Praskovia Ivanovna Kovalyova-Zhemchugova also Kovaleva or Kovalyova,
Kovaleva-Zhemchugova, Zhemchugova-Sheremeteva, and Sheremeteva or
Sheremetyeva (ÐŸÑ€Ð°Ñ ÐºÐ¾Ð²ÑŒÑ Ð˜Ð²Ð°Ð½Ð¾Ð²Ð½Ð° Жемчугова,
КовалÑ'ва, Шереметева) (July 20, 1768 â€" February
23, 1803) was a Russian serf actress and soprano opera
singer.Praskovia was one of the best opera singers in
eighteenth-century Russia. and Figes describes her as Russia's first
"superstar". She was born into the family of a serf blacksmith by the
name of Ivan Gorbunov (a.k.a. Kovalyov) probably on the estate of
Voshchazhnikovo in the province of Yaroslavl. Praskovia and her family
belonged to the Sheremetevs, one of the richest noble families in
Russia at the time, along with an estimated one million other serfs.
As a young girl she moved with her family to the estate of Kuskovo
outside Moscow. Soon thereafter she was taken from her family to serve
as a chambermaid to Princess Martha Dolgorukaya, a relative of her
master, Count Pyotr Sheremetev, who lived in the manor house.When it
was discovered that she was blessed with a fine voice, Praskovia, like
other serfs who became artists, was trained to be a singer in the
opera company then being put together by Count Pyotr and his son,
Nikolai Sheremetev. She debuted in 1779 on the stage of the serf
theatre at Kuskovo in the role of the servant Gubert in the comic
opera L'Amitié à l'épreuve by André Grétry. Following her
success, Praskovia was given the leading role of Belinda in Antonio
Sacchini's opera La colonie. In this 1780 performance the actress for
the first time appeared under the stage name Zhemchugova, "The Pearl",
(zhemchug means "pearl" in Russian). The other stars of the company
were also given new names: Arina "The Sapphire", Fekla "The
Turquoise", Tatyana "The Garnet", Nikolai "The Marble", Andrei "The
Flint", etc.After the role of Belinda, Praskovia was promoted to the
position of the first actress of the theatre. By the age of 17, she
could read and write French and Italian fluently, played the harp and
clavichord, and was acknowledged by her contemporaries for her
operatic and dramatic abilities.
Kovaleva-Zhemchugova, Zhemchugova-Sheremeteva, and Sheremeteva or
Sheremetyeva (ÐŸÑ€Ð°Ñ ÐºÐ¾Ð²ÑŒÑ Ð˜Ð²Ð°Ð½Ð¾Ð²Ð½Ð° Жемчугова,
КовалÑ'ва, Шереметева) (July 20, 1768 â€" February
23, 1803) was a Russian serf actress and soprano opera
singer.Praskovia was one of the best opera singers in
eighteenth-century Russia. and Figes describes her as Russia's first
"superstar". She was born into the family of a serf blacksmith by the
name of Ivan Gorbunov (a.k.a. Kovalyov) probably on the estate of
Voshchazhnikovo in the province of Yaroslavl. Praskovia and her family
belonged to the Sheremetevs, one of the richest noble families in
Russia at the time, along with an estimated one million other serfs.
As a young girl she moved with her family to the estate of Kuskovo
outside Moscow. Soon thereafter she was taken from her family to serve
as a chambermaid to Princess Martha Dolgorukaya, a relative of her
master, Count Pyotr Sheremetev, who lived in the manor house.When it
was discovered that she was blessed with a fine voice, Praskovia, like
other serfs who became artists, was trained to be a singer in the
opera company then being put together by Count Pyotr and his son,
Nikolai Sheremetev. She debuted in 1779 on the stage of the serf
theatre at Kuskovo in the role of the servant Gubert in the comic
opera L'Amitié à l'épreuve by André Grétry. Following her
success, Praskovia was given the leading role of Belinda in Antonio
Sacchini's opera La colonie. In this 1780 performance the actress for
the first time appeared under the stage name Zhemchugova, "The Pearl",
(zhemchug means "pearl" in Russian). The other stars of the company
were also given new names: Arina "The Sapphire", Fekla "The
Turquoise", Tatyana "The Garnet", Nikolai "The Marble", Andrei "The
Flint", etc.After the role of Belinda, Praskovia was promoted to the
position of the first actress of the theatre. By the age of 17, she
could read and write French and Italian fluently, played the harp and
clavichord, and was acknowledged by her contemporaries for her
operatic and dramatic abilities.
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