Marie Sundelius
Encyclopedia
Marie Sundelius was a Swedish-American classical soprano
. She sang for many years with the Metropolitan Opera
in New York City
and later embarked on a second career as a celebrated voice teacher in Boston
.
, Sweden
, Sundelius moved to the United States at the age of nine, ultimately settling in Boston
with her family in 1894. She began to study music first with Frederick Bristol
and later Enrica Clay Dillon
. She also had coaching lessons with Swedish composer, Wilhelm Peterson-Berger
in Stockholm
, and French lyric tenor Edmond Clément
in Paris
. She married Gustaf Sundelius, a Swedish born businessman, in Boston in 1906.
s in Boston in 1910, making her debut performance under the baton of Karl Muck
. In December 1915 she came to New York City for the first time to sing as a soloist in the world premiere of Marco Enrico Bossi
's Jeanne d'Arc with the Oratorio Society of New York
. The performance was attended by Giulio Gatti-Casazza
, the General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera
, who immediately approached her afterwords with an offer to join the roster of singers at the Met. She accepted, and made her opera debut at the "Old Met
" on November 25, 1916 as the First Priestess in Christoph Willibald Gluck
's Iphigénie en Tauride
with Melanie Kurt
in the title role and Artur Bodanzky
conducting.
Sundelius remained committed to the Metropolitan Opera up through 1923, although she returned to the house periodically as a guest artist up through 1928. Her roles at the house included Anna in Loreley
, the Artichoke Vendor in Louise
, the Cat in L'oiseau bleu
, the Celestial Voice in Don Carlo, Diane in Iphigénie en Tauride, Elvira in L'italiana in Algeri
, a Flower Maiden in Parsifal
, Gerhilde, Gutrune, and Helmwige in The Ring Cycle, Inès in L'Africaine
, Jemmy in William Tell
, the Mermaid in Oberon
, Micaela in Carmen
, Musetta in La bohème
, Nedda in Pagliaci, Pomone in La reine Fiammette
, Samaritana in Riccardo Zandonai
's Francesca da Rimini
, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier
, the Voice of a Priestess in Aida
, and the title role in The Golden Cockerel
. She also created roles in several world premieres at the Met, including Johanna in Reginald De Koven
's The Canterbury Pilgrims
(1917), Amy Everton in Charles Wakefield Cadman
's Shanewis (1918), the Monitress in Suor Angelica
(1918), and Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi
(1918). Her last performance in a staged opera at the Met was as Marguerite in Faust
on April 1, 1925 with Edward Johnson
in the title role. She returned a few more times to the Met for concert performances, making her final and 248th appearance at the house on March 11, 1928.
While at the Met, Sundelius occasionally toured the United States in productions with the Scotti Opera Company. After she left New York in 1925, she went to Europe where she was committed to the Royal Swedish Opera
in Stockholm through 1927. She also toured Europe, performing in concerts and recitals. In 1929-1930 she sang with the Philadelphia Civic Opera Company
and the Chicago Civic Opera
.
, and Coretta Scott King
. She died in Boston at the age of 74. Her voice is preserved on several recordings made on the Columbia
, Vocalion
and Edison
record labels during the second decade of the 20th century.
. He came to the United States in 1900 settling in Boston
. After a business career, he became executive secretary of The Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce
in 1920. In 1926, he was appointed editor of Nordstjernan
, a Swedish-language weekly published in New York City. He was later attached to the Swedish Vice Consulate in Boston.
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 sang for many years with the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and later embarked on a second career as a celebrated voice teacher in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
Early life and education
Born Marie Sandtvig in KarlstadKarlstad
Karlstad is a city, the seat of Karlstad Municipality, the capital of Värmland County, and the largest city in the province Värmland in Sweden. The city had 61,685 inhabitants in 2010 out of a municipal total that during the first quarter 2010 was 84,885 inhabitants...
, 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....
, Sundelius moved to the United States at the age of nine, ultimately settling in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
with her family in 1894. She began to study music first with Frederick Bristol
Frederick Bristol
Frederick E. Bristol was a celebrated American voice teacher who operated a private studios in Boston and New York City during the second half of the 19th century and early 20th century. He began teaching singing in 1869 and the 60th anniversary of his teaching career was recognized by an article...
and later Enrica Clay Dillon
Enrica Clay Dillon
Enrica Clay Dillon was an American opera singer, opera director, and voice teacher.-Life and career:Born in Denver, Colorado, Dillon was the daughter of Judge Henry Clay Dillon and Florence H. Dillon...
. She also had coaching lessons with Swedish composer, Wilhelm Peterson-Berger
Wilhelm Peterson-Berger
Olof Wilhelm Peterson-Berger was a Swedish composer and music critic...
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...
, and French lyric tenor Edmond Clément
Edmond Clément
Edmond Clément was a French lyric tenor who earned an international reputation due to the polished artistry of his singing....
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...
. She married Gustaf Sundelius, a Swedish born businessman, in Boston in 1906.
Career
Sundelius began performing professionally in concerts and oratorioOratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
s in Boston in 1910, making her debut performance under the baton of Karl Muck
Karl Muck
Karl Muck was a German-born conductor of classical music. He based his activities principally in Europe and mostly in opera. His American career comprised two stints at the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He endured a public outcry in 1917 that questioned whether his loyalties lay with Germany or the...
. In December 1915 she came to New York City for the first time to sing as a soloist in the world premiere of Marco Enrico Bossi
Marco Enrico Bossi
Marco Enrico Bossi was an Italian organist, composer, improviser and pedagogue.-Life:Bossi was born in Salò, a town in the province of Brescia, Lombardy, into a family of musicians. His father, Pietro, was organist at Salò Cathedral, which has a one-manual organ built by Fratelli Serassi from 1865...
's Jeanne d'Arc with the Oratorio Society of New York
Oratorio Society of New York
The Oratorio Society of New York is a non-profit membership organization which performs choral music in the oratorio style. The Society was founded in 1873 by conductor Leopold Damrosch, and it is New York City's second oldest cultural organization...
. The performance was attended by Giulio Gatti-Casazza
Giulio Gatti-Casazza
Giulio Gatti-Casazza was an Italian opera manager. He was general manager of La Scala in Milan, Italy and later the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.-Life and career:...
, the General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
, who immediately approached her afterwords with an offer to join the roster of singers at the Met. She accepted, and made her opera debut at the "Old Met
Metropolitan Opera House (39th St)
The Metropolitan Opera House was an opera house located at 1411 Broadway in New York City. Opened in 1883 and demolished in 1967, it was the first home of the Metropolitan Opera Company.-History:...
" on November 25, 1916 as the First Priestess in Christoph Willibald Gluck
Christoph Willibald Gluck
Christoph Willibald Ritter von Gluck was an opera composer of the early classical period. After many years at the Habsburg court at Vienna, Gluck brought about the practical reform of opera's dramaturgical practices that many intellectuals had been campaigning for over the years...
's Iphigénie en Tauride
Iphigénie en Tauride
Iphigénie en Tauride is an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck in four acts. It was his fifth opera for the French stage. The libretto was written by Nicolas-François Guillard....
with Melanie Kurt
Melanie Kurt
Melanie Kurt was an Austrian opera singer .- Life and career :Melanie Kurt first studied to become a pianist in her native City of Vienna before starting to take singing lessons. Later she went to Berlin, where Marie Lehmann, sister of the great soprano Lilli Lehmann, became her teacher...
in the title role and Artur Bodanzky
Artur Bodanzky
Artur Bodanzky was an Austrian-American conductor particularly associated with the operas of Wagner.- Career :...
conducting.
Sundelius remained committed to the Metropolitan Opera up through 1923, although she returned to the house periodically as a guest artist up through 1928. Her roles at the house included Anna in Loreley
Loreley (opera)
Loreley is a three-act azione romantica opera by Alfredo Catalani, composed to a libretto by Angelo Zanardini, Giuseppe Depanis, Carlo D'Ormeville and others....
, the Artichoke Vendor in Louise
Louise (opera)
Louise is an opera in four acts by Gustave Charpentier to an original French libretto by the composer, with some contributions by Saint-Pol-Roux, a symbolist poet and inspiration of the surrealists....
, the Cat in L'oiseau bleu
L'oiseau bleu
L'oiseau bleu is an opera in four acts by the French composer and conductor Albert Wolff. The libretto by Maurice Maeterlinck is based on his 1908 play of the same name.-Performance history:...
, the Celestial Voice in Don Carlo, Diane in Iphigénie en Tauride, Elvira in L'italiana in Algeri
L'italiana in Algeri
L'italiana in Algeri is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Angelo Anelli, based on his earlier text set by Luigi Mosca...
, a Flower Maiden in Parsifal
Parsifal
Parsifal is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner. It is loosely based on Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival, the 13th century epic poem of the Arthurian knight Parzival and his quest for the Holy Grail, and on Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval, the Story of the Grail.Wagner first conceived the work...
, Gerhilde, Gutrune, and Helmwige in The Ring Cycle, Inès in L'Africaine
L'Africaine
L'africaine is a grand opera, the last work of the composer Giacomo Meyerbeer. The French libretto was written by Eugène Scribe. The opera is about fictitious events in the life of the real historical person Vasco da Gama...
, Jemmy in William Tell
William Tell (opera)
Guillaume Tell is an opera in four acts by Gioachino Rossini to a French libretto by Etienne de Jouy and Hippolyte Bis, based on Friedrich Schiller's play Wilhelm Tell. Based on the legend of William Tell, this opera was Rossini's last, even though the composer lived for nearly forty more years...
, the Mermaid in Oberon
Oberon (opera)
Oberon, or The Elf King's Oath is a 3-act romantic opera in English with spoken dialogue and music by Carl Maria von Weber. The libretto by James Robinson Planche was based on a German poem, Oberon, by Christoph Martin Wieland, which itself was based on the epic romance Huon de Bordeaux, a French...
, Micaela in Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
, Musetta in La bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
, Nedda in Pagliaci, Pomone in La reine Fiammette
La reine Fiammette
La reine Fiammette is an opera in 4 Acts by composer Xavier Leroux. The opera uses a French language libretto by Catulle Mendès which is based on Mendès's 1898 work of the same name, a conte dramatique in six acts set in Renaissance Italy. The opera's premiere was given by the Opéra-Comique at the...
, Samaritana in Riccardo Zandonai
Riccardo Zandonai
Riccardo Zandonai was an Italian composer.-Biography:Zandonai was born in Borgo Sacco, Rovereto, then part of Austria–Hungary....
's Francesca da Rimini
Francesca da Rimini (Zandonai)
Francesca da Rimini is an opera in four acts, composed by Riccardo Zandonai, with libretto by Tito Ricordi, , after a play by Gabriele D'Annunzio. It was premiered at the Teatro Regio in Turin on February 19, 1914, and is still staged occasionally.This opera is Zandonai's best-known work...
, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier
Der Rosenkavalier
Der Rosenkavalier is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from the novel Les amours du chevalier de Faublas by Louvet de Couvrai and Molière’s comedy Monsieur de Pourceaugnac...
, the Voice of a Priestess in Aida
Aida
Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
, and the title role in The Golden Cockerel
The Golden Cockerel
The Golden Cockerel is an opera in three acts, with short prologue and even shorter epilogue, by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Its libretto, by Vladimir Belsky, derives from Alexander Pushkin's 1834 poem The Tale of the Golden Cockerel, which in turn is based on two chapters of Tales of the Alhambra by...
. She also created roles in several world premieres at the Met, including Johanna in Reginald De Koven
Reginald de Koven
Henry Louis Reginald De Koven was an American music critic and prolific composer, particularly of comic operas.-Biography:...
's The Canterbury Pilgrims
The Canterbury Pilgrims
The Canterbury Pilgrims is an opera by the American composer Reginald De Koven. It premiered at the Metropolitan Opera House on March 8, 1917...
(1917), Amy Everton in Charles Wakefield Cadman
Charles Wakefield Cadman
Charles Wakefield Cadman was an American composer.Cadman’s musical education, unlike that of most of his American contemporaries, was completely American. Born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, he began piano lessons at 13...
's Shanewis (1918), the Monitress in Suor Angelica
Suor Angelica
Suor Angelica is an opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an original Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. It is the second opera of the trio of operas known as Il trittico...
(1918), and Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi
Gianni Schicchi
Gianni Schicchi is a comic opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, composed in 1917–18. The libretto is based on an incident mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy. The work is the third and final part of Puccini's Il trittico —three one-act operas with...
(1918). Her last performance in a staged opera at the Met was as Marguerite in Faust
Faust (opera)
Faust is a drame lyrique in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part 1...
on April 1, 1925 with Edward Johnson
Edward Johnson (tenor)
Edward Patrick Johnson CBE was a Canadian operatic tenor who was billed outside North America as Edoardo Di Giovanni, and became director of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.- Early life :...
in the title role. She returned a few more times to the Met for concert performances, making her final and 248th appearance at the house on March 11, 1928.
While at the Met, Sundelius occasionally toured the United States in productions with the Scotti Opera Company. After she left New York in 1925, she went to Europe where she was committed to the Royal Swedish Opera
Royal Swedish Opera
Kungliga Operan is Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet.-Location and Environment:...
in Stockholm through 1927. She also toured Europe, performing in concerts and recitals. In 1929-1930 she sang with the Philadelphia Civic Opera Company
Philadelphia Civic Opera Company
The Philadelphia Civic Opera Company was an American opera company located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that was actively performing between 1924 and 1930. Founded by Philadelphia socialite Mrs. Henry M. Tracy, the company was established partially through funds provided by the city of...
and the Chicago Civic Opera
Chicago Civic Opera
The Civic Opera Company was a Chicago company that produced seven seasons of grand opera in the Auditorium Theater from 1922 to 1928, and three seasons at its own Civic Opera House from 1929 to 1931 before falling victim to financial difficulties brought on in part by the Great Depression.-...
.
Later years
She retired from the stage in the early 1930s, after which she taught for many years at the New England Conservatory. Among her notable pupils were Jean Cox, Mildred MillerMildred Miller
Mildred Miller is an American classical mezzo-soprano who had a major career performing in operas, concerts, and recitals during the mid twentieth century. She was notably a principal artist at the Metropolitan Opera from 1951 through 1974...
, and Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader. The widow of Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King helped lead the African-American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.Mrs...
. She died in Boston at the age of 74. Her voice is preserved on several recordings made on the Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, Vocalion
Vocalion Records
Vocalion Records is a record label active for many years in the United States and in the United Kingdom.-History:Vocalion was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Piano Company of New York City, which introduced a retail line of phonographs at the same time. The name was derived from one of their...
and Edison
Edison Records
Edison Records was one of the earliest record labels which pioneered recorded sound and was an important player in the early recording industry.- Early phonographs before commercial mass produced records :...
record labels during the second decade of the 20th century.
Gustaf Sundelius
Gustaf Sundelius was born in Sweden, where he attended Uppsala UniversityUppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
. He came to the United States in 1900 settling in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. After a business career, he became executive secretary of The Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce
SACC New York
The Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation membership organization located in New York City. It was founded in 1906 and was the first Swedish-American Chamber of commerce in the United States...
in 1920. In 1926, he was appointed editor of Nordstjernan
Nordstjernan (newspaper)
Nordstjernan is a mostly English-language newspaper for Swedish Americans and Swedes in the USA. It has been published since 1872 and contains news summaries, trends and columnists from Sweden but also covers traditions, trivia, seasonal recipes, and reports on Swedish community activities from...
, a Swedish-language weekly published in New York City. He was later attached to the Swedish Vice Consulate in Boston.
Other sources
- Benson, Adolph Burnett Swedes in America, 1638-1938 (Swedish American Tercentenary Association, page 453)
- Scandinavian Review, Volume 12 (American-Scandinavian Foundation, Page 740)