Cecilia Maria Barthélemon

Cecilia Maria Barthélemon (1 September 1767 – 5 December 1859) Early life Cecilia Maria Barthélemon was born in 1767. Her mother, Maria Barthélemon, was a singer and composer, and her father, François-Hippolyte Barthélemon, was a violinist and a singer. From a young age, Barthélemon learned to sing and play the harpsichord, piano, organ, and harp from her parents. Until 1788, she studied harpsichord, piano, and organ with Johann Samuel Schröter. in 1771–1772, while Barthélemon was an infant, her parents brought her on tour to Dublin. In 1776, the family toured Germany, France, and Italy, where Barthélemon sang for the King of Naples and the Queen of France. Professional life Barthélemon debuted in London as a singer on 3 March 1779 at the Haymarket Theatre, where she sang an Italian duet with her mother. Her next large-scale performance was in April 1782, when she played the part of First Fairy in the musical “The Arcadian Pastoral.” Her father led the orchestra and her mother directed the off-stage chorus. At a benefit concert for her father in April 1784, Barthélemon played a piano concerto after Act I of Thomas Arne’s opera Eliza. Her father accompanied her on the viola d’amore.