Henriette Widerberg
Encyclopedia
Henriette Sophie Widerberg (3 September 1796 – 3 April 1872) was a Swedish
opera singer (soprano
), actor and memoirist. The most famed singer on the Swedish stage of her time, she was counted as the most popular singer in Sweden during the 1810s and 1830s. She was also one of the most talked-about beauties on the stage.
as the child of Andreas Widerberg and Anna Catharina Widerbäck, stars in the troupe Gemenasiska Sällskapet that performed in the first real theater of Gothenburg
, Comediehuset
, in the 1780s. Her parents met on the stage and married the same night in 1787 on which they played onstage lovers. That year her father became the director of the same theater, only to leave it to become one of the most famous actors on the stage of the Royal Dramatic Theatre
in Stockholm; admired much by women, as it was said, because of his good looks, and also complimented by male critics for his "male figure". Henriette's siblings also became performers, but were never so successful as she.
A beautiful child, Henriette was early on sent by her mother to the stage in order to contribute to the household. In her memoirs, she describes how she played with dolls while her mother received presents from Henriette's adult male admirers. She was enrolled in Dramatens elevskola
in 1807, at which she was under the care of the principal Sofia Lovisa Gråå
, who educated her students according to the French traditions of Anne Marie Milan Desguillons
and allowed her female pupils, according to the papers, a shocking freedom. From 1810 she was a part of the De Broen's travelling troupe, which performed in the theatre Djurgårdsteatern in Stockholm in the summer. During the 1810s she was one of the most popular singers in Gothenburg. She returned to Stockholm in 1817, when she debuted on the stage of the Royal Swedish Opera
as Laura in the opera Léon ou Le Château de Monténéro by Nicolas Dalayrac
, a performance which was "touching to a degree which made the audience melt to tears".
, and when Jeanette Wässelius
, successor of Caroline Halle-Müller, retired in 1820, Henriette replaced her as Sweden's first prima donna, in competition with Elisabeth Frösslind
and Anna Sofia Sevelin
. Her salary reflected her position. She was paid 1.600; as comparison, the male actor with the highest salary was paid 1.800, and the lowest salary for an actress was 200.
In her memoirs, Widerberg talkes about the circumstances regarding the 1820 dismissal of Jeanette Wässelius that led to her own rise to the top. At the time of her dismissal, the celebrated Wässelia (as she was called), was only 36 and at the top of her ability; she was also widely recommended for her professional moral. There was no reason for her dismissal other than that she was involved in a conflict with the influential Edvard du Puy
, actor, singer and master of the opera's chapel, a man Henriette describes as "as mean as he was beautiful". Despite that Henriette Widerberg greatly benefited from the dismissal of Wässelia, as it made her the prima donna of the Opera, she points out in her memoirs her opinion that Jeanette Wässelius had been treated unjustly, and that du Puy had abused his power.
Widerberg started with parts in light operettas, until her performance in La vestale
by Spontini
(in 1821) proved her capable of performing more demanding parts. She played Emilie in Målaren och modellerna (The painter and the models) by Méhul
, Clara in Adolphe et Clara, ou Les deux prisonniers by Dalayrac, Cora in Cora och Alonzo by Johann Gottlieb Naumann
, Pamina in The Magic Flute
, Zerline in Fra Diavolo
, Anna in Don Juan, the title part in La dame blanche
by Boieldieu and Anna in Friskyttarna (The poachers) by Weber
; Julia in Vestalerna (The Vestals), the title role in Armida
by Rossini, and Amazily in Fernand Cortez
by Spontini.
In her performance as Zerlina in Fra Diavolo 17 May 1833, she became the first singer to do a scene of undressing on the stage of the Opera. This shocked the press, which wrote "Now, a woman can do on stage what she could not do even in the most intimate circle of a decent company, and undress herself until her petticoat."
wrote: "A Malibran without learning but what voice, oh, thou nightingales!"
As a person, Widerberg was described as witty, happy and kind; she had the ability to laugh at herself, and was neither greedy nor someone to plot against her colleagues. She was very much talked about because of her private life and her many love affairs. She had no sense of economy and lived without thinking about tomorrow; she lived "with no restraint" and "had a tendency to change the object of tender affection". In her memoirs she describes her many adventures, in which admirers invited her to manors in the country, dressed themselves as women in order to be allowed into her rooms, and tried to throw her into the river when she turned them down.
There are numerous anecdotes of Henriette's career, and many stories from her own memoirs as well. One known incident, causing great amusement among the public, took place when she played Susanna in Figaro
in 1821. The male singer who played Figaro, Edvard du Puy (the very same person who was responsible for the dismissal of Wässelia described above), invited her to his room to rehearse the play, but when she arrived he tried to seduce her. She declined the offer and left, which made him much disappointed. The next day she did not know her part, and du Puy then reported her to the director, who placed her on house arrest in her rooms for delaying the rehearsals. She was deeply angered by this treatment, and when the caretaker wanted to put extra locks on her door, she threatened to jump out of the window. She was comforted by her colleagues, who visited her and cheered her up with a little party in ment to see if it was legal to place women on arrest--unfortunately, it was; this was one of the disciplinary rules that the actors later demanded to be removed in the great strike led by Ulrik Torsslow
and Sara Fredrica Strömstedt-Torsslow in 1827.
During the performance, Henriette received such enthusiasm from the public that her anger vanished, but when they reached the part of the play at which Susanna was to slap Figaro seven times, she did so with such enthusiasm that the audience started laughing.
During a conflict with one of the theater's directors, who was said to have been less than careful about his hygiene, the director questioned Henriette about her bills regarding such things and she replied: "It is easy to say, Mr Count, for someone with no idea how much it costs to keep oneself clean and fresh!" She also writes that when she complained about men and boys trying to take a look at her when she had to change during performances, this director chased them all away, but guarded her from them by observing her himself--though, she adds, he was really quite harmless. She remained neutral during the great theater strikes of 1827 and 1834.
. The same year, however, she was fired from the Swedish Royal Opera because of her "irregularity" and the lack of effort she had shown over the last years. She continued as a guest actor for the next few years, but soon withdrew to private life, which was dominated by economic troubles. She was a guest artist at the Opera in the 1838-39 season. Between 1842-44, she was employed at the theatre Mindre teatern
, where according to Aftonbladet
she performed with the same talent that had been admired before; however at the time she was heavily indebted to a nobleman and indebted her boss Lindeberg, who had placed himself as her security. The playwright August Blanche
visited her in her poverty, when she and her brother Fredrik Julius Widerberg, the alcoholic former leader of a theatre troupe, were helped only by Emilie Högquist
. She opened a restaurant in 1848, and in 1850-51, she published her memoirs, En skådespelerskas minnen (The memories of an actress). She was eventually given a larger pension by the Opera. She died in Stockholm.
Henriette Widerberg has often been compared with Emilie Högquist, as their personalities and life stories were very much alike, and Emilie in many ways filled the place of Henriette when she retired.
". He was known as "The Beautiful Rose".
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....
opera singer (soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
), actor and memoirist. The most famed singer on the Swedish stage of her time, she was counted as the most popular singer in Sweden during the 1810s and 1830s. She was also one of the most talked-about beauties on the stage.
Background
Henriette Widerberg was born into a theatrical family in StockholmStockholm
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...
as the child of Andreas Widerberg and Anna Catharina Widerbäck, stars in the troupe Gemenasiska Sällskapet that performed in the first real theater of 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...
, Comediehuset
Comediehuset
Comediehuset or Sillgateteatern was a Swedish theatre, the first real Public theatre in Gothenburg. It was located at the corner of Sillgatan, the Herring-street and Nedre Kvarnbergsgatan and active from 1779 to the 1830s...
, in the 1780s. Her parents met on the stage and married the same night in 1787 on which they played onstage lovers. That year her father became the director of the same theater, only to leave it to become one of the most famous actors on the stage of the Royal Dramatic Theatre
Royal Dramatic Theatre
The Royal Dramatic Theatre is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's eight running stages....
in Stockholm; admired much by women, as it was said, because of his good looks, and also complimented by male critics for his "male figure". Henriette's siblings also became performers, but were never so successful as she.
A beautiful child, Henriette was early on sent by her mother to the stage in order to contribute to the household. In her memoirs, she describes how she played with dolls while her mother received presents from Henriette's adult male admirers. She was enrolled in 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...
in 1807, at which she was under the care of the principal 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 :...
, who educated her students according to the French traditions of Anne Marie Milan Desguillons
Anne Marie Milan Desguillons
Anne Marie Milan Desguillons was a French stage actress, active in Sweden. She was also active as an instructor and director of the theatre school Dramatens elevskola jointly with her spouse, and as such had a great influence over the development of the Swedish theatre.-Biography and career:Anne...
and allowed her female pupils, according to the papers, a shocking freedom. From 1810 she was a part of the De Broen's travelling troupe, which performed in the theatre Djurgårdsteatern in Stockholm in the summer. During the 1810s she was one of the most popular singers in Gothenburg. She returned to Stockholm in 1817, when she debuted on the stage of the Royal Swedish Opera
Royal Swedish Opera
Kungliga Operan is Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet.-Location and Environment:...
as Laura in the opera Léon ou Le Château de Monténéro by Nicolas Dalayrac
Nicolas Dalayrac
Nicolas-Marie d'Alayrac, known as Nicolas Dalayrac , was a French composer, best known for his opéras-comiques.- Biography :...
, a performance which was "touching to a degree which made the audience melt to tears".
Opera career
Though she never learned to read notes, she had a great natural talent and could quickly learn her part in a song simply by having heard it once. Her voice was described as that of a nightingaleNightingale
The Nightingale , also known as Rufous and Common Nightingale, is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae...
, and when 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...
, successor of Caroline Halle-Müller, retired in 1820, Henriette replaced her as Sweden's first prima donna, in competition with Elisabeth Frösslind
Elisabeth Frösslind
Kristina Elisabet Frösslind, also called Elise Frösslind, Kristina Elisabet Frösslind, also called Elise Frösslind, Kristina Elisabet Frösslind, also called Elise Frösslind, (27 February 1793 - 24 October 1861, was a Swedish opera singer and actor at the Royal Swedish Opera and the Royal Dramatic...
and Anna Sofia Sevelin
Anna Sofia Sevelin
Anna Sofia Sevelin, born Thunberg , was a Swedish opera singer . She was a court singer and a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts....
. Her salary reflected her position. She was paid 1.600; as comparison, the male actor with the highest salary was paid 1.800, and the lowest salary for an actress was 200.
In her memoirs, Widerberg talkes about the circumstances regarding the 1820 dismissal of Jeanette Wässelius that led to her own rise to the top. At the time of her dismissal, the celebrated Wässelia (as she was called), was only 36 and at the top of her ability; she was also widely recommended for her professional moral. There was no reason for her dismissal other than that she was involved in a conflict with the influential Edvard du Puy
Jean Baptiste Édouard Du Puy
Jean Baptiste Édouard Louis Camille Du Puy was a Swiss-born singer, composer, director and violinist. He lived and worked in Copenhagen and Stockholm from 1793 until his death in 1822.-Early years:...
, actor, singer and master of the opera's chapel, a man Henriette describes as "as mean as he was beautiful". Despite that Henriette Widerberg greatly benefited from the dismissal of Wässelia, as it made her the prima donna of the Opera, she points out in her memoirs her opinion that Jeanette Wässelius had been treated unjustly, and that du Puy had abused his power.
Widerberg started with parts in light operettas, until her performance in La vestale
La vestale
La vestale is an opera composed by Gaspare Spontini to a French libretto by Etienne de Jouy. It was first performed at the Paris Opéra in Paris on December 15, 1807 and is regarded as Spontini's masterpiece...
by Spontini
Gaspare Spontini
Gaspare Luigi Pacifico Spontini was an Italian opera composer and conductor, extremely celebrated in his time, though largely forgotten after his death.-Biography:...
(in 1821) proved her capable of performing more demanding parts. She played Emilie in Målaren och modellerna (The painter and the models) by Méhul
Étienne Méhul
Etienne Nicolas Méhul was a French composer, "the most important opera composer in France during the Revolution." He was also the first composer to be called a "Romantic".-Life:...
, Clara in Adolphe et Clara, ou Les deux prisonniers by Dalayrac, Cora in Cora och Alonzo by Johann Gottlieb Naumann
Johann Gottlieb Naumann
Johann Gottlieb Naumann was a German composer, conductor, and Kapellmeister.- Life :...
, Pamina in The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
, Zerline in Fra Diavolo
Fra Diavolo (opera)
Fra Diavolo, ou L'hôtellerie de Terracine is an opéra comique in three acts by the French composer Daniel Auber, from a libretto by Auber's regular collaborator Eugène Scribe...
, Anna in Don Juan, the title part in La dame blanche
La Dame blanche
La dame blanche is an opéra comique in three acts by the French composer François-Adrien Boieldieu. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe and is based on episodes from no less than five of the works by Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott, including his novels The Monastery, Guy Mannering, and The...
by Boieldieu and Anna in Friskyttarna (The poachers) by Weber
Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school....
; Julia in Vestalerna (The Vestals), the title role in Armida
Armida (Rossini)
Armida is an opera in three acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Schmidt, based on scenes from Gerusalemme liberata by Torquato Tasso.-Performance history:...
by Rossini, and Amazily in Fernand Cortez
Fernand Cortez
Fernand Cortez, ou La conquête du Mexique is an opéra in three acts by Gaspare Spontini with a French libretto by Etienne de Jouy and Joseph-Alphonse d’Esmenard...
by Spontini.
In her performance as Zerlina in Fra Diavolo 17 May 1833, she became the first singer to do a scene of undressing on the stage of the Opera. This shocked the press, which wrote "Now, a woman can do on stage what she could not do even in the most intimate circle of a decent company, and undress herself until her petticoat."
Technique and judgements
She was seen as a great natural talent with a fantastic mezzo-soprano, but she had an easygoing character which made her indolent and uninterested in developing herself. As her natural ability made many things simple for her, she never bothered to read notes--instead, she asked someone from the orchestra to sing and play her the part, and after hearing it, regardless of what instrument was used, she was able to sing it without much effort. The quality of her performance was said to have been dependent upon whether she liked a part or not, and she was described as bad and screamy in parts she did not care for, mediocre in parts she was indifferent to, and fabulous in parts she liked. "If she pleased to adjust herself to the situation - and she could, when she wanted to - then this voice was irresistibly enchanting, intoxicating. The poetry of voice was something no singer knew more than she". She was called the "Malibran of Sweden", as Orvar OddOscar Patric Sturzen-Becker
Oscar Patric Sturzen-Becker was a Swedish poet, writer and journalist, who often wrote under the pseudonym Orvar Odd....
wrote: "A Malibran without learning but what voice, oh, thou nightingales!"
As a person, Widerberg was described as witty, happy and kind; she had the ability to laugh at herself, and was neither greedy nor someone to plot against her colleagues. She was very much talked about because of her private life and her many love affairs. She had no sense of economy and lived without thinking about tomorrow; she lived "with no restraint" and "had a tendency to change the object of tender affection". In her memoirs she describes her many adventures, in which admirers invited her to manors in the country, dressed themselves as women in order to be allowed into her rooms, and tried to throw her into the river when she turned them down.
There are numerous anecdotes of Henriette's career, and many stories from her own memoirs as well. One known incident, causing great amusement among the public, took place when she played Susanna in Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro
Le nozze di Figaro, ossia la folle giornata , K. 492, is an opera buffa composed in 1786 in four acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro .Although the play by...
in 1821. The male singer who played Figaro, Edvard du Puy (the very same person who was responsible for the dismissal of Wässelia described above), invited her to his room to rehearse the play, but when she arrived he tried to seduce her. She declined the offer and left, which made him much disappointed. The next day she did not know her part, and du Puy then reported her to the director, who placed her on house arrest in her rooms for delaying the rehearsals. She was deeply angered by this treatment, and when the caretaker wanted to put extra locks on her door, she threatened to jump out of the window. She was comforted by her colleagues, who visited her and cheered her up with a little party in ment to see if it was legal to place women on arrest--unfortunately, it was; this was one of the disciplinary rules that the actors later demanded to be removed in the great strike led by Ulrik Torsslow
Ulrik Torsslow
Olof Ulrik Torsslow , was a Swedish actor and theatre director. He is considered one of the most notable actors in his country's history...
and Sara Fredrica Strömstedt-Torsslow in 1827.
During the performance, Henriette received such enthusiasm from the public that her anger vanished, but when they reached the part of the play at which Susanna was to slap Figaro seven times, she did so with such enthusiasm that the audience started laughing.
During a conflict with one of the theater's directors, who was said to have been less than careful about his hygiene, the director questioned Henriette about her bills regarding such things and she replied: "It is easy to say, Mr Count, for someone with no idea how much it costs to keep oneself clean and fresh!" She also writes that when she complained about men and boys trying to take a look at her when she had to change during performances, this director chased them all away, but guarded her from them by observing her himself--though, she adds, he was really quite harmless. She remained neutral during the great theater strikes of 1827 and 1834.
Later life
In 1837, she was given the title of court singerHovsångare
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...
. The same year, however, she was fired from the Swedish Royal Opera because of her "irregularity" and the lack of effort she had shown over the last years. She continued as a guest actor for the next few years, but soon withdrew to private life, which was dominated by economic troubles. She was a guest artist at the Opera in the 1838-39 season. Between 1842-44, she was employed at the theatre Mindre teatern
Mindre teatern
Mindre teatern , Nya teatern , Lindeberska teatern , was a Swedish theatre at Kungsgatan in Stockholm, active 1842-1863...
, where according to Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet is a Swedish tabloid founded by Lars Johan Hierta in 1830 during the modernization of Sweden. It is one of the larger daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. Aftonbladet is owned by the Swedish Trade Union Confederation and Norwegian media group Schibsted, and its editorial page...
she performed with the same talent that had been admired before; however at the time she was heavily indebted to a nobleman and indebted her boss Lindeberg, who had placed himself as her security. The playwright August Blanche
August Blanche
August Blanche was a Swedish journalist, novelist, and a Socialist statesman.August Theodor Blanche was born in Stockholm, Sweden, the illegitimate child of a servant girl and a priest. His mother eventually married Johan Jacob Blanck, a blacksmith and the boy took his stepfather's name...
visited her in her poverty, when she and her brother Fredrik Julius Widerberg, the alcoholic former leader of a theatre troupe, were helped only by Emilie Högquist
Emilie Högquist
Emilie Sophie Högquist was a Swedish actress and the mistress of Oscar I of Sweden. She was a star of the Royal Dramatic Theatre, the most celebrated dramatic Swedish primadonna of her time, called the Swedish Aspasia, and also famous for her love affairs...
. She opened a restaurant in 1848, and in 1850-51, she published her memoirs, En skådespelerskas minnen (The memories of an actress). She was eventually given a larger pension by the Opera. She died in Stockholm.
Henriette Widerberg has often been compared with Emilie Högquist, as their personalities and life stories were very much alike, and Emilie in many ways filled the place of Henriette when she retired.
Family
Widerberg never married, but she had several children. She describes in her memoirs how her children watched her in the death scene in Romeo and Juliet and started to cry "Mother is dead, mother is dead!" Her daughters Georgina and Julia were also to be famed on the stage, Georgina as an actor and Julia as a singer, and her son was to become a well-known musician. Georgina Wilson, née Widerberg (1821-1858), daughter of the secretary of the British Embassy, Charles Manners St George, was active as an actor from 1835 within travelling companies, in Djurgårdsteatern and Mindre teatern (1843-44), where she was appreciated within "finer comedy". Julia Liedberg, née Widerberg (1824-1847) debuted as a singer at the Opera in 1841 and was described as musical, sensitive and lovable. Both daughters "left after themselves a beautiful non-clouded memory". The son of Henriette was known and liked as a street musician and guitarist, and sang with "a high and beautiful tenor...with such an expression", and he was placed as a student in the Opera in 1858. However, he soon left the Opera as he preferred to sing and play on the street as a free "BohemeBohemianism
Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits...
". He was known as "The Beautiful Rose".