Madame Stuart
Encyclopedia
C.D. Stuart, known under her stage name Madame Stuart (flor
1772), was a Ballet dancer, acrobat
, tightrope-walker
, singer, musician
, actress, dance
teacher, composer
and beer
brewer. She played an important part in Norwegian cultural history as a pioneer
in several fields. She is one of the most known artists in 18th-century Norway
, and she can be regarded as the first Norwegian ballerina
. She is considered to be the first ballet dancer to perform in Oslo and Norway.
since 1756, and when he arrived in Oslo
in Norway in 1769, C.D. (whose full name is not mentioned) was his wife. In the performance in Oslo of 26 January 1770, "The Great Virtuosis Madame Stuart" sang, played instrumental music, performed acrobatics and danced ballet. Ballet had been performed in Norway the perhaps first time in 1751, but the Stuart couple is counted as the pioneers in Norwegian ballet, and the performance of Madame Stuart has been called as the perhaps first ballet performed in Oslo.
She became the perhaps most famous artist in Oslo, and usually made her performances on the city hall. She composed songs in Danish, and held charity
concert
s for the poor of the city. Her husband opened an inn, were he sold wine
, beer and sweets
; when he died soon after, she took over and sold beer she brewed herself. She opened a dance school and was active as a dance teacher. 31 January 1771, "The wellfamous Madame Stuart" performed tight-rope-walking.
On 18 July 1771, the dancer and actor Martin Nürenbach
arrived in Oslo with his wife A.C. Nürenbach, and became her rival as a dancer and dance teacher, but they soon entered a companionship. On 7 October 1771 Stuart and Martin Nürenbach performed ballet, acrobatics and tight-rope-walking; Stuart sang an aria
, and on the last scene, they performed as actors together. Between 1771-1772, Nürenbach ran the first public theatre
in Oslo, and Stuart was probably one of his actors, whose identity is unconfirmed: they performed Jomfru Pecunia by M. Nissen together. In 1783, an Eleanore Stuart debuted as a dancer in the opera of Copenhagen, which could be the daughter of Madame Stuart.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1772), was a Ballet dancer, acrobat
Acrobatics
Acrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
, tightrope-walker
Tightrope walking
Tightrope walking is the art of walking along a thin wire or rope, usually at a great height. One or more artists performs in front of an audience or as a publicity stunt...
, singer, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, actress, dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
teacher, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
brewer. She played an important part in Norwegian cultural history as a pioneer
Innovator
An innovator in a general sense, is a person or an organization who is one of the first to introduce into reality something better than before. That often opens up a new area for others and achieves an innovation.-History:...
in several fields. She is one of the most known artists in 18th-century Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, and she can be regarded as the first Norwegian ballerina
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...
. She is considered to be the first ballet dancer to perform in Oslo and Norway.
Biography
C.D. Stuart was the third spouse of the English dancer and actor Michael Stuart; Michael Stuart was known in DenmarkDenmark
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...
since 1756, and when he arrived 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...
in Norway in 1769, C.D. (whose full name is not mentioned) was his wife. In the performance in Oslo of 26 January 1770, "The Great Virtuosis Madame Stuart" sang, played instrumental music, performed acrobatics and danced ballet. Ballet had been performed in Norway the perhaps first time in 1751, but the Stuart couple is counted as the pioneers in Norwegian ballet, and the performance of Madame Stuart has been called as the perhaps first ballet performed in Oslo.
She became the perhaps most famous artist in Oslo, and usually made her performances on the city hall. She composed songs in Danish, and held charity
Charity (practice)
The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver.- Etymology :The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word "charité" which was derived from the Latin "caritas".Originally in Latin the word caritas meant...
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 for the poor of the city. Her husband opened an inn, were he sold wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
, beer and sweets
SweetS
was a Japanese idol group. Put together through auditions, the group debuted in 2003 on the avex trax label. Although the group met minor success, they disbanded after three years with the release of a final single in June 2006....
; when he died soon after, she took over and sold beer she brewed herself. She opened a dance school and was active as a dance teacher. 31 January 1771, "The wellfamous Madame Stuart" performed tight-rope-walking.
On 18 July 1771, the dancer and actor Martin Nürenbach
Martin Nürenbach
Martin Nürenbach, or Nurembach , was a German acrobat, actor, dancer, tight-rope-dancer and theatre director, active in Sweden, Norway and Finland...
arrived in Oslo with his wife A.C. Nürenbach, and became her rival as a dancer and dance teacher, but they soon entered a companionship. On 7 October 1771 Stuart and Martin Nürenbach performed ballet, acrobatics and tight-rope-walking; Stuart sang 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...
, and on the last scene, they performed as actors together. Between 1771-1772, Nürenbach ran the first public 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...
in Oslo, and Stuart was probably one of his actors, whose identity is unconfirmed: they performed Jomfru Pecunia by M. Nissen together. In 1783, an Eleanore Stuart debuted as a dancer in the opera of Copenhagen, which could be the daughter of Madame Stuart.
Literature
- H.J. Huitfeldt : Christiania Theaterhistorie (The theatre history of Christiania)