- Henriette Sontag
Henriette Sontag (
3 January 1806 -17 June 1854 ) was a German operatic soprano of great international renown.Biography
Sontag was born at
Coblenz as Gertrude Walpurgis Sonntag. She made her début at the age of 15.In 1823 she sang at
Leipzig inCarl Maria von Weber 's "Der Freischütz " and in December of that year created the title role in his "Euryanthe ". Her success was immediate, and in 1824 she went to theKönigstädter Theater ,Berlin .She was invited to be the soprano soloist in the first performances of
Beethoven 's "Symphony No. 9" and "Missa Solemnis" on7 May 1824 ; she was only 18 years old at the time.Two years later she sang the part of Rosina in
Rossini 's "Il barbiere di Siviglia", in which her coloratura power gave her a distinct triumph over Catalani.In 1827 she was engaged at the Paris Italian opera, and a year later married Count Rossi. She sang in all the musical centres of
Europe , and in 1852 visited theUnited States where she performed in concert withCamilla Urso .In 1854 she was engaged for the Italian opera in
Mexico , but was stricken there withcholera and died at the age of 48. Her last appearance, six days before her death, was in the title role ofDonizetti 's "Lucrezia Borgia".Publications
* W. Berger, "Berühmte Frauen" (Berlin, 1904)
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