Marie "Maja" Flagstad (née Johnsrud) (15 November 1871 – 18 January 1958) was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

choral conductor Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary duties ...

, and

répétiteur A (from the French verb meaning 'to repeat, to go over, to learn, to rehearse') is an accompanist, tutor or coach of ballet dancers or opera singers. A feminine form, , also appears but is comparatively rare. Opera In opera, a is the person ...

.Randel, Don Michael. 1996. ''The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music''. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, p. 272.

Life

Born Marie Johnsrud, she was from the Johnsrud farm in the village of Eidsvoll Verk. She was the sister of the organist Hans Nielsen Johnsrud (1864–1948). She married the musician Michael Flagstad (1869–1930) and was the mother of

Kirsten Flagstad Kirsten Malfrid Flagstad (12 July 1895 – 7 December 1962) was a Norwegian opera singer, who was the outstanding Wagnerian soprano of her era. Her triumphant debut in New York on 2 February 1935 is one of the legends of opera. Giulio Gatti-Casa ...

(1895–1962), whom she taught voice and later accompanied on recordings. Her other children were also musicians: the conductor Ole Flagstad, pianist Lasse Flagstad, and singer

Karen-Marie Flagstad Karen-Marie Flagstad (November 24, 1904 – December 25, 1992) was a Norwegian soprano opera singer. Flagstad was born in OsloKutsch, Karl-Josef Kutsch, & Leo Riemens. 2003. ''Großes Sängerlexikon'', 4th ed, vol. 4. Munich: K. G. Saur, . and w ...

. The family lived in

Vinderen Vinderen is a neighbourhood in the Vestre Aker borough of Oslo, Norway. It was a separate borough until 1 January 2004, when it was incorporated into the newly established borough of Vestre Aker. Its amenities include Vinderen station. The prosp ...

in Christiania (now Oslo). Already at a very young age, Maja Flagstad was active in the capital's music scene, first at the

Christiania Theater Hotel Christiania Teater – is a historic Oslo city hotel and landmark built in 1918, known primarily for the notability of its theater inside the hotel and recently its unique hotel design by Annemone Wille Waage. The 102-unit hotel is locate ...

in 1891, and later at the Central Theater, where her husband conducted. At the opening of the cabaret theater

Chat Noir Chat Noir (French for 'black cat') is a cabaret and revue theatre in Oslo, Norway. It was established in 1912 by Bokken Lasson. The current director is Tom Sterri. Establishment Chat Noir was established as a cabaret in 1912 by singer Bokken Las ...

, she accompanied

Bokken Lasson Caroline "Bokken" Lasson (7 January 1871 – 3 August 1970) was a Norwegian concert and cabaret singer. She is known for starting the Oslo cabaret Chat Noir in 1912, and also for introducing the children's song "Tuppen og Lillemor" to the Nor ...

singing "Tuppen og Lillemor" (the Norwegian version of "I Don't Want to Play in Your Yard") on March 1, 1912. The Flagstad family was central in the short-lived

Opera Comique The Opera Comique was a 19th-century theatre constructed in Westminster, London, between Wych Street, Holywell Street and the Strand. It opened in 1870 and was demolished in 1902, to make way for the construction of the Aldwych and Kingsway. ...

(1918–1921), where Kirsten also sang.Varnay, Astrid. 2000. ''Fifty-Five Years in Five Acts: My Life in Opera''. Boston: Northeastern University Press, pp. 43–44. Later the family performed at the Mayol Theater (in 1921) and Casino (1924–1927). Maja Flagstad was the first conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Choir (in 1922). She was a guest conductor at the National Theater in Bergen and was credited with discovering the performing artist and bass singer

Bjarne Bø Bjarne Bø (April 3, 1907 – August 9, 1998) was a Norwegian actor. Bø was born in Skjeberg in the municipality of Sarpsborg in Østfold county, Norway. He debuted in 1939 in the role of Sjur in the play ''Hu Dagmar'' by Ove Ansteinsson (1884� ...

during a performance at Bergen Cathedral in 1929. She worked extensively as a répétiteur, accompanying well-known artists such as Hauk Aabel and Erik Ole Bye.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flagstad, Maja Norwegian women pianists Norwegian conductors (music) Musicians from Eidsvoll 1872 births 1958 deaths Women classical pianists