Vali (also, Vally) von der Osten (29 November 1882 – 15 August 1923) was a German

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 ...

. She was the daughter of actor Emil von der Osten (1847–1905) and Rosa von der Osten-Hildebrandt (1850–1911). Von der Osten was born in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

, where she studied voice and appeared primarily at the Hoftheater Kassel, excelling in

spinto Spinto (from Italian, "pushed") is a vocal term used to characterize a soprano or tenor voice of a weight between lyric and dramatic that is capable of handling large musical climaxes in opera at moderate intervals. (Sometimes the terms ' or ' a ...

(or ''jugendlich-dramatisch'') roles of

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 ...

operas such 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 1 ...

'', Elsa in ''

Lohengrin Lohengrin () is a character in Germany, German Arthurian literature. The son of Percival, 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 fi ...

'', 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 was married to 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 ...

Fritz Windgassen Fritz Windgassen (9 February 1883 – 17 April 1963) was a German Heldentenor and teacher. Windgassen was born in Lennep (now part of Remscheid) in the Prussian Rhine Province. Following the wishes of his upstanding middle-class parents, he ...

(1883–1963) and thus used the name ''Vali Windgassen-von der Osten''. The marriage produced one son,

Wolfgang Windgassen Wolfgang Windgassen (26 June 1914 – 8 September 1974) was a heldentenor internationally known for his performances in Wagner operas. Life and career Born in Annemasse, France, he was the son (and pupil) of a well known German Heldentenor, Fritz ...

(1914–1974), who went on to become a Wagnerian tenor in his own right. Von der Osten died in

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...

and is buried in the Johannisfriedhof cemetery in

- Tolkewitz, beside her sister, singer

Eva von der Osten Eva Helga Bertha von der Osten (19 August 1881 – 5 May 1936) was a German soprano. Biography She was born in Helgoland, the daughter of actor (1847–1905) and Rosa von der Osten-Hildebrandt (1850–1911). Von der Osten debuted in 1902 at the ...

Literature

* André Kaiser: ''Berühmte Persönlichkeiten aus der Ortschaft Kurort Hartha: Eva von der Osten (1884–1936) – eine Dresdner Opernsängerin von Weltruf'', in ''Rund um den Tharandter Wald''
Amtsblatt der Stadt Tharandt, März 2009
German operatic sopranos 1882 births 1923 deaths Musicians from Dresden 20th-century German women opera singers {{Germany-opera-singer-stub