Caroline Müller (mezzo-soprano)
Encyclopedia
Caroline Frederikke Müller (née
Halle) (1755–1826), also known as Caroline Walther, was a Danish
and later naturalized Swedish
singer (mezzo-soprano
), dancer and actor
and principal of the theatre academy Dramatens elevskola
. She was born as Caroline Halle, was known in Denmark as Caroline Walther (after her first marriage in 1774), and in Sweden as Caroline Müller (after her second marriage in 1780). She was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music
and a royal court singer (Hovsångare
).
, got her accepted as a student there. At the age of six, she danced at the Royal Danish Theatre ballet; she debuted as an actress in 1768, and in 1769, she was employed as a singer and actress and became one of the most celebrated stage artists in Denmark.
During the 1770s, she was considered to be one of the greatest talents within Danish opera. In 1772 she played 124 parts, in everything from romantic drama to tragedy; she followed in the footsteps of her mentor, the versatile primadonna Lisbeth Cathrine Amalie Rose
. In 1773 she left her mother, who had abused her, and, in 1774, she married the music
instructor
and secretary
Thomas Walther; however, they separated in 1775 when he moved abroad.
; she wished to gain a divorce
so that she could re-marry, but had not been permitted to by the authorities in Denmark - this is reported to be as a result of an intrigue planned by her great rival, Catharine Frydendahl
. In 1777, General von Eickstedt became a part of the management of the opera, and it is said that he worked to benefit the career of his mistress Frydendahl. He prevented that Caroline Frederikke Müller's lover became employed at the opera, and had him exiled. The opera direction was reportedly afraid that they would lose Caroline if she married a foreigner.
Müller therefore went to Sweden with her lover, the German musician Christian Friedrich Müller (1752-1827), where she got her divorce and then married him in Gothenburg
(she is reported to have eskaped from her contract in Denmark dressed as a man). She then joined the Royal Swedish Opera
in Bollhuset
in Stockholm
, where she spent the rest of her career. In 1782, as she was about to play a main part in the opening performance of the newly-built house of the Royal Swedish Opera, she left the country, then stayed a year in London
, all to escape her creditor
s; in England
, she became the first Danish opera singer to perform abroad.
offered her immunity and a raised salary, and she returned to her position at the Swedish opera. When Elisabeth Olin
retired, Müller replaced her as the most celebrated female singer in Sweden; her spouse, Christian Fredidrich Müller, became a musician at Kungliga Hovkapellet
(in 1787-1817 as a principal violinist) and she herself became the court singer of King Gustav and played leading parts in his many operas.
She was active in training future singers and actors for the Swedish opera. She was inducted into the Royal Swedish Academy of Music
in 1788; her spouse was also elected the same year. In 1791, she visited Denmark and was present at a performance given in honor of her mentor, Lisbeth Cathrine Amalie Rose.
She retired from the stage in 1806 at the temporary closure of the Opera. She made her last appearance in 1810, at the coronation of King Charles XIII of Sweden
, playing her most popular part, Christina Gyllenstierna
. In 1812, she succeeded Sofia Lovisa Gråå
as instructor and principal of the students at the actors' school, Dramatens elevskola
, a position she kept until 1815.
Caroline Müller was regarded as Sweden's leading opera prima donna after Elisabeth Olin, and was succeeded as such by Jeanette Wässelius
after her retirement. She then became director of the theatre school during a significant period of expansion and development in its history.
by Gluck
with Carl Stenborg
and Kristofer Kristian Karsten
(season 1780–81); Anguelique in Roland by Philippe Quinault
with Stenborg and Karsten (1781–82); Iphigenie in Iphigénie en Tauride
by Gluck with Stenborg and Karsten; Christina Gyllenstierna
in Gustaf Vasa by Gustav II composed by Naumann with Stenborg and Karsten (1785–86); Armide in Armide by Quinault
with Stenborg and Karsten (1786–87); Christina of Holstein-Gottorp
in Gustaf Adolf och Ebba Brahe (Gustav Adolf and Ebba Brahe) by Gustav III with Franziska Stading
, Stenborg and Karsten (1787–88); Prosper in Azémia by Nicolas Dalayrac
with Abraham de Broen and Karsten (1792–93); Aretea in Alcides inräde in världen (Alcides arrival in to the world) by Haeffner with Carl Fredrik Fernstedt and Marie Louise Marcadet
; Georgino in La soirée orageuse by Dalayrac with Abraham de Broen and Kjell Waltman; Josef in Les deux petits savoyards
by Dalayrac with Kristofer Kristian Karsten and Marie Louise Marcadet (1793–94); Malena in De gamla friarna (The old Suitors) by Dalayrac with Kjell Waltman, Carl Magnus Craelius, Maria Franck
and Inga Åberg
; Lisette in Renaud d'Ast by Dalayrac with Karsten (1795–96); Colombine in Le tableau parlant
by André Grétry with Carolina Kuhlman
(1798–99); and Dido in Aeneas in Carthago (Aeneas in Carthage) with Stenborg and Karsten (1799–1800).
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Halle) (1755–1826), also known as Caroline Walther, was a Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and later naturalized Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
singer (mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
), dancer and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and principal of the theatre academy Dramatens elevskola
Dramatens elevskola
Dramatens elevskola, i.e. Kungliga Dramatiska Teaterns Elevskola, or in Eng: The Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school, was the acting school of Sweden's national stage, The Royal Dramatic Theatre, and for many years seen as the foremost theatre school and drama education for Swedish stage actors...
. She was born as Caroline Halle, was known in Denmark as Caroline Walther (after her first marriage in 1774), and in Sweden as Caroline Müller (after her second marriage in 1780). She was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music
Royal Swedish Academy of Music
The Royal Swedish Academy of Music or Kungl. Musikaliska Akademien, founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden...
and a royal court singer (Hovsångare
Hovsångare
Hovsångare , literally Court Singer, is a title awarded by the Swedish monarch to a singer who, by their vocal art, has contributed to the international standing of Swedish singing. The formal title was introduced by King Gustav III of Sweden in 1773, with the first recipients being Elisabeth Olin...
).
Background and career in Denmark
Born an illegitimate child, her stepfather Thomas Jespersen, who was employed as a machinist at the Royal Danish TheatreRoyal Danish Theatre
The Royal Danish Theatre is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first serving as the theatre of the king, and then as the theatre of the...
, got her accepted as a student there. At the age of six, she danced at the Royal Danish Theatre ballet; she debuted as an actress in 1768, and in 1769, she was employed as a singer and actress and became one of the most celebrated stage artists in Denmark.
During the 1770s, she was considered to be one of the greatest talents within Danish opera. In 1772 she played 124 parts, in everything from romantic drama to tragedy; she followed in the footsteps of her mentor, the versatile primadonna Lisbeth Cathrine Amalie Rose
Lisbeth Cathrine Amalie Rose
Lisbeth Cathrine Amalie Rose was a Danish actress, one of the very first professional native actresses in Denmark and also the greatest actress in 18th century Denmark...
. In 1773 she left her mother, who had abused her, and, in 1774, she married the music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
instructor
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
Thomas Walther; however, they separated in 1775 when he moved abroad.
Career in exile
In 1780, she herself left Denmark, and moved to SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
; she wished to gain a divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
so that she could re-marry, but had not been permitted to by the authorities in Denmark - this is reported to be as a result of an intrigue planned by her great rival, Catharine Frydendahl
Catharine Frydendahl
Catharine Elisabeth Frydendahl , was a Danish opera singer, and the prima donna of Danish opera in the 18th century.-Life and career:...
. In 1777, General von Eickstedt became a part of the management of the opera, and it is said that he worked to benefit the career of his mistress Frydendahl. He prevented that Caroline Frederikke Müller's lover became employed at the opera, and had him exiled. The opera direction was reportedly afraid that they would lose Caroline if she married a foreigner.
Müller therefore went to Sweden with her lover, the German musician Christian Friedrich Müller (1752-1827), where she got her divorce and then married him in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
(she is reported to have eskaped from her contract in Denmark dressed as a man). She then joined the Royal Swedish Opera
Royal Swedish Opera
Kungliga Operan is Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet.-Location and Environment:...
in Bollhuset
Bollhuset
Bollhuset, also called ', ', and ' at various times, was the name of the first theater in Stockholm, Sweden; it was the first Swedish theater and the first real theater building in the whole of Scandinavia. The name "" means "The Ball House", and it was built in 1627 for ball sports and used in...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, where she spent the rest of her career. In 1782, as she was about to play a main part in the opening performance of the newly-built house of the Royal Swedish Opera, she left the country, then stayed a year in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, all to escape her creditor
Creditor
A creditor is a party that has a claim to the services of a second party. It is a person or institution to whom money is owed. The first party, in general, has provided some property or service to the second party under the assumption that the second party will return an equivalent property or...
s; in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, she became the first Danish opera singer to perform abroad.
Career in Sweden
In 1783, although she had previously broken her contract, King Gustav III of SwedenGustav III of Sweden
Gustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....
offered her immunity and a raised salary, and she returned to her position at the Swedish opera. When Elisabeth Olin
Elisabeth Olin
Elisabeth Olin was a Swedish opera singer and a music composer. She is referred to as the first Swedish Opera prima donna. She was a court-singer . She was the first female member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music...
retired, Müller replaced her as the most celebrated female singer in Sweden; her spouse, Christian Fredidrich Müller, became a musician at Kungliga Hovkapellet
Kungliga Hovkapellet
Kungliga Hovkapellet , is a Swedish orchestra and was located at the Royal Court in Sweden's capital Stockholm. It was first recorded in 1526. Since 1773 it is part of the Royal Swedish Opera's company....
(in 1787-1817 as a principal violinist) and she herself became the court singer of King Gustav and played leading parts in his many operas.
She was active in training future singers and actors for the Swedish opera. She was inducted into the Royal Swedish Academy of Music
Royal Swedish Academy of Music
The Royal Swedish Academy of Music or Kungl. Musikaliska Akademien, founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden...
in 1788; her spouse was also elected the same year. In 1791, she visited Denmark and was present at a performance given in honor of her mentor, Lisbeth Cathrine Amalie Rose.
She retired from the stage in 1806 at the temporary closure of the Opera. She made her last appearance in 1810, at the coronation of King Charles XIII of Sweden
Charles XIII of Sweden
Charles XIII & II also Carl, , was King of Sweden from 1809 and King of Norway from 1814 until his death...
, playing her most popular part, Christina Gyllenstierna
Christina Gyllenstierna
Christina Nilsdotter of Fogelvik, Heiress of Tullgarn , was the wife of the Swedish regent Sten Sture the Younger, and after his death, leader of resistance to Christian II of Denmark...
. In 1812, she succeeded Sofia Lovisa Gråå
Sofia Lovisa Gråå
Sofia Lovisa Gråå née Palm, was a Swedish educator of actors, and noted for innovations that in modern times would be described as feminist.- Biography :...
as instructor and principal of the students at the actors' school, Dramatens elevskola
Dramatens elevskola
Dramatens elevskola, i.e. Kungliga Dramatiska Teaterns Elevskola, or in Eng: The Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school, was the acting school of Sweden's national stage, The Royal Dramatic Theatre, and for many years seen as the foremost theatre school and drama education for Swedish stage actors...
, a position she kept until 1815.
Caroline Müller was regarded as Sweden's leading opera prima donna after Elisabeth Olin, and was succeeded as such by Jeanette Wässelius
Jeanette Wässelius
Marie Jeanette Wässelius, commonly known as Wässelia or Mamsell Wässelia, , was a Swedish opera singer, court singer and actress, the leading prima donna of the Swedish Opera during the Napoleonic age in the first decades of the 19th century and sister of the international opera star Justina Casagli...
after her retirement. She then became director of the theatre school during a significant period of expansion and development in its history.
Roles
She played the title role in AlcesteAlceste (Gluck)
Alceste is an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck from 1767. The libretto was written by Ranieri de' Calzabigi and based on the play Alcestis by Euripides. The premiere took place in Vienna.-Preface and reforms:...
by Gluck
Christoph Willibald Gluck
Christoph Willibald Ritter von Gluck was an opera composer of the early classical period. After many years at the Habsburg court at Vienna, Gluck brought about the practical reform of opera's dramaturgical practices that many intellectuals had been campaigning for over the years...
with Carl Stenborg
Carl Stenborg
Carl Stenborg was a Swedish opera singer, actor, composer and theatre director. He is considered the first great male opera singer in Sweden and one of the pioneers of the Royal Swedish Opera.- Biography :...
and Kristofer Kristian Karsten
Christoffer Christian Karsten
Christoffer Christian Karsten was a Swedish opera singer, sometimes called the greatest male opera singer in Swedish history...
(season 1780–81); Anguelique in Roland by Philippe Quinault
Philippe Quinault
Philippe Quinault , French dramatist and librettist, was born in Paris.- Biography :Quinault was educated by the liberality of François Tristan l'Hermite, the author of Marianne. Quinault's first play was produced at the Hôtel de Bourgogne in 1653, when he was only eighteen...
with Stenborg and Karsten (1781–82); Iphigenie in Iphigénie en Tauride
Iphigénie en Tauride
Iphigénie en Tauride is an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck in four acts. It was his fifth opera for the French stage. The libretto was written by Nicolas-François Guillard....
by Gluck with Stenborg and Karsten; Christina Gyllenstierna
Christina Gyllenstierna
Christina Nilsdotter of Fogelvik, Heiress of Tullgarn , was the wife of the Swedish regent Sten Sture the Younger, and after his death, leader of resistance to Christian II of Denmark...
in Gustaf Vasa by Gustav II composed by Naumann with Stenborg and Karsten (1785–86); Armide in Armide by Quinault
Philippe Quinault
Philippe Quinault , French dramatist and librettist, was born in Paris.- Biography :Quinault was educated by the liberality of François Tristan l'Hermite, the author of Marianne. Quinault's first play was produced at the Hôtel de Bourgogne in 1653, when he was only eighteen...
with Stenborg and Karsten (1786–87); Christina of Holstein-Gottorp
Christina of Holstein-Gottorp
Christina of Holstein-Gottorp was a Queen Consort of Sweden as consort of king Charles IX of Sweden, mother of king Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, and a Regent of Sweden.-Biography:...
in Gustaf Adolf och Ebba Brahe (Gustav Adolf and Ebba Brahe) by Gustav III with Franziska Stading
Franziska Stading
Sofia "Franziska" Stading was a opera singer and actor; originally from Germany, she became one of the most popular stars in Sweden in the 18th century...
, Stenborg and Karsten (1787–88); Prosper in Azémia by Nicolas Dalayrac
Nicolas Dalayrac
Nicolas-Marie d'Alayrac, known as Nicolas Dalayrac , was a French composer, best known for his opéras-comiques.- Biography :...
with Abraham de Broen and Karsten (1792–93); Aretea in Alcides inräde in världen (Alcides arrival in to the world) by Haeffner with Carl Fredrik Fernstedt and Marie Louise Marcadet
Marie Louise Marcadet
Marie Louise Marcadet was a Swedish opera singer and a dramatic stage actor. She was active in both the Royal Swedish Opera, and at the Royal Dramatic Theatre. She is regarded as the greatest tragedienne in Sweden during the 1780s decade, before the first noted native tragedienne, Maria Franck...
; Georgino in La soirée orageuse by Dalayrac with Abraham de Broen and Kjell Waltman; Josef in Les deux petits savoyards
Les deux petits savoyards
Les deux petits savoyards is a comic opera in one act by the French composer Nicolas Dalayrac. It was first performed at the Comédie-Italienne, Paris on January 14, 1789. The libretto is by Benoît-Joseph Marsollier des Vivetières. The opera was a great success; according to the records of the...
by Dalayrac with Kristofer Kristian Karsten and Marie Louise Marcadet (1793–94); Malena in De gamla friarna (The old Suitors) by Dalayrac with Kjell Waltman, Carl Magnus Craelius, Maria Franck
Maria Franck
Maria Kristina Franck, later Ruckman, , was a Swedish actor, also known as Kristina Ruckman, who later also became principal of the theatre school Dramatens elevskola...
and Inga Åberg
Inga Åberg
Inga Åberg was a Swedish actress and opera singer, one of the most popular and well known actors of her time in Sweden...
; Lisette in Renaud d'Ast by Dalayrac with Karsten (1795–96); Colombine in Le tableau parlant
Le tableau parlant
Le tableau parlant is an opéra comique, described as a comédie-parade, in one act by André Grétry, The French text was by Louis Anseaume.-Performance history:...
by André Grétry with Carolina Kuhlman
Carolina Kuhlman
Ottilia Carolina Kuhlman, also Carolina Deland and Carolina Åbergsson, , was a Swedish actor, the leading lady on the Swedish stage during the Napoleon era in the first two decades of the 19th century.- Biography :...
(1798–99); and Dido in Aeneas in Carthago (Aeneas in Carthage) with Stenborg and Karsten (1799–1800).