Marie Delna
also Marie Ledan, Marie Ledant
Birthplace: Paris, France
Marie Delna was a French contralto with a firm, opulent voice. She studied with Rosine Laborde and made her debut in 1892, at seventeen, as Didon in Berlioz's Les Troyens, under a stage name Léon Carvalho suggested. She sang Charlotte in the first French Werther, created Marceline in Bruneau's L'attaque du moulin and was Mistress Quickly in the first French Falstaff, in 1894. She retired on her marriage in 1903 and returned in 1908, finding success in Italy, though not in America. Her few recordings, made between 1903 and 1918, show a smooth legato and fine diction.
Creations
- Mrs. Quickly — Falstaff (Paris, 1894)
Written from
- Steane, J. B. (1992) 'Delna [Ledan], Marie', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 1, p. 1116.
- Wikipedia (2026) Marie Delna. (Accessed: 29 September 2026). The English article.
- Wikipedia (2026) Marie Delna. (Accessed: 29 September 2026). The French article.
- Bibliothèque nationale de France (n.d.) Delna, Marie (1875-1932). Authority record. (Accessed: 29 September 2026).