Augusta Smith
Encyclopedia
Augusta Smith, married surname Schrumpf (19 November 1813?) was a Norwegian (originally Danish) dramatic actress and opera
tic soprano
. She was the prima donna
of the national stage of Norway in the first half of the 19th century; she also belonged to the pioneer troupe of artists at the Norwegian national stage and could be regarded as the first opera singer in Norway.
, Denmark
; her father was Norwegian, and her mother was Swedish. She was hired as a student actress at the newly opened (1827) theatre of Johan Peter Strömberg
(from 1837 known as the Christiania Theatre
) in Oslo
by Böcher in 1829; this was the first lasting theatre in Norway, and the Norwegian national stage during the 19th century. Until the employment of Laura Gundersen
in 1849, the theatre employed actors from Denmark and Germany
. She debuted 21 September 1829 as Rosine in The Barber of Seville by Pierre Beaumarchais
. Norway did not have an opera
, but during this period, opera and theatre
was often combined, as it was in Denmark and Sweden
, were the artists often worked both as actors and singers, and it was decided that some operetta
s should be performed at the theatre. In the season of 1831-32, Deux mots by Nicolas Dalayrac
was performed in Oslo directed by August Schrumpf, with Augusta Smith in the main part. This was the premiere of the opera in Norway and the breakthrough for Smith, who starred in the main part in the majority of the singing parts, whenever such were performed in the theatre.
She married the violin
ist August Schrumpf in 1832.
Among her other parts were Fenella in La muette de Portici
by Daniel Auber
(1843), where she received much praise, and Angela in Le domino noir
; productions by Auber were very popular in Norway during this time. She played Hildur in Kung Sverres ungdom by A. Munch when the theatre was re-opened under the name Christiania Theatre in 1837. She also participated in concert
s arranged by the musical society which performed chosen excerpts of famous operas in Oslo during this time, such as an aria
from La clemenza di Tito
by Mozart
(1833).
She did not belong to a particular genre, but performed all sorts of parts, from tragedy to vaudeville. She was described as natural, warm and sensitive. During the 1850s, there were criticisms that no Norwegian actors were active on the Norwegian stage.
She performed for the last time on 16 March 1860, retired with a pension, and moved to Bergen
.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic 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...
. She was the prima donna
Prima donna
Originally used in opera or Commedia dell'arte companies, "prima donna" is Italian for "first lady." The term was used to designate the leading female singer in the opera company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. The prima donna was normally, but not necessarily, a soprano...
of the national stage of Norway in the first half of the 19th century; she also belonged to the pioneer troupe of artists at the Norwegian national stage and could be regarded as the first opera singer in Norway.
Biography
Augusta Smith was born in CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
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...
; her father was Norwegian, and her mother was Swedish. She was hired as a student actress at the newly opened (1827) theatre of Johan Peter Strömberg
Johan Peter Strömberg
Johan Peter Strömberg was a Swedish actor, dancer and theatre director. He was the founder of the first public theatre and theatre school in Oslo in Norway....
(from 1837 known as the Christiania Theatre
Christiania Theatre
Christiania Theatre, or Kristiania Theatre, was Norway's finest stage for the spoken drama between October 4, 1836 - September 1, 1899. It was located at Bankplassen by the Akershus Fortress in central Christiania, in Norway...
) in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
by Böcher in 1829; this was the first lasting theatre in Norway, and the Norwegian national stage during the 19th century. Until the employment of Laura Gundersen
Laura Gundersen
Laura Sofie Coucheron Gundersen was a Norwegian actor, counted as the first native-born tragedienne, and also, in some aspect, as her country's first professional native actress and prima donna.-Biography:...
in 1849, the theatre employed actors from Denmark and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. She debuted 21 September 1829 as Rosine in The Barber of Seville by Pierre Beaumarchais
Pierre Beaumarchais
Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais was a French playwright, watchmaker, inventor, musician, diplomat, fugitive, spy, publisher, arms dealer, satirist, financier, and revolutionary ....
. Norway did not have an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, but during this period, opera and theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
was often combined, as it was in Denmark and Sweden
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....
, were the artists often worked both as actors and singers, and it was decided that some operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
s should be performed at the theatre. In the season of 1831-32, Deux mots by Nicolas Dalayrac
Nicolas Dalayrac
Nicolas-Marie d'Alayrac, known as Nicolas Dalayrac , was a French composer, best known for his opéras-comiques.- Biography :...
was performed in Oslo directed by August Schrumpf, with Augusta Smith in the main part. This was the premiere of the opera in Norway and the breakthrough for Smith, who starred in the main part in the majority of the singing parts, whenever such were performed in the theatre.
She married the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist August Schrumpf in 1832.
Among her other parts were Fenella in La muette de Portici
La muette de Portici
La muette de Portici originally called Masaniello, ou La muette de Portici, is an opera in five acts by Daniel Auber, with a libretto by Germain Delavigne, revised by Eugène Scribe...
by Daniel Auber
Daniel Auber
Daniel François Esprit Auber was a French composer.-Biography:The son of a Paris print-seller, Auber was born in Caen in Normandy. Though his father expected him to continue in the print-selling business, he also allowed his son to learn how to play several musical instruments...
(1843), where she received much praise, and Angela in Le domino noir
Le domino noir
Le domino noir is an opéra comique by the French composer Daniel Auber, first performed on 2 December 1837 by the Opéra-Comique at the Salle de la Bourse in Paris. The libretto to the three-act piece is by Auber's usual collaborator, Eugène Scribe. It was one of Auber's most successful works,...
; productions by Auber were very popular in Norway during this time. She played Hildur in Kung Sverres ungdom by A. Munch when the theatre was re-opened under the name Christiania Theatre in 1837. She also participated in concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s arranged by the musical society which performed chosen excerpts of famous operas in Oslo during this time, such as an aria
Aria
An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
from La clemenza di Tito
La clemenza di Tito
La clemenza di Tito , K. 621, is an opera seria in two acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Caterino Mazzolà, after Metastasio...
by Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
(1833).
She did not belong to a particular genre, but performed all sorts of parts, from tragedy to vaudeville. She was described as natural, warm and sensitive. During the 1850s, there were criticisms that no Norwegian actors were active on the Norwegian stage.
She performed for the last time on 16 March 1860, retired with a pension, and moved to Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
.
Literature
- Børre Qvamme: Norsk musikkhistorisk arkiv. Børre Qvammes samlinger. Halfdan Kjerup og Operaen (Halfdan Kjerup and the Opera) (In Norwegian)