Yvonne Arnaud
Encyclopedia
Yvonne Arnaud was a French-born pianist, singer and actress.
Germaine Yvonne Arnaud was born in 1892. She entered the Paris Conservatoire
at age 9, studying piano under Alphonse Duvernoy
and other teachers. From 1905 (at age 12) to 1911 she performed with leading orchestras throughout Europe and USA, under conductors such as Édouard Colonne
, Arthur Nikisch
, Willem Mengelberg
, Vasily Safonov, Gustav Mahler
and Alexander Siloti
. In 1911 she decided to try the stage instead of the concert hall and obtained the lead role in the musical The Girl in the Taxi
. She also had a lead in Kissing Time
(1919). However, an operation damaged her vocal cords so she switched from musicals to plays.
Her stage career lasted many years, with several films made during the 1930s. Arnaud's likeness was drawn in caricature by Alex Gard
for Sardi's
, the New York City theater district restaurant. The picture is now part of the collection of the New York Public Library
.
She still occasionally performed as a pianist, for example, with the Hallé Orchestra
under Sir John Barbirolli
in Manchester
in 1948. And she was the soloist at the premiere of Franz Reizenstein
's pastiche Concerto Popolare at the 1956 Hoffnung Festival
(having been chosen after Eileen Joyce
declined).
Arnaud was godmother to the writer Oriel Malet
, and was the subject of Malet's book Marraine: a portrait of my godmother (1961).
For many years she lived in Guildford
, England, where she died. Her ashes were scattered in St. Martha's churchyard on St. Martha's Hill
just south-east of Guildford, and there is a memorial to her on the church grounds. In 1965 the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
was opened in the town.
Germaine Yvonne Arnaud was born in 1892. She entered the Paris Conservatoire
Conservatoire de Paris
The Conservatoire de Paris is a college of music and dance founded in 1795, now situated in the avenue Jean Jaurès in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France...
at age 9, studying piano under Alphonse Duvernoy
Alphonse Duvernoy
Victor-Alphonse Duvernoy was a French pianist and composer.-Life and career:Duvernoy, son of noted bass-baritone Charles-François Duvernoy , was a student of Antoine François Marmontel, François Bazin and Mathurin Barbereau at the Conservatoire de Paris where he studied piano from 1886...
and other teachers. From 1905 (at age 12) to 1911 she performed with leading orchestras throughout Europe and USA, under conductors such as Édouard Colonne
Édouard Colonne
Édouard Juda Colonne was a French conductor and violinist, who was a champion of the music of Berlioz and other eminent 19th-century composers.-Life and career:...
, Arthur Nikisch
Arthur Nikisch
Arthur Nikisch ; 12 October 185523 January 1922) was a Hungarian conductor who performed internationally, holding posts in Boston, London and - most importantly - Berlin. He was considered an outstanding interpreter of the music of Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Liszt...
, Willem Mengelberg
Willem Mengelberg
Joseph Willem Mengelberg was a Dutch conductor, famous for his performances of Mahler and Strauss with the Concertgebouw Orchestra.- Biography :...
, Vasily Safonov, Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
and Alexander Siloti
Alexander Siloti
Alexander Ilyich Siloti was a Russian pianist, conductor and composer. Alexander Ilyich Siloti (also Ziloti, , Aleksandr Iljič Ziloti) (9 October 1863, near Kharkiv - 8 December 1945, New York) was a Russian pianist, conductor and composer. Alexander Ilyich Siloti (also Ziloti, , Aleksandr Iljič...
. In 1911 she decided to try the stage instead of the concert hall and obtained the lead role in the musical The Girl in the Taxi
The Girl in the Taxi
The Girl in the Taxi is the English-language adaptation by Frederick Fenn and Arthur Wimperis of the operetta Die keusche Susanne , with music by Jean Gilbert. The German original had a libretto by Georg Okonkowski...
. She also had a lead in Kissing Time
Kissing Time
thumb|right|[[Leslie Henson]] and [[Phyllis Dare]] Kissing Time, an earlier version of which was titled The Girl Behind the Gun, is a musical comedy with music by Ivan Caryll, book and lyrics by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, and additional lyrics by Clifford Grey...
(1919). However, an operation damaged her vocal cords so she switched from musicals to plays.
Her stage career lasted many years, with several films made during the 1930s. Arnaud's likeness was drawn in caricature by Alex Gard
Alex Gard
Alex Gard , born Alexey Kremkoff in Kazan, Russia, was a cartoonist. He contributed weekly drawings to the drama section of The New York Herald Tribune, and was hired to create caricatures of Broadway and other celebrities at Sardi's Restaurant in New York City.Restaurant owner, Vincent Sardi, and...
for Sardi's
Sardi's
Sardi's is a restaurant in New York City's theater district at 234 West 44th Street in Manhattan. Known for the hundreds of caricatures of show-business celebrities that adorn its walls, Sardi's opened at its current location on March 5, 1927....
, the New York City theater district restaurant. The picture is now part of the collection of the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
.
She still occasionally performed as a pianist, for example, with the Hallé Orchestra
The Hallé
The Hallé is a symphony orchestra based in Manchester, England. It is the UK's oldest extant symphony orchestra , supports a choir, youth choir and a youth orchestra, and releases its recordings on its own record label, though it has occasionally released recordings on Angel Records and EMI...
under Sir John Barbirolli
John Barbirolli
Sir John Barbirolli, CH was an English conductor and cellist. Born in London, of Italian and French parentage, he grew up in a family of professional musicians. His father and grandfather were violinists...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
in 1948. And she was the soloist at the premiere of Franz Reizenstein
Franz Reizenstein
Franz Theodor Reizenstein was a German-born British composer and concert pianist. He left Germany for sanctuary in Britain in 1934 and went on to have his career there, including teaching at the Royal Northern College of Music and Boston University, as well as performing.-Life and work:Franz...
's pastiche Concerto Popolare at the 1956 Hoffnung Festival
Gerard Hoffnung
Gerard Hoffnung was an artist and musician, best known for his humorous works.- Early years :Born in Berlin, and named Gerhard, he was the only child of a well-to-do Jewish couple, Hildegard and Ludwig Hoffnung...
(having been chosen after Eileen Joyce
Eileen Joyce
Eileen Alannah Joyce CMG was an Australian pianist whose career spanned more than 30 years. She lived in England in her adult years....
declined).
Arnaud was godmother to the writer Oriel Malet
Oriel Malet
Lady Auriel Rosemary Malet Vaughan is an author of literary fiction and biographies who wrote under the name of Oriel Malet. Her parents were Ernest Edmund Henry Malet Vaughan, 7th Earl of Lisburne and Maria Isabel Regina Aspasia de Bittencourt...
, and was the subject of Malet's book Marraine: a portrait of my godmother (1961).
For many years she lived in Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, England, where she died. Her ashes were scattered in St. Martha's churchyard on St. Martha's Hill
St. Martha's Hill
St Martha's Hill is a landmark of the parish of St Martha's in Surrey, England, situated between Guildford and Chilworth, Surrey. It is a prominent hill on the Greensand Ridge just to the south of the North Downs in southeast England. The top of the hill provides good views of Newland's Corner and...
just south-east of Guildford, and there is a memorial to her on the church grounds. In 1965 the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford, Surrey presents in-house productions which often tour and transfer to London's West End. Other performances include opera, ballet and pantomime. Named after the actress Yvonne Arnaud, the company has two performance venues, a main theatre and the smaller Mill...
was opened in the town.
Selected filmography
- Canaries Sometimes SingCanaries Sometimes SingCanaries Sometimes Sing is a 1930 British romantic comedy film, directed by Tom Walls. The film is a four-hander, starring Walls, Cathleen Nesbitt, Athole Stewart and Yvonne Arnaud...
(1930) - On ApprovalOn Approval (1930 film)On Approval is a 1930 British comedy film directed by and starring Tom Walls and also featuring Yvonne Arnaud, Winifred Shotter and Robertson Hare...
(1930) - Tons of Money (1930)
- The Improper DuchessThe Improper DuchessThe Improper Duchess is a 1936 British comedy film directed by Harry Hughes and starring Yvonne Arnaud, Hugh Wakefield, Wilfrid Caithness and Arthur Finn. The film is based on the 1931 play of the same name by J. B...
(1936) - Neutral PortNeutral PortNeutral Port is a 1940 British war film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Will Fyffe, Leslie Banks, Yvonne Arnaud, Phyllis Calvert and Wally Patch. A British merchant ship is torpedoed by a German U-Boat and takes shelter in a neutral port. The Captain then strikes back at the German enemy...
(1940) - The Ghosts of Berkeley SquareThe Ghosts of Berkeley SquareThe Ghosts of Berkeley Square is a 1947 British comedy film, directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Robert Morley and Felix Aylmer. The film is an adaptation of the novel No Nightingales by Caryl Brahms and S. J. Simon, inspired by the enduring reputation of the property at 50 Berkeley Square as...
(1947)