Schröder-Devrient, Wilhelmine

Schröder-Devrient, Wilhelmine

(born Dec. 6, 1804, Hamburg—died Jan. 26, 1860, Coburg, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha) German soprano. Daughter of a baritone, she achieved international renown with her 1822 performance as Ludwig van Beethoven's Leonora. Though her voice showed signs of wear by her 30s, she was known for her dramatic prowess—she genuinely cried onstage and was called the “Queen of Tears”—and she created three early Wagnerian (see Richard Wagner) roles: Adriano (Rienzi, 1842), Senta (The Flying Dutchman, 1843), and Venus (Tannhäuser, 1845).

---

Schröder-Devrient, Wilhelmine 

Born Dec. 6, 1804, in Hamburg; died Jan. 26,1860, in Coburg. German soprano.

Schröder-Devrient studied under J. Mazatti in Vienna. In 1821 she made her debut as Pamina in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. She toured in various cities of Italy, as well as in Paris, London, and Prague. Her performance as Leonore in Beethoven’s Fidelio (1822, Vienna) brought her fame as the leading female singer of Europe. From 1823 to 1847 she was a soloist with the court opera in Dresden. For her part in the Dresden uprising of 1849 she was exiled from Saxony, and she did not perform again until 1856. Schröder-Devrient performed as a guest artist in Russia.

Schröder-Devrient, a singer of superb vocal technique and a gifted actress, excelled as Senta in Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer and Agathe in Weber’s Der Freischütz.

REFERENCES

Serov, A. N. Kriticheskie stat’i, vol. 3. St. Petersburg, 1893. Pages 1361–75.
Wolzogen, A. von. Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient. Leipzig, 1863.
Hagemann, K. Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient. Wiesbaden, 1947.