Jenny lind was a soprano opera singer and renowned philanthropist of Swedish origin, who became a celebrity in Europe and the United States. Her powerful and unique voice, coupled with an overwhelming personality, made Lind an emblem of a simple woman who rose to her hand.
He was born on October 6, 1820 in Stockholm. From an early age she conquered the European stages and soon became the favorite opera singer of the European courts and aristocracy. He was called the "Swedish nightingale" for the purity and naturalness of his voice; had an exceptional vocal command to interpret the most famous operatic works.
Of humble origins - since he was born out of wedlock - he had a sad childhood. However, after being admitted as a student to the Royal Theater in Stockholm at just nine years old, her luck soon changed. Lind became cousin donna of the Royal Swedish Opera and, at the end, of his career one of the first celebrities in the USA.
Lind was supported by American businessman and artist Phineas Taylor Barnum. She was one of the greatest exponents of the bel canto (beautiful song) that developed in Europe between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, together with his teacher Manuel García, his daughter María Malibran and the soprano Farinelli.
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Jenny was christened Johanna Maria Lind by her parents Niclas Jonas Lind and Anne-Marie Fellborg. At age 18 Lind debuted in Der freischütz (The Poacher or Sniper) at the Stockholm Opera in 1838.
Due to serious problems with his voice, three years later he began to receive classes in Paris with the Spanish opera singer Manuel García..
She played the part of Vielka in the musical drama A camp in Silesia, written by Giuseppe Verdi (Berlin, 1944). In 1847 she played Amelia, a musical role written for her also by the Italian composer, in the opera The bandits (I Masnadieri).
That same year he made his London debut with the opera Robert the Devil (Robert Le Diable) by Giacomo Meyerbeer.
Even the famous composer Felix Mendelssohn attended the play in London, even though he hated melody, to hear Lind play the part of Alice. Mendelssohn was in love with the talent of the famous singer.
Also present at Lind's debut were Queen Victoria and the Duke of Wellington. According to the English music and literature critic Henry Chorley, the British capital "went crazy for the Swedish nightingale".
British royalty and aristocracy accompanied every performance of Lind, who had also managed to captivate English audiences with her melodious voice.
The Swedish soprano continued her performances in London. In 1848 Lind played her role in the opera The sleepwalker at Her Majesty's Theater, which was also attended by Queen Victoria.
Among his most famous suitors were the famous Polish composer Frederic Chopin and the no less famous Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen. However, whom she married in 1852 was the German pianist Otto Goldschmidt, her stage partner..
The couple had three children: Jenny Maria Catherine, Ernest Svend David and Walter Otto Goldschmidt.
Jenny Lind is also linked to Mendelssohn; The two met in 1844. According to an affidavit made by Lind's husband, the German composer asked the Swedish singer to elope together to the United States in 1847. Otto Goldschmidt, her husband, had taken piano lessons with Mendelssohn and Hans von Bülow.
That year the composer passed away, causing great sadness in Lind. In her honor, two years later the singer created the Mendelssohn School Foundation. Years later he erected in Hamburg (where the composer was born) a plaque in his memory.
Jenny Lind retired from opera in 1849 to pursue her Christian life and charity work, but in 1850 she was hired by the show promoter PT Barnum to go on a concert tour of the United States. At the peak of his artistic career, Barnum wanted to gain a little more respectability with a serious show..
Convincing Lind to return to the stage was not easy. However, the juicy offer that Barnum ended up making to the soprano of $ 1,000 per performance convinced her. Lind accepted because she planned to use the money earned for an orphanage for girls in her hometown..
150 shows were planned around the United States, but only 93 shows were held that brought Barnum income in the order of $ 700,000, quite a fortune for the time..
The contract stated that the singer could terminate it after offering 60 concerts, after compensation from Barnum of 25 thousand dollars..
The American promoter hired Lind without ever having heard her sing, but was confident that he would make a big profit for his show..
She put all her pre-tour marketing and business skills to work: from a moving Cinderella story by the Swedish singer who appealed to the middle class, to singing competitions and poetry awards..
Barnum created various commercial items: dolls, costumes, hats, chairs, pianos, etc. This intense advertising machine, along with Lind's unmatched artistic skills and attractive personality, were a complete success. The Swedish singer was seen as a charitable and demure woman, with fine feminine forms, as well as Christian and white..
Despite the fact that a few months ago she was a total stranger, shortly after arriving in the United States she became “one of the most famous and celebrated women in America,” as Regan Shrumm wrote. Her reception at the New York docks was tremendous: some 30,000 people came to greet her.
She was the first foreign star in the United States whose performances sparked a kind of "Lind mania"; was nicknamed the Swedish Nightingale. For his 93 concerts, Lind finally received a payment of 350 thousand dollars.
After the masterful performance in the United States, Lind permanently retired and appeared sporadically in some concerts..
In 1870 he did it at the Goldschmidt Ruth oratory in the city of Düsseldorf; then appeared in London in 1875, conducting sopranos in the Bach choir that her husband founded.
In 1883 it was his last appearance in public and until 1886 he devoted himself to teaching lyrical singing at the Royal College of Music in London. A year later, this exceptional artist and philanthropist died.
In the recent film The Greatest Showman (The Great Showman), starring Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson, recreates the life of the Swedish singer.
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