Giovanna Bassi
Encyclopedia
Giovanna Bassi was an Italian ballerina
who spent the majority of her career in Sweden
. She was regarded as the prima donna of the Swedish Ballet during the Gustavian age
.
Carlo Francesco Bassi (1772–1840), who lived active in Sweden and Finland, were he had been raised since the age of eleven. She was the student of Jean Dauberval
and debuted on the stage of the opera in Paris
in France
. In 1783, she was employed at the Royal Swedish Ballet
in the Royal Swedish Opera
in Sweden, where she was to spend the rest of her career.
Bassi is mentioned in the famous diary
of Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp. Her technique was entirely according to the classic Italian style of ballet, and she was capable of performing the hardest movements within this style. At her debut in Stockholm
, the applause was loud enough "to outdo the thunder", and caused what was the be referred to as the "Bassi fever".
Bassi was described as a proud person with a "noble" manner and admired for her beautiful, black hair and her strong, limber body. Among her parts were Cecile in La Rosiere de Salency by Jean Marcadet with Antoine Bournonville
, Judith Christina Brelin and Jean Marcadet, Ninette a la Tour by M. Gardel in the 1786-87 season, and Nadine in Le Triomphe de la Constance by Jean Marcadet with Giuseppe Bartolomei, Antoine Bournonville, Jean Marcadet and Carlo Caspare Simone Uttini (1787-88). She also gave dancing classes for girls from the upper classes, and occasionally performed as an actor at the French Theatre. Giovanna Bassi became very wealthy: initially with a salary of 9.000 livres, she had a fortune of 30.000 riksdaler at her retirement.
Bassi had a daughter, Johanna Fredrika (1787-1810), presumed to be fathered by Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila
, whit whom she had a relationship at the time. By persistent rumors, the count was said to be the true father of Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden
, and Bassi's daughter was said to have a strong resemblance to the King, who might have been her half-brother. Bassi's daughter was further said to be the role-model for the character Tintomara in the famous novel
Drottningens juvelsmycke
by Carl Jonas Love Almquist. In that novel, Tintomara is portrayed as the half sibling of King Gustav IV Adolf and the issue of Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila.
When Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila was exiled in 1792, Bassi left the Ballet and followed him to Rome in Italy, were she expected him to formally acknowledge their daughter and marry her. He refused on both accounts, however, which she regarded as a grave insult. When Munck later made her daughter a beneficiary in his will, she refused to accept it and denied the intended inheritance in her daughter's name. During her stay in Italy, she also received large sums of money from the Swedish de facto regent, Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm
for whom she acted as a secret agent with the task of providing evidence and conduct inquiries against the exiled Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt
. She returned to Sweden in 1794 and reentered the Swedish Ballet, but she was only to remain there for a short while.
In 1794, Bassi married the German-Swedish merchant Peter Hinrik Schön (1765-1821). She made her last performance in De två Savojarderna (The Two Savoyards) in June 1794. In her marriage contract, Giovanna Bassi stipulated that her spouse should acknowledge her daughter with Munck as his, and that her great fortune should remain her personal and sole property. Schön was bancrupt at the time of the marriage, but was afterward able to buy Ekholmsnäs Manor at Lidingö. Bassi spent the rest of her life attending as a business woman, attending to her manor, a brick factory and snusfabrik. She lived with her mother and her friend, the actress Elise Dubelloi from the French Theatre in Sweden, and she also had additionally three sons with Schön. She converted to Lutheranism in 1815.
Ballerina
A ballerina is a title used to describe a principal female professional ballet dancer in a large company; the male equivalent to this title is danseur or ballerino...
who spent the majority of her career in 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....
. She was regarded as the prima donna of the Swedish Ballet during the Gustavian age
Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....
.
Biography
Giovanna Bassi was born in Italy as the daughter of the Italian ballet dancer Angela Bassi. She was the sister of the architectArchitect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Carlo Francesco Bassi (1772–1840), who lived active in Sweden and Finland, were he had been raised since the age of eleven. She was the student of Jean Dauberval
Jean Dauberval
Jean Dauberval, a.k.a Jean D’Auberval, , was a French dancer and ballet master...
and debuted on the stage of the opera in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. In 1783, she was employed at the Royal Swedish Ballet
Royal Swedish Ballet
The Royal Swedish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet companies in Europe. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, King Gustav III founded the ballet in 1773 as a part of his national cultural project in response to the French and Italian dominance in this field; he also founded the Royal Swedish Opera and the...
in the Royal Swedish Opera
Royal Swedish Opera
Kungliga Operan is Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet.-Location and Environment:...
in Sweden, where she was to spend the rest of her career.
Bassi is mentioned in the famous diary
Diary
A diary is a record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. A personal diary may include a person's experiences, and/or thoughts or feelings, including comment on current events outside the writer's direct experience. Someone...
of Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp. Her technique was entirely according to the classic Italian style of ballet, and she was capable of performing the hardest movements within this style. At her debut in Stockholm
Stockholm
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...
, the applause was loud enough "to outdo the thunder", and caused what was the be referred to as the "Bassi fever".
Bassi was described as a proud person with a "noble" manner and admired for her beautiful, black hair and her strong, limber body. Among her parts were Cecile in La Rosiere de Salency by Jean Marcadet with Antoine Bournonville
Antoine Bournonville
Antoine Bournonville was a French ballet dancer, actor, singer and a choreographer, active in the Royal Swedish Ballet and the Royal Danish Ballet and eventually ballet master in the latter. He is considered to have played a great role in the development of the ballet in Scandinavia...
, Judith Christina Brelin and Jean Marcadet, Ninette a la Tour by M. Gardel in the 1786-87 season, and Nadine in Le Triomphe de la Constance by Jean Marcadet with Giuseppe Bartolomei, Antoine Bournonville, Jean Marcadet and Carlo Caspare Simone Uttini (1787-88). She also gave dancing classes for girls from the upper classes, and occasionally performed as an actor at the French Theatre. Giovanna Bassi became very wealthy: initially with a salary of 9.000 livres, she had a fortune of 30.000 riksdaler at her retirement.
Bassi had a daughter, Johanna Fredrika (1787-1810), presumed to be fathered by Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila
Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila
Adolf Fredrik, Count Munck af Fulkila was a Swedish and Finnish noble alleged to have been the biological father of King Gustaf IV Adolf.- Biography :...
, whit whom she had a relationship at the time. By persistent rumors, the count was said to be the true father of Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden also Gustav Adolph was King of Sweden from 1792 until his abdication in 1809. He was the son of Gustav III of Sweden and his queen consort Sophia Magdalena, eldest daughter of Frederick V of Denmark and his first wife Louise of Great Britain. He was the last Swedish...
, and Bassi's daughter was said to have a strong resemblance to the King, who might have been her half-brother. Bassi's daughter was further said to be the role-model for the character Tintomara in the famous novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
Drottningens juvelsmycke
Drottningens juvelsmycke
The Queen's Tiara is a classic Swedish novel by Carl Jonas Love Almquist.It is the fourth instalment in the series of novels known as Törnrosens bok and was published in 1834...
by Carl Jonas Love Almquist. In that novel, Tintomara is portrayed as the half sibling of King Gustav IV Adolf and the issue of Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila.
When Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila was exiled in 1792, Bassi left the Ballet and followed him to Rome in Italy, were she expected him to formally acknowledge their daughter and marry her. He refused on both accounts, however, which she regarded as a grave insult. When Munck later made her daughter a beneficiary in his will, she refused to accept it and denied the intended inheritance in her daughter's name. During her stay in Italy, she also received large sums of money from the Swedish de facto regent, Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm
Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm
Baron Gustaf Adolf Reuterholm , was a Swedish statesman.-Early career:...
for whom she acted as a secret agent with the task of providing evidence and conduct inquiries against the exiled Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt
Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt
Count Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt was a Finnish and Swedish courtier and diplomat. In Finland, he is considered one of the great Finnish statesmen. Born in Tarvasjoki, Finland, he was the great grandson of Charles XII of Sweden's general, Carl Gustaf Armfeldt...
. She returned to Sweden in 1794 and reentered the Swedish Ballet, but she was only to remain there for a short while.
In 1794, Bassi married the German-Swedish merchant Peter Hinrik Schön (1765-1821). She made her last performance in De två Savojarderna (The Two Savoyards) in June 1794. In her marriage contract, Giovanna Bassi stipulated that her spouse should acknowledge her daughter with Munck as his, and that her great fortune should remain her personal and sole property. Schön was bancrupt at the time of the marriage, but was afterward able to buy Ekholmsnäs Manor at Lidingö. Bassi spent the rest of her life attending as a business woman, attending to her manor, a brick factory and snusfabrik. She lived with her mother and her friend, the actress Elise Dubelloi from the French Theatre in Sweden, and she also had additionally three sons with Schön. She converted to Lutheranism in 1815.