New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-06
CERVILLE-REACHE,
CONTRALTO, DEAD
Sacrifices Of Husband and
Friend Fail TO Save
Singer.
SHE WON FAME IN
ROLE OF DALILA
Came to Manhattan Opera House
in l907-WaS Married to DR..
Georges g. Rambaud.

Mmc. Jeanne Gervllo Reache, for
merly the principal French contralto of
the Manhattan Opera Company. and
especially remembered for her Dalila
in Saint-Saens's opera of Samson ct
Dalla" and for her impersonation of
The title part in Massenet's "Ls Navsr-
raise died yesterday afternoon at
Roosevelt Hospital.
She had been suffering from blood
Poisoning. and her husband. DR.. Georges
G. Rambaud, OF the Pasteur Institute,
had twice within the last week given
her his blood by TRANSMISSION, in the
hope OF saving her life.
The singer leaves, besides her hus-
band. two children. She was born in
the French West Indies about thirty
FIVE years ago.
A daughter of the sunny island of
Guadalupe. Nine. Gervlle-Reache was
often referred TO as the stage god
child of Emma Calve. The great
soprano heard the young girl, then only
fifteen years old, take part in
teachers recital in Paris and marked
her for the opera. 1t was some time
before her father, a former colonial
Governor, would let the daughter think
Of the stage. But the time came when
q host Of admirirg friends broke down
the barrier and she appeared at the
Opera Comique. By the way Of Brus-
sells and London she came to Oscar
Hammerstein's Manhattan Opera House.
Secretly Married.
Her marriage TO DR.. Rambaud, who
is the director of the Pasteur In
stitute, was a secret one. 1t occurred
in New Jersey before a justice of the
peace on November IL. 1910, but it was
not until the following January that
the news leaked out. Except for init
mate friends none knew that the prima
donna had been won by the French
physician.
DR.. Rambaud was born in France, and
ties OF race and love of music drew the
two together. In 1900 the young doc
tor married an American girl who
came TO the institute for treatment.
but nine years later Mrs. Rambaud OBJ
tanned a divorce. The physician was
in Paris at the time, and when he re-
turned to New York he began TO pay
much attention to Nine. Gerville-
Reache.
The prima donna received her edu-
cation in a large degree from her
father, who took his family to many
parts of the world where his duties in
the diplomatic service of the French
government called him. There were
times when the young girl was able to
go to boarding school in Paris. and
at the age of fifteen she successfully
passed the high school examinations
and a year later obtained a higher
diploma.
She was fifteen years old when she
first began 10 take singing lessons.
Endowed with an exceptionally fine
voice. she became a pupil of Rosine
Laborde, and it was at one of the re-
citals at this school that Nine. Calve
made the prophecy that was so well
fulfilled.
operate Career.
Having learned opera parts as well
as songs, she went one day to Grivot's
school of preparation for the stage.
and showed such aptitude after one les
son that the master summoned NJ.
Care, of the Opera Comique, to see
her the next day. The latter at once
offered her a position, but the girls
father objected. Meanwhile she went
70 Nine. Pauline Viardot Garcia for
further instruction, and then won her
parents consent to go on the stage.
VI. Care engaged her at once and
proceeded with rehearsals of Cor
pheus." With little coaching in stage
business. but following her own intui-
ton, she won signal triumph at her
first performance. The whole diplo-
matte corps paid its tribute and the
critics were unanimous in praising her.
She repeated the role twenty-five times
that season at the Opera Comique.
In 1907 Oscar Hammerstein heard
her in a charity concert in Paris and
engaged her for the Manhattan Opera
House, where she won great popularity.
She was as much at home on the con-
cert stage as in the opera. and her
repertory included many of the old
French songs. German lieder and Ital-
ian and English romanZas and mel
odies. After her concert season in
1901 she joined the Boston Grand
Opera Company as leading contralto,
where she appeared from time to time.
Recently she had done much concert
work