Vali von der Osten (29 November 1882 – 15 August 1923) was a German 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 daughter of actor Emil von der Osten (1847-1905) and Rosa von der Osten-Hildebrandt (1850-1911).

Von der Osten was born in Dresden

Dresden

Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....

, where she studied voice and appeared primarily at the Hoftheater Kassel, excelling in spinto

Spinto

Spinto is a vocal term used to characterize a soprano or tenor voice of a weight between lyric and dramatic that is capable of handling large musical climaxes in opera at moderate intervals...

 (or jugendlich-dramatisch) roles of Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner

Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...

 operas such as Elisabeth in Tannhäuser

Tannhäuser (opera)

Tannhäuser is an opera in three acts, music and text by Richard Wagner, based on the two German legends of Tannhäuser and the song contest at Wartburg...

, Elsa in Lohengrin

Lohengrin (opera)

Lohengrin is a romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner, first performed in 1850. The story of the eponymous character is taken from medieval German romance, notably the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach and its sequel, Lohengrin, written by a different author, itself...

, and Eva in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg is an opera in three acts, written and composed by Richard Wagner. It is among the longest operas still commonly performed today, usually taking around four and a half hours. It was first performed at the Königliches Hof- und National-Theater in Munich, on June 21,...

.

She was married to the tenor

Tenor

The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...

 Fritz Windgassen

Fritz Windgassen

Fritz Windgassen was a German Heldentenor and teacher.Windgassen was born in Lennep, near Remscheid. Following the wishes of his upstanding middle-class parents, he took up a respectable career in the German navy. Only after Prince Heinrich of Prussia praised his singing ability did he dare...

 (1883-1963) and thus used the name Vali Windgassen-von der Osten. The marriage produced one son, Wolfgang Windgassen

Wolfgang Windgassen

Wolfgang Windgassen was a tenor internationally known for his performances in Wagner operas.-Life and career:...

 (1914-1974), who went on to become a Wagnerian tenor in his own right.

Von der Osten died in Kassel

Kassel

Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...

 and is buried in the Johannisfriedhof cemetery in Dresden

Dresden

Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....

-Tolkewitz, beside her sister, singer Eva von der Osten

Eva von der Osten

Eva Helga Bertha von der Osten was a German soprano. She was born in Helgoland, the daughter of actor Emil von der Osten and Rosa von der Osten-Hildebrandt ....

.

Literature

• André Kaiser: Berühmte Persönlichkeiten aus der Ortschaft Kurort Hartha: Eva von der Osten (1884 – 1936) – eine Dresdner Opernsängerin von Weltruf, in Rund um den Tharandter Wald - Amtsblatt der Stadt Tharandt, März 2009