returning all letters addressed to her, no matter from where, and never opening her front door to anyone, except for her Housekeeper Maid. On July 4, 2017, Maria D'Apparecida died peacefully in her Paris apartment, in which she lived for over 40 years, two blocks from the Arc du Triumph. She was 91 years old.
Maria D'Aapperacida was never ashamed, nor ever denied the fact that she was the product of a secret romantic tryst between a young Black girl, who was the House Maid for a well-to do White Brazilian family living in Sao Paulo, and a young White boy, the family's son. When the boy's parents learned that Dulce was pregnant with their grandchild, she was immediately fired, and banished off to Rio de Janeiro where she gave birth to Maria, in 1926.
Maria never knew her father, and when she was eight years old, her mother, Dulce, died of Tuberculosis. Maria was either taken in by the well-to-do White Family that Dulce worked for at the time of her death, or, by well-to-do distant relatives of her father. Which ever the case, Maria moved into an affluent household that already had four girl siblings, all around Maria's age. Everything that her "sisters" received (Maria was never legally or officially adopted), Maria received as well. These included some of the finer things of life Rio de Janeiro had to offer, such as piano, dance, tennis, and French lesions, trips to museums, art galleries, and other cultural venues and outlets.
Among her close circle of friends, Maria would sometimes joke that she was always; "That little pretentious Mulatto Child." (Mulatto = A term widely used throughout Brazil to describe any person who is biracial). However, when it came to television, radio, and newspaper interviews, Maria would take on a more serious tone, as one reporter found out, one evening after a Berlin Opera performance, when he asked Maria, how did she get to where she was? Maria pulled her shoulders back, lifted her head slightly, with a look of mischievious defiance on her face, daring anyone to challenge her response, replied; "By being, and working as, a Black Woman."
The story of Maria D'Apparecida would have been lost, and forgotten, had it not been for the majestic effort by Brazilian-French Journalist, Dr. Maze Torquato Chotil. After reading Maria's obituary in a Paris newspaper, which was printed and issued three months after the woman had died, Dr. Chotil was shocked, angered, and sadden at the fact that she, herself born in Brazil, now living in Paris for several years, had never heard of Maria D"Apparecida before then. Filled with Brazilian pride, Dr. Chotil set forth to research, and discover everything Maria D'Apparecida. The result was the biography entitled, "Maria D'Apparecida-Negroluminosa Voz", authored by Dr. Chotil, in 2020; first published in Portuguese, then in French, shortly thereafter. This led to a five episode Docu-Web series entitled, 'Maria D'Apparecida: Luz Negra," with Dione Carlos as Maria.
Dr. Chotil helped facilitate an official plaque that has been mounted on the outside facade of Maria's apartment building in Paris, and work is in progress to name a Concert Hall after her, somewhere in France.
A full length feature film depicting Maria D'Apparecida's life is scheduled for release in 2026, staring Opera Singer and Actress, Luanda Siqueira, which will be shown in movie theaters throughout France, Belguim, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK.
The above bio; written and submitted by Gene Howard.
* (Please note, the following photos of Miss D'Apparecida are not tangible memorabilia items within the Valerie M. Orridge LP Record Collection. They were obtained via the internet.)
Maria with, either members of her adoptive family, or High School friends.
Felix Labisse, and Maria D'Apparecida.
Portrait by Felix Labisse.
Portrait by Felix Labisse.
Portrait by Felix Labisse.
Maria backstage before a concert.
Nadia Boulanger, Maria D'Apparecida, Wilfredo Voguet, and Nikita Magaloff.
Jean Subrenat, and Maria D'Apparecida.
Portrait by Felix Labisse.
Maria with Brazilian painter, Noemia Guerra.
Guitarist Baden Powell, and Maria D'Apparecida.
Maria receiving the "Medaille de la Ville de Paris," from then, Mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac.
Maria receiving the "Chevalier des la Legion d'Honneur, Officier des Arts et des Lettres," from then, President of France, Francois Mitterrand.
Brazilian writer, Marques Rebelo, Felix Labisse, and Maria.
Portrait by Felix Labisse.
Portrait by Felix Labisse.
Portrait by Felix Labisse.
Portrait by Felix Labisse.
Portrait by Felix Labisse.
Portrait by Felix Labisse.
Baden Powell, Maria D'Apparecida, and Felix Labisse.
Felix and Maria.
Maria D'Apparecida, and Maryvonne Binder at the opening of the Felix Labisse Exhibition, in Cordes Sur Ciel, France.
Maria D'Apparecida, and Jean Binder.
Maria laying flowers at the grave of Felix, and Jony Labisse.
Maria at the opening of the Felix Labisse Exibition, in Menton, France.
Dr. Maze Torquato Chotil with a copy of her authored biography of Maria D'Apparecida: "Maria D'Apparecida Negroluminosa Voz."
Ellabelle Davis
Ellabelle Davis (Soprano)
10 inch LP.
Gloria Davy
Gloria Davy (Soprano)
Memorabilia
1958 Opera News, courtesy of the late Mrs. Winifred Corley.
William Dawson (Composer)
William Dawson
Leonard De Paur (Conductor)
Leonard De Paur
James DePreist (Conductor)
James DePreist
Dean Dixon (Conductor)
Dean Dixon
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
10 inch LP.
Mattiwilda Dobbs
Mattiwilda Dobbs (Soprano)
LP, courtesy of the late Mr. Joseph Goode.
Memorabilia
1959 Opera News, courtesy of the late Mrs. Winifred Corley.
* William Drake
William Drake (Baritone)
William Drake (Baritone)
Memorabilia
William Drake (Baritone)
This website uses cookies.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.