Justina Casagli
Encyclopedia
Justina Kristina Casagli, née
Wässelius, (Stockholm
, Sweden
4 October 1794-Parma
, Italy
1841), was a Swedish
opera singer. She was internationally famous and active in Italy and Germany
. She was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music
.
manufacturer, she was enlisted at Dramatens elevskola
in 1805, followig the example of her older sister Jeanette Wässelius
, and was from this date active at the stage under the tutorage of Sofia Lovisa Gråå
. She was contracted at the Royal Swedish Opera
, where her older sister was prima donna, in 1812. The same year, she married the Italian dancer Luigi Casagli, and is thus known as Justina Casagli.
In Sweden, she was noted for her appearance, grace and flexible voice. Her sister Jeanette Wässelius spent her entire career in Sweden and became the great opera prima donna of her generation on the Swedish opera, known as Wässelia. Justina Casagli was elected to the Royal Academy of Music with her sister Jeanette and Anna Sofia Sevelin
in 1817.
In 1818, she left Sweden with her husband and travelled to Italy
, where she made a huge success in Rossini"s La Cenerentola
in Turin
. She continued her triumph - it is said she "made herself immortal" - on the stages of Rome
in Rossini's La donna del lago
in 1823 and in Lucca
in 1827 in Cimarosa's Il matrimonio segreto
, before she was employed in the National Theatre Munich in Münich
in Germany
.
After the death of her husband in 1831, she tried to find employment at the opera in Stockholm, but was denied a position, as her place there had been filled by Henriette Widerberg
, and they were concerns that her voice had ben damaged. She spent her last years in Parma
. She committed suicide in 1841 by throwing herself out a window during a depression caused by her financial difficulties.
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Wässelius, (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...
, 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....
4 October 1794-Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
1841), was a Swedish
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....
opera singer. She was internationally famous and active in Italy 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 was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music
Royal Swedish Academy of Music
The Royal Swedish Academy of Music or Kungl. Musikaliska Akademien, founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden...
.
Biography
Born in Stockholm as the child of a tapestryTapestry
Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven on a vertical loom, however it can also be woven on a floor loom as well. It is composed of two sets of interlaced threads, those running parallel to the length and those parallel to the width ; the warp threads are set up under tension on a...
manufacturer, she was enlisted at Dramatens elevskola
Dramatens elevskola
Dramatens elevskola, i.e. Kungliga Dramatiska Teaterns Elevskola, or in Eng: The Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school, was the acting school of Sweden's national stage, The Royal Dramatic Theatre, and for many years seen as the foremost theatre school and drama education for Swedish stage actors...
in 1805, followig the example of her older sister Jeanette Wässelius
Jeanette Wässelius
Marie Jeanette Wässelius, commonly known as Wässelia or Mamsell Wässelia, , was a Swedish opera singer, court singer and actress, the leading prima donna of the Swedish Opera during the Napoleonic age in the first decades of the 19th century and sister of the international opera star Justina Casagli...
, and was from this date active at the stage under the tutorage of Sofia Lovisa Gråå
Sofia Lovisa Gråå
Sofia Lovisa Gråå née Palm, was a Swedish educator of actors, and noted for innovations that in modern times would be described as feminist.- Biography :...
. She was contracted at the Royal Swedish Opera
Royal Swedish Opera
Kungliga Operan is Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet.-Location and Environment:...
, where her older sister was prima donna, in 1812. The same year, she married the Italian dancer Luigi Casagli, and is thus known as Justina Casagli.
In Sweden, she was noted for her appearance, grace and flexible voice. Her sister Jeanette Wässelius spent her entire career in Sweden and became the great opera prima donna of her generation on the Swedish opera, known as Wässelia. Justina Casagli was elected to the Royal Academy of Music with her sister Jeanette and Anna Sofia Sevelin
Anna Sofia Sevelin
Anna Sofia Sevelin, born Thunberg , was a Swedish opera singer . She was a court singer and a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts....
in 1817.
In 1818, she left Sweden with her husband and travelled to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where she made a huge success in Rossini"s La Cenerentola
La Cenerentola
La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the fairy tale Cinderella...
in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
. She continued her triumph - it is said she "made herself immortal" - on the stages of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in Rossini's La donna del lago
La donna del lago
La donna del lago is an opera by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, based on The Lady of the Lake, a poem by Sir Walter Scott.This opera was the first to be based on Scott's romantic works...
in 1823 and in Lucca
Lucca
Lucca is a city and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plainnear the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Lucca...
in 1827 in Cimarosa's Il matrimonio segreto
Il matrimonio segreto
Il matrimonio segreto is an opera in two acts, music by Domenico Cimarosa, on a libretto by Giovanni Bertati, based on the play The Clandestine Marriage by George Colman the Elder and David Garrick...
, before she was employed in the National Theatre Munich in Münich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
in 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...
.
After the death of her husband in 1831, she tried to find employment at the opera in Stockholm, but was denied a position, as her place there had been filled by Henriette Widerberg
Henriette Widerberg
Henriette Sophie Widerberg was a Swedish opera singer , actor and memoirist. The most famed singer on the Swedish stage of her time, she was counted as the most popular singer in Sweden during the 1810s and 1830s...
, and they were concerns that her voice had ben damaged. She spent her last years in Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
. She committed suicide in 1841 by throwing herself out a window during a depression caused by her financial difficulties.