Eva Helene Nansen (née Sars; 17 December 1858 – 9 December 1907) was a celebrated Norwegian

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middl ...

singer. She was also a pioneer of women's

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...

Personal life

Born in Christiania (now Oslo), she was a daughter of priest and professor of zoology

Michael Sars Michael Sars (30 August 1805 – 22 October 1869) was a Norwegian theologian and biologist. Biography Sars was born in Bergen, Norway. He studied natural history and theology at Royal Frederick University from 1823 and completed a cand.theol. ...

(1805–1869) and his wife

Maren Sars Maren Cathrine Sars (née Welhaven; 17 August 1811 – 27 December 1898) was a Norwegian socialite. Personal life She was born in Bergen as a daughter of priest Johan Ernst Welhaven (1775–1828) and Else Margrethe Cammermeyer (1785–1853), the ...

(1811–1898), and sister to biologist

Georg Ossian Sars Prof Georg Ossian Sars HFRSE (20 April 1837 – 9 April 1927) was a Norwegian marine and freshwater biologist. Life Georg Ossian Sars was born on 20 April 1837 in Kinn, Norway (now part of Flora), the son of Pastor Michael Sars and Maren ...

and historian

Ernst Sars Johan Ernst Welhaven Sars (11 October 1835 – 27 January 1917) was a Norwegian professor, historian, author and editor. His main work was ''Udsigt over den norske Historie'', four volumes issued from 1873 to 1891. He co-edited the magazines ...

. Through her mother, she was a niece of poet and critic Johan Sebastian and writer

Elisabeth Welhaven Elisabeth Cathrine "Lise" Welhaven (6 March 1815 – 26 July 1901) was a Norwegian writer. Personal life She was born in Bergen as a daughter of the priest Johan Ernst Welhaven (1775–1828) and Else Margrethe Cammermeyer (1785–1853), the daug ...

, a first cousin of architect Hjalmar Welhaven and police chief Kristian Welhaven and a granddaughter of priest Johan Sebastian Cammermeyer. In September 1889 she married

Fridtjof Nansen Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (; 10 October 186113 May 1930) was a Norwegian polymath and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He gained prominence at various points in his life as an explorer, scientist, diplomat, and humanitarian. He led the team t ...

, the polar explorer and later winner of the Nobel peace prize for his work with refugees. They had several children, including

Odd Nansen Odd Nansen (6 December 1901 – 27 June 1973) was a Norwegian architect, writer, and humanitarian. He is credited with being a co-founder of UNICEF and for his humanitarian efforts on behalf of Jews in the early years of World War II. Bio ...

, a notable architect. She died of pneumonia on 9 December 1907 at Lysaker.

Career

Eva Sars studied singing for five years with her sister Mally and her brother-in-law,

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the ...

singer and composer

Thorvald Lammers Thorvald Lammers (15 January 1841 – 8 February 1922) was a Norwegian baritone singer, choral conductor, composer, and biographer. Lammers was born in Modum, and made his stage début in Oslo in 1873. He founded the choir A choir ( ...

. Her debut as an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

tic singer came in 1881, in the ''Musikforeningen'', a forerunner of the

Oslo Philharmonic The Oslo Philharmonic (Oslo-Filharmonien) is a Norwegian symphony orchestra based in Oslo, Norway. The orchestra traces its roots to the Philharmonic Society founded in 1847 and the Christiania Musical Association co-founded by Edvard Grieg in ...

. She studied with Désirée Artôt in Berlin in 1886 and 1887. She specialized in the romance song form, and made her concert debut as a mezzo-soprano romance singer in 1886. She appeared at numerous concerts, nationally and internationally, between 1880 and 1900. Included in her opera repertoire were "Elsa's Dream" from

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 '' Lohengrin'' and "Gretchen" in

Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

's ''

Scenes from Goethe's Faust ''Scenes from Goethe's Faust'' (''Szenen aus Goethes Faust'') is a musical-theatrical work by composer Robert Schumann. The work has been described as the height of his accomplishments in the realm of dramatic music.John Daverio: "Schumann, Rober ...

''. Her Scandinavian concert tours together with pianist Erika Lie Nissen were met with great enthusiasm. She was regarded as one of Norway's most prominent romance singers. Her last public concert was in December 1899, when she performed the newly composed ''Haugtussa'' song cycle, based by

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the foremost Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of ...

Arne Garborg Arne Garborg (born Aadne Eivindsson Garborg) (25 January 1851 – 14 January 1924) was a Norwegian writer. Garborg championed the use of Landsmål (now known as Nynorsk, or New Norwegian), as a literary language; he translated the Odyssey into ...

's poems. She also contributed musically to gatherings in her mother's home, which before 1898 was a meeting place for liberals and intellectuals; it has been called "Christiania's first

salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon ( ...

Ski pioneer

Eva Sars (Nansen) was a competent skier. She and Cecilie Thoresen Krog drew attention as the only girls at the Husebyrennet ski jumping event, when they arrived on skis. Later she came to have great influence on gaining the right for women to participate in winter sports on equal terms with men. During Easter 1892 she probably became the first woman to cross the Hardangervidda mountain plateau on skis, when she did so with her husband Fridtjof Nansen. On this occasion she wore a somewhat challenging ski costume for the time, designed by Nansen and made by her, in which her skirt only reached slightly below the knees. In the article ''Skiløbningen'', published in the newspaper ''

Verdens Gang ''Verdens Gang'' ("The course of the world"), generally known under the abbreviation ''VG'', is a Norwegian tabloid newspaper. In 2016, circulation numbers stood at 93,883, having declined from a peak circulation of 390,510 in 2002. ''VG'' is n ...

'' in March 1893, she argued against those who moralized against female skiing.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nansen, Eva 1858 births 1907 deaths Deaths from pneumonia in Norway 19th-century Norwegian women opera singers Musicians from Oslo