Rosa von Milde, also Rosalie von Milde, ''née'' Rosa Agthe (25 June 1827 – 25 January 1906) was a German operatic
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 ...
and
voice teacher
A voice teacher or singing teacher is a musical instructor who assists adults and children in the development of their abilities in singing.
Typical work
A voice teacher works with a student singer to improve the various skills involved in singi ...
. She was a leading singer at the
Weimar Court Theatre from 1848 to 1867, which flourished when
Franz Liszt directed it. She created, among others, the roles of Elsa in Wagner's ''
Lohengrin
Lohengrin () is a character in German Arthurian literature. The son of Parzival (Percival), he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which first appears in Wolf ...
'', conducted by
Liszt
Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...
in 1850, and Margiana in ''
Der Barbier von Bagdad
''Der Barbier von Bagdad'' (''The Barber of Baghdad'') is a comic opera in two acts by Peter Cornelius to a German libretto by the composer, based on ''The Tale of the Tailor'' and ''The Barber’s Stories of his Six Brothers'' in ''One Thousand a ...
'' by Peter Cornelius in 1858.
Life
Agthe was born on 25 June 1827 into a music-loving family in
Weimar
Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...
.
Her father , a
chamber musician, gave her piano lessons at a young age. When her singing talent was recognised, she took voice lessons for three years with the
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
Franz Götze (1814–1888). On 9 June 1845, she made her stage debut at the
Weimarer Hoftheater (Weimar Court Theatre) as Amina in Bellini's ''
La sonnambula
''La sonnambula'' (''The Sleepwalker'') is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the ''bel canto'' tradition by Vincenzo Bellini set to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a scenario for a ''ballet-pantomime'' written by Eu ...
''.
She made her official debut as a permanent singer at the Hoftheater in September 1848
in the title role of Louis Spohr's ''
Jessonda''. She had great success with roles in
Richard Wagner
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 ...
's stage works. She appeared as Elisabeth in ''
Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser (; gmh, Tanhûser), often stylized, "The Tannhäuser," was a German Minnesinger and traveling poet. Historically, his biography, including the dates he lived, is obscure beyond the poetry, which suggests he lived between 1245 and ...
''. On 28 August 1850, she performed as Elsa in ''
Lohengrin
Lohengrin () is a character in German Arthurian literature. The son of Parzival (Percival), he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which first appears in Wolf ...
'' in the work's world premiere, conducted by
Franz Liszt.
Her future husband, the baritone
Hans Feodor von Milde, performed as Telramund.
Liszt commented:
The couple married in 1851.
They had two children,
Franz von Milde and Rudolf von Milde (1859–1927), who also became singers,
and an
adopted daughter,
Natalie von Milde
Natalie von Milde, Natalie Haller until 1881 (31 March 1850 – 29 March 1906) was a German writer and feminist. She was an adoptive daughter of Rosa von Milde (1827–1906) and Hans Feodor von Milde (1821–1899).
Life
Haller was born in ...
. The couple often appeared together on stage, for example in 1852 as Teresa and Fieramosca in the first German production of
''Benvenuto Cellini'' by Berlioz, in an arrangement by Liszt.
In 1854, Milde participated in the world premieres of both
Heinrich Dorn
Heinrich Ludwig Egmont Dorn (14 November 1800 or 1804-10 January 1892) was a German conductor, composer, teacher, and journalist. He was born in Königsberg, where he studied piano, singing, and composition. Later, he studied in Berlin with Ludw ...
's ''Die Nibelungen'' and Schubert's ''
Alfonso und Estrella
' (''Alfonso and Estrella''), 732, is an opera with music by Franz Schubert, set to a German libretto by Franz von Schober, written in 1822. Along with the later '' Fierrabras'', composed in 1823, it marks Schubert's attempt to compose grand Ro ...
''.
She created the role of Margiana in ''
Der Barbier von Bagdad
''Der Barbier von Bagdad'' (''The Barber of Baghdad'') is a comic opera in two acts by Peter Cornelius to a German libretto by the composer, based on ''The Tale of the Tailor'' and ''The Barber’s Stories of his Six Brothers'' in ''One Thousand a ...
'' by Peter Cornelius in 1858.
Cornelius dedicated his composition ''12 Sonette für Rosa von Milde'' to her in 1859. On 21 May 1865, she created the role of Chimene in his ''Der Cid'', while her husband appeared as Ruy Diaz.
![Rosa-von-Milde](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Rosa-von-Milde.jpg)
In 1867, Rosa von Milde took her leave from the Weimar stage.
The reason was personal differences between her and the new artistic director
Franz von Dingelstedt
Franz von Dingelstedt (30 June 1814 – 15 May 1881) was a German poet, dramatist and theatre administrator.
Life and career
Dingestedt was born at Halsdorf, Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel), Germany, and later studied at the University of Marburg ...
. She then worked as a voice teacher
and from 1876 at the
Weimarer Musikschule.
Rosa von Milde died in Weimar on 25 January 1906 at the age of 78.
Note
References
Further reading
* Ulrike Müller: ''Die klugen Frauen von Weimar. Regentinnen, Salondamen, Schriftstellerinnen und Künstlerinnen.'' Elisabeth Sandmann, Munich, 2007
* Natalie von Milde: ''Briefe in Poesie und Prosa von Peter Cornelius an Theodor und Rosa von Milde''. Weimar (1901)
*
Franz von Milde: ''Ein ideales Künstlerehepaar, Rosa und Feodor von Milde. Ihre Kunst und ihre Zeit.'' Munich (1918)
External links
Rosa von Milde (1827–1906)(image) museum-digital.de
Teilnachlass von Rosa und Hans Feodor von MildeBayerische Staatsbibliothek
The Bavarian State Library (german: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, abbreviated BSB, called ''Bibliotheca Regia Monacensis'' before 1919) in Munich is the central " Landesbibliothek", i. e. the state library of the Free State of Bavaria, the bigg ...
Rosa von Mildefindagrave.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Milde, Rosa von
German operatic sopranos
Voice teachers
1827 births
1906 deaths
Musicians from Weimar
Lohengrin