Lovisa Augusti

Lovisa Sofia Augusti (born Ester Salomon; 1751 or 1756 – 25 June 1790) was a Swedish opera singer (soprano). She was regarded as one of the most noted opera singers of the Royal Swedish Opera during the Gustavian era. She was appointed ''Hovsångare'' in 1773 and inducted to the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 1788.

Life

Early life

Lovisa Augusti was born in Germany under the name ''Ester Salomon'' as the daughter of the travelling Jewish-German musician Israel Salomon. She was trained as a singer, while her brother Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Salomoni was trained as a violinist.

In 1766, she arrived in Sweden with her brother and father. They hare noted to have performed in Varberg in that year, when her brother played the violin while she sang Italian arias. She performed in a concert with a musician of the royal '' Hovkapellet'' , Francesco Antonio Uttini on 22 February 1767 in Gothenburg, where she made a success. On 25 March 1767, she converted to Lutheranism in the Gothenburg Cathedral and was given the name Lovisa Sofia Salomoni; her brother also converted, though the date of his baptism is not mentioned. They reportedly converted to avoid the strict regulations regarding non-Christian entertainers.

After her conversion, she became the protege of the wife of General von Kaulbar. She married the German violinist Friedrich Benedict Augusti in 1772.

Career at the Royal opera

In 1773, she performed for king Gustav III of Sweden during his visit to Kristianstad. The king was so impressed by her performance that he granted her a position at the Royal Swedish Opera and appointed her court singer, and her spouse and brother where both engaged at the Royal orchestra.

Her education is unknown, but her voice is described as well schooled to its sound and skill, and she was regarded as one of the best singers of the nation. To her appearance, she was described as pretty and diminutive and referred to as "Little Mrs Augusti". Augusti was the cover for the great prima donna Elisabeth Olin whenever she was sick or had to take maternity leave. Like Elisabeth Olin, she had very good employment terms: in 1776, she was given a contract for life, was granted privileges such as the right to use the carriages belonging to the stables of the royal court and to set her own terms, such as to demand that her productions should be held in the name of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music to protect her status.Ingeborg Nordin Hennel: Mod och Försakelse. Livs- och yrkesbetingelser för Konglig Theaterns skådespelerskor 1813–1863. Stockholm: Gidlunds (1997) . sidan 359

On 12 February 1788, the same year as her colleagues Caroline Halle-Müller and Franziska Stading, she was inducted to the Royal Swedish Academy of Music on chair number 106.

Her spouse left the country because of his debts in 1787, and she had no children. She died 1790 in Stockholm.

Roles

Her most well-known roles were her portrayal of Apollo (and later the part of Eurydice) in ''Orpheus and Eurydice'' by Glück in 1775, the part of Love in ''Adonis'' (the season 1775–76), Astrild in ''Silvie'' by Berton (1773–74), the Joy in ''Amphion'' by Adlerbeth, Anna Eriksdotter (Bielke) in ''Gustaf Vasa'' by Gustav III (1785) and Märta Banér in ''Gustaf Adolf and Ebba Brahe'' by Gustav III (1787–1788). Other parts were Amphitrite in ''Neptun and Amphitrite'' by Gallodier with Johan Filip Lising (1774–1775), Aeglé in ''Aeglé'' by Adlerbeth with Carl Stenborg (1774–75), Zelis in ''Aline, drottning av Golconda'' by Uttini, (1775–76), Lucile in ''Lucile'' with Carl Stenborg (1775–76), Lovisa in ''Desertören'' (1776–77), and Jealousy in ''Procris and Cephal'' by Gretry (1777–78).

Legacy

Gustav Löwenhielm mentioned her importance in Swedish theater and opera history in the 19th century, during a discussion about the employment of foreign artists, when he pointed out that several of the artists during the foundation of the Royal Swedish Opera and the Royal Dramatic Theatre had been foreigners:

"Is it impossible to engage Mr Berg and Miss Schoultz? - Generally, I can not see how we can elude the employment of half grown foreigners. Gustav III's ''Swedish'' national theatre started with the ''Danish'' Mrs Müller, the '' French'' Mrs Marcadet, the ''German'' Mamsell Stading, the ''German'' Mrs Augusti and the ''Polish'' Mrs Karsten. These ladies occupied our stage and kept it from the foundation of the opera and the premature departure of Mrs Olin in the beginning of the 1780s, until the year of 1800, when the school of Mrs Desguillons had created Mamsell Wässelia cum celeris."Nordensvan, Georg, Svensk teater och svenska skådespelare från Gustav III till våra dagar. Förra delen, 1772-1842 Swedish theatre and Swedish actors from the days of Gustav III to our days. First Book 1772-1842'Bonnier, Stockholm, 1917

See also

* Mathilda Berwald

Notes

References

* Österberg, Carin, Lewenhaupt, Inga & Wahlberg, Anna Greta, Svenska kvinnor: föregångare nyskapare, Signum, Lund, 1990 1990 (Swedish)

Nordisk familjebok, vol 1. A - Barograf
(Swedish)


(Swedish)
* Kungliga Teaterns repertoar 1773-1973 Repertoire of the royal theatre 1773-1973'(Swedish)
* Nordensvan, Georg, Svensk teater och svenska skådespelare från Gustav III till våra dagar. Förra delen, 1772-1842, Bonnier, Stockholm, 1917 (Swedish theatre and Swedish actors from Gustav III to our days. First book 1772-1842) (Swedish)
* Bohman, Nils & Dahl, Torsten (red.), Svenska män och kvinnor: biografisk uppslagsbok, Bonnier, Stockholm, 1942-1955 (Swedish)

Further reading

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Augusti, Lovisa
Swedish operatic sopranos
Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music
Swedish Lutherans
Converts to Lutheranism from Judaism
Swedish Jews
Jewish opera singers
Swedish people of German-Jewish descent
1756 births
1790 deaths
18th-century Swedish women opera singers
18th-century Jews
Gustavian era people