Lind, Jenny

Lind, Jenny, 1820–87, Swedish soprano. She made her debut in 1838 as Agathe in Weber's Der Freischütz. She studied in Paris and sang in Germany, England, and Sweden. In 1849 she abandoned opera for concert and oratorio until 1870. Under the management of P. T. Barnum she toured (1850–52) the United States with great success. After her marriage to Otto Goldschmidt in 1852 she lived in Dresden and in London, where she taught at the Royal College of Music. Called "the Swedish nightingale," she was one of the greatest coloratura sopranos of her time, possessing a voice of remarkable range and quality.

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Lind, Jenny

 orig. Johanna Maria Lind

(born Oct. 6, 1820, Stockholm, Swed.—died Nov. 2, 1887, Malvern, Worcestershire, Eng.) Swedish soprano. She became prima donna at the Royal Opera in Stockholm at age 18. Study with Manuel García (1805–1906) in 1841 averted damage from vocal strain. Her career expanded to Germany, then to Vienna and London, where she created a sensation. Her European fame caught the eye of P.T. Barnum, who arranged a U.S. tour (dubbing her “the Swedish Nightingale”) that launched many modern publicity techniques. She left Barnum in 1851 and resumed singing in Europe, though much less frequently. In her later years she lived and taught in England.

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Lind, Jenny 

Born Oct. 6, 1820, in Stockholm; died Nov. 2, 1887, at Wynd’s Point, Malvern Hills, England. Swedish singer (lyric coloratura soprano).

Lind studied at the Royal Theater School in Stockholm, where she made her debut in 1838. From 1844 to 1849, she sang in opera theaters in Berlin and other German cities, London, and Vienna; then, until 1870, she gave concerts throughout the USA and Western Europe. Lind’s roles included Euryanthe in Eury-anthe by Weber, Amina in La Sonnambula by Bellini, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti, Amelia in I masnadieri by Verdi, and Alice in Robert le Diable by Meyerbeer.

Lind was one of the most outstanding singers of the 19th century. Her voice had an enormous range (from B flat to G”), a beautiful timbre, and crystal purity. Her contemporaries called her the Swedish Nightingale. Lind taught singing at the Royal College of Music in London (1883–86).

REFERENCES

Bulman, J. Jenny Lind. London, 1956.
Shultz, G. D. Jenny Lind. Philadelphia-New York, 1962.