Marie Eugenia von Elsner (June 1, 1856 – July 7, 1883; pronounced ''Maria''), known by her stage name Marie Litta, was an American

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

opera singer. Trained to sing from an early age by her father, she traveled with him around the country to perform. She later studied with John Underner in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. With the support of a patron, she studied further in Europe, with

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 ...

among others. Her debut performance in Paris was the title role of Donizetti's ''

Lucia di Lammermoor ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' () is a (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian-language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's 1819 historical novel ''The Bride of Lammermoor''. ...

''—a role that remained a signature of hers while touring the United States with an opera company for years. In 1880, she formed her own troupe, and died three years later.

Early life

Marie Eugenia von Elsner was born on June 1, 1856, in

Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington is a city and the county seat of McLean County, Illinois, United States. It is adjacent to the town of Normal, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area. Bloomington ...

, to Hugo von Elsner (a professor of music) and mother Amanda Dimmitt (whose family were early settlers of Illinois). After her musical skill was noticed by those around her, her father began to train her to become a leading singer. At the age of 5, she sang "

The Last Rose of Summer "The Last Rose of Summer" is a poem by the Irish poet Thomas Moore. He wrote it in 1805, while staying at Jenkinstown Castle in County Kilkenny, Ireland, where he was said to have been inspired by a specimen of Rosa 'Old Blush'. The poem is s ...

" to

Union soldiers During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

; this was her first public performance. By the time she was 14, she began traveling with her father to several cities in Illinois and beyond to perform. One city she performed in was

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, and it was there she began to study under John Underner. Her Cleveland studies were financially supported by a patron of the arts, and they funded her travel to Europe for further study. Von Elsner went to Europe, mostly France, in October 1874. There, she studied under composer

and the wealthy Comtesse de Trobriand, who offered her a space to perform.

Career

Her first career performance was in Paris at the Théâtre des Italiens for ''

''; it was there she took the Italian stage name of Marie Litta. She played the role of its titular character, Lucia, a character whose final scenes are highly chaotic, elaborate, and demanding. Reviews were positive, with the Parisian opera community lauding her performance. After about four years in Europe and after signing a deal with the Max Strakosch Opera Company, she returned to the United States and performed for them. The terms of this contract were unfavorable for her, and conflicted with an earlier contract she had signed with Underner. Her first performance was at

McVicker's Theatre McVicker's Theater (1857–1984) was a playhouse in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Built for actor James Hubert McVicker, the theater was the leading stage for comedic plays in Chicago's early years. It often hosted performances by Edwin Boot ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in 1878, performing ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' again. By this time, ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' had become a favorite of hers, perhaps because it showed the range of her voice. As a singer of the Strakosch company, she traveled around the United States and Canada to perform; her tour included the cities of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, Halifax, and New York City. She continued to stage (among other operas) ''Lucia di Lammermoor'', and she performed alongside Charles R. Adams, Annie Louise Cary, and

Clara Louise Kellogg Clara Louise Kellogg (July 9, 1842 – May 13, 1916) was an American operatic soprano. Biography Clara Louise Kellogg was born in Sumterville, South Carolina, the daughter of Jane Elizabeth (Crosby) and George Kellogg. She received her music ...

. In 1880, about two years into her return, she left Strakosch's company and formed her own, which included pianist

Nellie Bangs Skelton Cornelia (“Nellie”) Pomeroy Bangs Skelton DePue (August 8, 1855 - November 23, 1911) was an American composer, pianist, singer and vocal coach who toured the United States as a pianist. She published and performed as Nellie Bangs Skelton. Skelt ...

. Among the performances she and her crew put on was the program "Carnival of Venice" by

Julius Benedict Sir Julius Benedict (27 November 1804 – 5 June 1885) was a German-born composer and conductor, resident in England for most of his career. Life and music Benedict was born in Stuttgart, the son of a Jewish banker, and in 1820 learnt compo ...

. She was also involved in the troupe of Giovanni Tagliapietra from 1880 to 1881. The year she left, she became involved in a lawsuit against him. Despite Litta's fame and personal success, the troupe was unsuccessful, and Tagliapietra had gone into debt, failing to pay his fellow performers. The amount he owed Litta was some $1200 at the time.

Death

In May 1883, she became violently ill while singing to miners of the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

town of

Escanaba, Michigan Escanaba ( ), commonly shortened to Esky, is a port city in Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located on Little Bay de Noc in the state's Upper Peninsula. The population was 12,616 at the 2010 census, making it the third-largest city i ...

. Litta died on July 7, 1883, at the age of 27 in Bloomington; her death certificate labeled her cause of death as

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...

, exacerbated by exertion. Her funeral was attended by some 10,000 people. A monument in her honor was erected on July 4, 1885. The monument's service was attended by David Davis, then a

United States senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from Illinois, who offered a tribute: "to Litta the artist ... whose eminence is our local legacy".

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Litta, Marie 1856 births 1883 deaths People from Bloomington, Illinois Singers from Illinois 19th-century American women opera singers Deaths from meningitis