Paula Maria Lindberg Lizell née Frödin (1873–1962) was a Swedish operatic soprano. She made her debut in 1893 at the

Royal Swedish Opera Royal Swedish Opera ( sv, Kungliga Operan) is an opera and ballet company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Location and environment The building is located in the center of Sweden's capital Stockholm in the borough of Norrmalm, on the eastern side ...

as Mathilde in Rossini's '' William Tell'', becoming one of the company's leading sopranos until she retired from the stage in 1911. After first appearing in

coloratura Coloratura is an elaborate melody with runs, trills, wide leaps, or similar virtuoso-like material,''Oxford American Dictionaries''.Apel (1969), p. 184. or a passage of such music. Operatic roles in which such music plays a prominent part, an ...

roles, she sang in more dramatic works such as the

Wagnerian Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

operas where she appeared as Senta and Sieglinde. She later worked as a drama teacher for singers.

Early life, family and education

Born in Stockholm on 25 January 1873, Paula Maria Frödin was the daughter of the investor Johan Frödin and his wife Johanna Maria née Landberg. She was first married to the physician Hakon Lindberg from 1897 to 1905. In 1927 she married the music teacher Sven Olof Lizell (1877–1935). She studied music under

Otto Lindblad Otto Jonas Lindblad (31 March 1809 – 26 January 1864), was a Swedish composer. He is most famous for the musical score of '' Kungssången'', the Swedish royal anthem. Otto Lindblad was the son of a clergyman. He was born in Karlstorp and at ...

(1882), voice under Carolina Östberg and

Louise Pyk Louise Pyk (March 29, 1846 – March 8, 1929) was a Swedish opera singer. Biography Louise Pyk was born in Kullaberg. She was the daughter of the sea captain A sea captain, ship's captain, captain, master, or shipmaster, is a high-grade l ...

(1888) and drama under Signe Hebbe (1891).

Career

Paula Frödin made her debut at the

in 1893 as Mathilde in Rossini's '' William Tell''. After initially performing mostly

roles, she appeared as Guilmelle in

Jacopo Foroni Jacopo Foroni (Verona, 26 July 1825 — Stockholm, 8 September 1858) was an Italian opera composer and conductor who spent most of his working life in Sweden.Corrado Ambìveri, ''Operisti minori dell'800 italiano'', 1998: "JACOPO FORONI Valeggio s ...

's operetta ''Advokaten Patelin'' and as Marguerite in Meyerbeer's ''

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 A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work suc ...

''. Thereafter, thanks to her charm, her high register and her well developed stagecraft, she appeared in leading dramatic soprano roles, including Margareta in Gounod's '' Faust'', Senta in Wagner's '' Der fliegende Holländer'', Sieglinde in '' Die Walküre'' and Eva in ''

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (; "The Master-Singers of Nuremberg"), WWV 96, is a music drama, or opera, in three acts, by Richard Wagner. It is the longest opera commonly performed, taking nearly four and a half hours, not counting two breaks between acts, and is traditio ...

''. She later worked as a drama teacher at Richard Andersson's music school in Stockholm. From 1922–31, she was a supervisor at the Royal Theatre's opera school. Paula Lizell died in Stockholm on 12 January 1962 and is buried in Norra begravningsplatsen.

Awards

For her contributions to Swedish culture, Paula Lizell was awarded the Litteris et Artibus medal in 1934.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lizell, Paula 1873 births 1962 deaths Actresses from Stockholm 19th-century Swedish opera singers 20th-century Swedish opera singers Litteris et Artibus recipients Drama teachers