![Józefina Reszke](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/J%C3%B3zefina_Reszke.jpg)
Joséphine de Reszke, in Polish Józefina Reszke (4 June 1855 – 22 February 1891) was a Polish operatic
soprano. She and her brothers
Jean
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* Jea ...
and
Édouard de Reszke
Édouard de Reszke (22 December 185325 May 1917) was a Polish bass from Warsaw. A member of the musical Reszke family, he was a successful opera singer, as were his brother Jean and his sister Josephine. He made his debut in ''Aida'' in Paris on ...
learned to sing from their mother
Emilja. Josephine also had lessons with Mme. Nissen-Salomon. She made her debut in Paris as
Ophelia
Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama '' Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet, who, due to Hamlet's actions, ends u ...
in ''
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
'' on 21 June 1875. She performed in Western Europe. She was with the
Paris Opera for several years, during which time she became known for her performances in
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
and
French operas. She retired from the stage after she married Baron
Leopold Julian Kronenberg
Baron Leopold Julian Kronenberg (27 July 1849, in Warsaw – 23 February 1937, in Warsaw) was a Polish banker.
Biography
Kronenberg was born the son of banker and railroad tycoon Leopold Stanisław Kronenberg (1812–1878) and his wife Ernesty ...
, yet she stayed in the arena as a voice teacher.
Early years
Reske was the daughter of
Emilja (also Emilie) Ufniarska (born ca. 1827) and
Jan Reszke Emilja was an amateur soprano who had studied under
Manuel García II and
Pauline Viardot
Pauline Viardot (; 18 July 1821 – 18 May 1910) was a nineteenth-century French mezzo-soprano, pedagogue and composer of Spanish descent.
Born Michelle Ferdinande Pauline García, her name appears in various forms. When it is not simply "Pauli ...
, his sister. She had a clear, powerful voice. She traveled throughout Italy and attended performances by the great masters of the opera. In Warsaw, she performed the role of
Desdemona
Desdemona () is a character in William Shakespeare's play ''Othello'' (c. 1601–1604). Shakespeare's Desdemona is a Venetian beauty who enrages and disappoints her father, a Venetian senator, when she elopes with Othello, a Moorish Venetian ...
in
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's ''
Otello'' by
Gioachino Rossini
Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards ...
at an event for the Benevolent Society at the Grand Theatre. The Reszkes built and operated the Hotel Saski, which catered to artists from Moscow, Berlin, and Paris, adjoined their residence. Impromptu performances with Emilja, as well as artist's rehearsals for upcoming performances, were held in their house.
Her siblings were
Jean
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* Jea ...
and
Édouard de Reszke
Édouard de Reszke (22 December 185325 May 1917) was a Polish bass from Warsaw. A member of the musical Reszke family, he was a successful opera singer, as were his brother Jean and his sister Josephine. He made his debut in ''Aida'' in Paris on ...
.
Emilja taught her children to sing.
and Josephine also studied with a Mme. Nissen-Salomon. She studied music at the
Conservatorium in St. Petersburg.
Josephine, Jean, and Édouard performed at a
soirée
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...
in 1869.
Career
![Reszkejosephinesita](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Reszkejosephinesita.jpg)
She made her debut in Paris as
Ophelia
Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama '' Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet, who, due to Hamlet's actions, ends u ...
in
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
on 21 June 1875.
Josephine, a soprano, and her younger brother
Édouard de Reszke
Édouard de Reszke (22 December 185325 May 1917) was a Polish bass from Warsaw. A member of the musical Reszke family, he was a successful opera singer, as were his brother Jean and his sister Josephine. He made his debut in ''Aida'' in Paris on ...
performed in Western Europe beginning in the 1870s.
Jean sang soprano solos as a boy in
Warsaw Cathedral.
[ ] Édouard, a
bass, debuted in ''
Aida
''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 Decemb ...
'' in Paris in April 1876.
She remained at the
Opéra
This is a glossary list of opera genres, giving alternative names.
"Opera" is an Italian word (short for "opera in musica"); it was not at first ''commonly'' used in Italy (or in other countries) to refer to the genre of particular works. Most c ...
in Paris, France for several years,
during which time she became known for her performances in
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
and
French operas; she also created the role of Sita in Jules Massenet's ''
Le roi de Lahore
''Le roi de Lahore'' ("The king of Lahore") is an opera in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Louis Gallet. It was first performed at the Palais Garnier in Paris on 27 April 1877 in costumes designed by Eugène Lacoste and se ...
''.
She was a success in Madrid, Spain in ''
Les Huguenots
() is an opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer and is one of the most popular and spectacular examples of grand opera. In five acts, to a libretto by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps, it premiered in Paris on 29 February 1836.
Composition history
...
'', ''
L'Africaine
''L'Africaine'' (''The African Woman'') is an 1865 French ''grand opéra'' in five acts with music by Giacomo Meyerbeer and a libretto by Eugène Scribe. Meyerbeer and Scribe began working on the opera in 1837, using the title ''L'Africaine'', bu ...
'', ''
La favorite
''La favorite'' (''The Favourite'', sometimes referred to by its Italian title: ''La favorita'') is a grand opera in four acts by Gaetano Donizetti to a French-language libretto by Alphonse Royer and Gustave Vaëz, based on the play ''Le com ...
'', and ''
Don Giovanni''. She also performed in
Lisbon, Portugal but turned down an offer to appear in the United States. She remained in Europe—including Italy and Great Britain
—for the duration of her career.
Reszke debuted in England on April 18, 1881 at
Covent Garden where she played the title role in ''
Aida
''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 Decemb ...
'' and her brother Édouard was also a performer.
Reszke appeared with her brother Jean on the occasion of his debut; the two, along with Edouard, participated in the Paris premiere of ''
Hérodiade
''Hérodiade'' is an opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Paul Milliet and Henri Grémont, based on the novella ''Hérodias'' (1877) by Gustave Flaubert. It was first performed at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels ...
'' in 1884.
Josephine played
Salome and Jean was
John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
.
![Portrait of a society lady, Josephine de Reszke](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Portrait_of_a_society_lady%2C_Josephine_de_Reszke.png)
At the end of the opera seasons, Josephine returned to Warsaw where she performed for charities, as her mother had. She gave any income that she made in Poland to charity. She became the darling of established poets and composers who dedicated poems and songs to her. Audience members gave her flowers and honored her by singing the Poland national anthem, ''
Jescze Polska nie zginęła'' (English: ''
Poland Is Not Yet Lost
( "Dąbrowski's Mazurka"), in English officially known by its incipit Poland Is Not Yet Lost, is the national anthem of the Republic of Poland.
The original lyrics were written by Józef Wybicki in Reggio Emilia, in Northern Italy, between ...
'') to her. Fans from Krakow had a portrait of her painted by
Tadeusz Ajdukiewicz and placed in the
National Museum, Warsaw
The National Museum in Warsaw ( pl, Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie), popularly abbreviated as MNW, is a national museum in Warsaw, one of the largest museums in Poland and the largest in the capital. It comprises a rich collection of ancient art ( Eg ...
.
She retired from the stage after her marriage, and she was then a voice teacher.
Personal life
In 1885, she was married to Baron
Leopold Julian Kronenberg
Baron Leopold Julian Kronenberg (27 July 1849, in Warsaw – 23 February 1937, in Warsaw) was a Polish banker.
Biography
Kronenberg was born the son of banker and railroad tycoon Leopold Stanisław Kronenberg (1812–1878) and his wife Ernesty ...
.
At the peak of her career, she retired from the stage almost completely, giving only charity performances thereafter. For this she was awarded with a
diamond
Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...
from the city of
Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...
.
De Reszke died in Warsaw in 1891 aged 36.
Notes
References
Sources
*
*
External links
*
1855 births
1891 deaths
Polish operatic sopranos
19th-century Polish women opera singers
Musicians from Warsaw
{{Poland-opera-singer-stub