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Marguerite Priola (1849–1876) was a French operatic soprano. She made her debut in 1869 in Paris as the Messenger of Peace in the first French production of Wagner's Rienzi at the Théâtre Lyrique. She enjoyed a successful career at the Opéra-Comique until 1874, performing mainly coloratura soprano roles. There she created several roles, including Princess Elsbeth in Offenbach's Fantasio, Maritana in Massenet's Don César de Bazan, and Javotte in Le roi l'a dit by Delibes. In 1876, she joined the Opéra de Marseille, where she appeared as Philine in Mignon by Ambroise Thomas. Unable to use her voice to its full potential due to illness, she was booed throughout the performance. The illness developed into a serious outbreak of typhoid fever and she died three weeks later at the age of 27. This 1873 portrait, taken by the French photographer Alexandre Quinet, shows Priola in her role in Le Roi l'a dit.

Photograph credit: Alexandre Quinet; restored by Adam Cuerden

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