Background
She was born Johanna Maria Lind on October 6, 1820, at Stockholm, Sweden. Lind was the illegitimate daughter of Niclas Jonas Lind (1798–1858), a bookkeeper, and Anne-Marie Fellborg (1793–1856), a schoolteacher.
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Jenny Lind
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also known as
Johanna Maria Lind, "Swedish Nightingale"
Education
When she was nine, her musical gift was discovered by the maid of an operatic dancer, and in 1830 she was admitted to the singing school of the Royal Theater in Stockholm.
Career
Her first great success came in 1838, when she appeared at the Royal Theater as Agathe in Der Freischutz. When she went to study with Manuel Garcia in Paris in 1841, it was the opinion of that great singing master that she had somewhat spoiled her voice by performing prematurely. However, after a year of intensive study her vocal gift achieved its full beauty and power; thereafter she had no peer.
Her voice, ranging two octaves and a sixth, from B below middle C to G above high C, was a bright thrilling soprano, which she used with breathtaking skill and imagination. She created an unprecedented sensation in London in 1847, particularly for her performances in the roles of Alice in Meyerbeer's Robert Le Diable and Susanna in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. In 1849 she left the stage and concentrated solely on oratorio and concert singing.
From 1850 to 1852 she performed widely in the United States under the management of P. T. Barnum, earning more than $125, 000. After her return to England, she performed regularly as a concert singer until 1870 and was for several years professor of singing at the Royal College.
Achievements
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She was one of the most celebrated concert and operatic singers of the modern age. She was in great demand in opera roles throughout Sweden and northern Europe during the 1840s, and was closely associated with Felix Mendelssohn.
Under the name "Jenny Lind-Goldschmidt", she is commemorated in Poets' Corner, Westminster Abbey, London.
Membership
She was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music from 1840.
Personality
She donated her profits to her chosen charities, including some U. S. charities.
Connections
She married Otto Goldschmidt, her accompanist, in Boston, in 1852. She took the name "Jenny Lind-Goldschmidt" both privately and professionally. They had three children.
References
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Born
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Died
January 2, 1887 (aged 66) -
Nationality
Swedish