Antonie Adamberger

Antonie "Toni" Adamberger (31 December 1790 – 25 December 1867) was an Austrian stage actress.

Biography

Born to the tenor Valentin Adamberger and the actress Maria Anna Jacquet, she was raised after the death of her parents by the poet Heinrich Joseph von Collin. Debuting at the age of sixteen on New Year's Day 1807 at the ''Burgtheater'', she was immediately engaged as a Court Actress Stein, S. 1. and "straightway found great acclaim as an ''ingénue'', in both sentimental and some tragic parts." Antonie Adamberger quickly became the darling of the Viennese public, displaying her abilities as Beatrice in ''The Bride of Messina'' and also as Desdemona and Emilia Galotti.

Beethoven composed Klärchen's songs "''Die Trommel gerühret''" ("The drum is a-stirring") and "''Freudvoll und leidvoll''" ("Joyful and woeful") (first introduced at the ''Burgtheater'' on June 15, 1810) in his incidental music for Goethe's ''Egmont'' with Adamberger specifically in mind. She would later repeatedly and enthusiastically recall her collaboration with him.Kopitz, Klaus Martin, and Cadenbach, Rainer (Eds.). ''Beethoven aus der Sicht seiner Zeitgenossen'' ("Beethoven in the View of his Contemporaries"). Munich 2009, Vol. 1, pp. 3–5.

In 1812 Theodor Körner was employed as a principal author for the ''Burgtheater''. Adamberger saw him for the first time at a rehearsal for his comic piece, ''Der grüne Domino'' ("The Green Domino"). In the same year she and the poet were betrothed. In February 1812, Körner write his drama ''Toni'', in which his ''fiancée'' later undertook the leading part. Antonie Adamberger belonged to the circle of the Austrian novelist Karoline Pichler, who later wrote of her appearance in ''Toni'':

Until his death in 1813 Körner wrote numerous poems to her, particularly directing to her his tragedy ''Zriny'' after her success in ''Toni''.

In 1817, some years after the poet's untimely death, Adamberger abandoned the stage and married the antiquary and numismatist Joseph Calasanza von Arneth. Two years later their son Alfred von Arneth was born. In 1820 Antonie became Reader to the Empress Caroline Augusta. In 1832 Adamberger was named Directress of the ''Karolinestift'', an institute for the raising of soldiers' daughters.

Antonie Adamberger died in Vienna in 1867. Her body lies in a "distinguished grave" (''Ehrengrab'') in the Vienna Central Cemetery (Group 14 A, Number 49).

''Circa'' 1805 Joseph Hickel painted a portrait of Adamberger, from which Johann Maria Monsomo produced a miniature of her.

In 1894 a street in Vienna in the Leopoldstadt district (District 2) was named the ''Adambergergasse'' after her. The ''Arnethgasse'' in the Ottakring district (District 16) was named after her husband.

Bibliography

* Hartl, Gerta: ''Arabesken des Lebens. Die Schauspielerin Toni Adamberger'' ("Arabesques of Life: Toni Adamberger the Actress"). Styria, Graz ''i.a.'' 1963.
* Jaden, Hans K. von. ''Theodor Körner und seine Braut'' ("Theodor Körner and His Bride"). Hauschild, Dresden 1896.
* Stein, Philipp. ''Deutsche Schauspieler: 2. Das XIX. Jahrhundert bis Anfang der vierziger Jahre'' ("German Actors: Vol. 2. The 19th Century to the Beginning of the 1840s"). ''Gesellschaft für Theatergeschichte'' ("Association for the History of the Theater"), Berlin 1908, p. 1.
* Zimmer, Hans. ''Theodor Körners Braut. Ein Lebens- und Charakterbild Antonie Adambergers'' ("Theodor Körner's Bride: A Biographical and Character Portrait of Antonie Adamberger"). Greiner & Pfeiffer, Stuttgart 1918.

Notes

External links

*
*
*

Adamberger, Antonie
in Constant von Wurzbach, ''Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich'', 1. Band, Seite 5, k.k.Hof-und Staatsdruckerei Wien 1856.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adamberger, Antonie
1790 births
1867 deaths
19th-century Austrian actresses
Austrian stage actresses