Jenny Lind was a Swedish-born soprano opera singer and philanthropist who became a celebrity in Europe and the United States. Her powerful and unique voice, along with an overwhelming personality, made Lind an emblem of a simple woman who stood up freehand.
He was born on October 6, 1820 in Stockholm. From an early age she conquered the European stages and soon became the favorite opera singer of the European courts and aristocracy. She was called the "Swedish nightingale" for the purity and naturalness of her voice; she had an exceptional vocal command to interpret the most famous operatic works.
Of humble origin -because he was born out of wedlock-, he had a sad childhood. However, after being admitted as a student to the Royal Theater in Stockholm at just nine years old, her luck soon changed. Lind became a prima donna at the Royal Swedish Opera and, at the end of her career, one of the first celebrities in the US.
Lind was supported by American businessman and artist Phineas Taylor Barnum. She was one of the greatest exponents of bel canto (beautiful song) that developed in Europe between the 18th and 19th centuries, together with her teacher Manuel García, her daughter María Malibran and the soprano Farinelli.
Biography
Jenny was christened Johanna Maria Lind by her parents Niclas Jonas Lind and Anne-Marie Fellborg. At age 18, Lind made his debut in Der Freischütz (The Poacher or Sniper) at the Stockholm Opera in 1838.
Due to serious problems with her voice, three years later she began receiving classes in Paris with the Spanish opera singer Manuel García.
She played the part of Vielka in the musical drama A Camp in Silesia, written by Giuseppe Verdi (Berlin, 1944). In 1847 she played Amelia, a musical role also written for her by the Italian composer, in the opera Los Bandidos (I Masnadieri).
That same year he debuted in London with the opera Roberto el Diablo (Robert Le Diable) by Giacomo Meyerbeer.
Even the famous composer Felix Mendelssohn attended the play in London, despite the fact that he hated melody, to hear Lind play the part of Alice. Mendelssohn was in love with the talent of the famous singer.
Also present at Lind's debut were Queen Victoria and the Duke of Wellington. According to the English music and literature critic Henry Chorley, the British capital "went mad for the Swedish nightingale."
British royalty and aristocracy accompanied every performance of Lind, who had also managed to captivate English audiences with her melodious voice.
The Swedish soprano continued her performances in London. In 1848 Lind performed her role in the opera The Sleepwalker at Her Majesty's Theater, which was also attended by Queen Victoria.
Love life and marriage
Among his most famous suitors were the famous Polish composer Frederic Chopin and the no less famous Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen. However, whom she married in 1852 was the German pianist Otto Goldschmidt, her stage partner.
The couple had three children: Jenny Maria Catherine, Ernest Svend David, and Walter Otto Goldschmidt.
Jenny Lind is also linked to Mendelssohn; The two met in 1844. According to an affidavit made by Lind's husband, the German composer would have asked the Swedish singer to elope together to the United States in 1847. Otto Goldschmidt, her husband, had taken piano lessons with Mendelssohn and Hans von Bülow.
That year the composer passed away, causing great sadness in Lind. In her honor, two years later the singer created the Mendelssohn School Foundation. Years later he erected a plaque in his memory in Hamburg (where the composer was born).
Tour the United States
Jenny Lind retired from opera in 1849 to pursue her Christian life and charity work, but in 1850 she was hired by the show promoter PT Barnum to go on a concert tour of the United States. At the peak of his artistic career, Barnum wanted to gain a little more respectability with a serious show.
Convincing Lind to return to the stage was not easy. However, the juicy offer that Barnum ended up making to the soprano of $ 1,000 per performance convinced her. Lind accepted because she planned to use the money earned for an orphanage for girls in her hometown.
150 shows were planned around the United States, but only 93 shows were held that brought Barnum revenues in the order of $ 700,000, quite a fortune for the time.
The contract stated that the singer could terminate it after offering 60 concerts, after compensation from Barnum of $ 25,000.
Blockbuster
The American promoter hired Lind without ever hearing her sing, but was confident that he would make a handsome profit for his show.
He put all of his pre-tour marketing and business skills to work: from a moving Cinderella story by the Swedish singer who appealed to the middle class, to singing competitions and poetry awards.
Barnum created various commercial items: dolls, costumes, hats, chairs, pianos, etc. This intense advertising machine, along with Lind's unmatched artistic skills and attractive personality, were a complete success. The Swedish singer was seen as a charitable and demure woman, with fine feminine forms, as well as Christian and white.
Despite the fact that a few months ago she was a total stranger, shortly after arriving in the United States she became “one of the most famous and celebrated women in America,” as Regan Shrumm wrote. Her reception on the New York docks was tremendous: some 30,000 people came to greet her.
She was the first foreign star in the United States whose performances sparked a kind of "Lind mania"; it was nicknamed the Swedish Nightingale. For her 93 concerts, Lind finally received a payment of 350 thousand dollars.
Last years
After the masterful performance in the United States, Lind permanently retired and appeared sporadically in some concerts.
In 1870 he did it at the Goldschmidt Ruth oratory in the city of Düsseldorf; then she appeared in London in 1875, conducting the sopranos in the Bach choir that her husband founded.
In 1883 it was his last appearance in public and until 1886 he devoted himself to teaching lyrical singing at the Royal College of Music in London. A year later, this exceptional artist and philanthropist died.
The recent film The Greatest Showman, starring Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson, recreates the life of the Swedish singer.
References
- Jenny Lind. Retrieved June 13, 2018 from britannica.com
- Why 30,000 People Came Out to See a Swedish Singer Arrive in New York. Consulted of smithsonianmag.com
- A Barnum Show Recounts the Jenny Lind Phenomenon. Consulted of nytimes.com
- The Greatest Showman: The True Story of PT Barnum and Jenny Lind. Consulted of vanityfair.com
- Jenny Lind & PT Barnum's Relationship In Real Life Was Much Different From 'The Greatest Showman'. Consulted from bustle.com
- Jenny Lind. Consulted of es.wikipedia.org
- Felix Mendelssohn. Consulted of es.wikipedia.org
- Jenny Lind, the Taylor Swift of the 1850s. Consulted of ajournalofmusicalthings.com