Marguerite Villette

A mezzo-soprano who spent a quarter of a century at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. She made her debut there as Hermione in Aphrodite on 6 October 1906, and less than three months later created Cio-Cio-San's aunt in the revised Madama Butterfly. More than twenty creations followed, among them Gertrude in Messager's Fortunio in 1907, Aurélie Vettii in La danseuse de Pompéi in 1912 and Belon in Cantegril in 1931. Her repertory at the house ran from Mercédès and Marceline to Zita in Gianni Schicchi, and in 1909 she sang Mrs Benson in Lakmé at Boston.