Carl Stenborg (8 September 1752 – 1 August 1813) was a Swedish

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

singer, composer and theatre director. He belonged to the pioneer generation of the

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

and was regarded as one of the leading opera singers of the Gustavian era. He was a '' hovsångare'' and a member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of Music The Royal Swedish Academy of Music (), founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in ...

Life

Carl Stenborg was born in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

to actor Petter Stenborg (1719–1781), director of the Stenborg Troupe, and Anna Krüger (1710–1803). Of his brothers, Johan Fredrik Stenborg (1743–1813) studied at

Uppsala University Uppsala University (UU) () is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially fou ...

and became an official, and Nils Stenborg (d. 1780) became an opera singer. He received a good education, debuted as a concert singer in

Riddarhuset The House of Nobility () in Stockholm, Sweden, is a corporation and a building that maintains records and acts as an interest group on behalf of the Swedish nobility. Name The name is literally translated as ''House of Knights'', as the knight ...

in 1766 and was appointed councillor at the

Royal Court of Sweden The Royal Court () is the official name for the organisation ( royal households) that supports the monarch and the royal house. The incumbent monarch, King Carl XVI Gustaf, is head of the Royal Court. Organizational structure The Royal Court is d ...

in 1767. This was considered unusual, since his father was not of wealthy means. Carl's mother had been the housekeeper of the nobleman and statesman Adam Horn (1717-1778). Carl or one of his brothers may have been his son, which was to be the reason why the sons of a poor man had been able to receive such a good education and reach high positions so early in life.

Royal Opera

When the Royal Swedish Opera was founded in 1773, he played the main male role in Francesco Uttini's opera '' Thetis och Pélée'' opposite the primadonna

Elisabeth Olin Elisabeth Olin née ''Lillström'' (December 1740 – 26 March 1828) was a Swedish opera singer and a music composer. She performed the leading female role in the inauguration performance of the Royal Swedish Opera in 1773, and is referred to ...

, with whom he had a relationship.Bertil H. van Boer, 'Stenborg, Carl' in ''

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and t ...

'', Stanley Sadie and John Tyrell (eds), 2001 He was the leading male star for several years and in 1780 was given a life contract. Although he sang

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

roles, his voice was known for its dexterity and dark

timbre In music, timbre (), also known as tone color or tone quality (from psychoacoustics), is the perceived sound of a musical note, sound or tone. Timbre distinguishes sounds according to their source, such as choir voices and musical instrument ...

and was nearer to that of a

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

. Carl Stenborg was appointed Hovsångare in 1773, royal secretary in 1782 and was elected to the

in 1783.

The Stenborg theaters

He was the director of his father's theatres in 1780–99: from 1788, he was allowed to perform in them. He was engaged in 1782 and in 1793 he married the singer Betty Olin, daughter of Elisabeth Olin, and performed with her in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

and

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

in 1794 and 1795. The engagement had been long because of the unwillingness of Elisabeth Olin to give her consent to the marriage between her daughter and her own former lover. In 1784 Stenborg's

''Gustaf Ericsson i Dalarna'' premiered at one of his father's theaters. After the

Stenborg Theatre The Stenborg theatre, also called Svenska Komiska Teatern, Komiska Teatern and Munkbroteatern, was a historical Swedish 18th century theatre, active between 1784 and 1799 in Gamla stan in Stockholm. It was the second theatre of Stockholm during t ...

was closed in 1799, he toured the country (1804–09) with his own company.

Later life

He was given a pension in 1806. He gave his last performance at a concert on

27 February 1808, "to the great surprise of everyone" opposite Elisabeth Olin, which now also gave her last performance, and

Jeanette Wässelius Marie Jeanette Wässelius (23 August 1784 – 5 December 1853) was a Swedish opera singer. She is referred to as the leading prima donna of the Royal Swedish Opera in the early 19th-century. She was a '' Hovsångare'' (1815) as well as an ...

, with music of the royal chapel,

Johann Christian Friedrich Hæffner Johann Christian Friedrich Hæffner (2 March 1759 in Oberschönau – 28 May 1833 in Uppsala) was a German-born Swedish composer. Hæffner received his first musical education with the Schmalkalden organist Johann Gottfried Vierling. H ...

, Freidrich Müller and his own daughter, the pianist Carolina Stenborg (1798–1869). He died in Stockholm on 1 August 1813.

References

Other sources

Nordisk familjebok / Uggleupplagan. 26. Slöke - Stockholm 1219-1220
on Project Runeberg. * Kjellberg, Bertil, Beijer, Agne & Andersson, Ingvar (red.), Gustavianskt: 771-1810 Wahlström & Widstrand, Stockholm, 1945 * Klas Åke Heed, Ny svensk teaterhistoria. Teater före 1800, Gidlunds förlag (2007) * ''Kungliga teaterns repertoar 1773-1973'' Repertoire of the Royal Theatre 1773-1973' 1974 (Swedish) * Oscar Levertin: Teater och drama under Gustaf III, Albert Bonniers förlag, Stockholm, Fjärde Upplagan (1920). Teater och drama under Gustaf III'(in Swedish) * Fredrik August Dahlgren: Förteckning öfver svenska skådespel uppförda på Stockholms theatrar 1737-1863 och Kongl. Theatrarnes personal 1773-1863. Med flera anteckningar. (List of Performances staged at the theatres of Stockholm from 1737 to 18863 and the staff of the royal theatres from 1773 to 1863) (Swedish) * Jonsson, Leif & Ivarsdotter, Anna (red.), Musiken i Sverige. 2, Frihetstid och gustaviansk tid 1720-1810, Fischer, Stockholm, 1993 (Music in Sweden. The age of Liberty and the Gustavian age 1720–1810) * Johan Flodmark: Stenborgska skådebanorna: bidrag till Stockholms teaterhistoria, Norstedt, Stockholm, 1893 * Nordensvan, Georg, Svensk teater och svenska skådespelare från Gustav III till våra dagar. Förra delen, 1772-1842, Bonnier, Stockholm, 1917(Swedish theatre and Swedish actors from Gustav III to our days. First book 1772–1842) (Swedish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Stenborg, Carl Swedish male stage actors Swedish operatic tenors 1752 births 1813 deaths 18th-century Swedish male actors Swedish theatre directors Swedish opera composers 18th-century Swedish male opera singers Swedish male opera composers Gustavian era people 18th-century theatre managers 19th-century theatre managers Musicians from Stockholm