Maria Jeritza facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maria Jeritza
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Maria Jeritza
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| Born |
Marie Jedličková
6 October 1887 |
| Died | 10 July 1982 (aged 94) Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Nationality | Czech |
| Occupation | Opera singer dramatic soprano |
Maria Jeritza (born Marie Jedličková; October 6, 1887 – July 10, 1982) was a famous opera singer. She had a powerful voice, known as a dramatic soprano. Maria was a star at two very important opera houses: the Vienna State Opera in Austria and the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Because she became famous so quickly and had a wonderful personality, people called her "The Moravian Thunderbolt."
Maria Jeritza's Amazing Life
Maria Jeritza was born in Brno, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in 1887. Her birth name was Marie Jedličková. She studied music at the Brno Conservatory. Later, she learned from a teacher named Estelle Liebling in New York City.
In 1910, Maria had her first big performance in the opera Lohengrin by Richard Wagner. This happened in a city called Olomouc. The Emperor Franz Josef heard her sing. He was so impressed that he immediately offered her a job at the Imperial Hofoper in Vienna.
Maria was chosen to create new roles in many operas. This means she was the very first singer to perform these parts. Some of these important roles included:
- Blanchefleur in Kienzl's Der Kuhreigen (1911)
- Ariadne in Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos (1912)
- The Empress in Strauss's Die Frau ohne Schatten (1919)
- Hariette/Juliette in Korngold's Die tote Stadt (Hamburg, 1920)
She became especially famous for her main role as Marietta/Marie in Die tote Stadt. She performed this role in Vienna in January 1921. It was also the role she sang for her first performance at the Metropolitan Opera on November 19, 1921.
On November 16, 1926, Maria starred as the main character in Puccini's opera Turandot. This was the first time this opera was performed in North America, and it happened at the Metropolitan Opera. She also created leading roles in other operas there, such as:
- Janáček's Jenůfa (1924)
- Wolf-Ferrari's I gioielli della Madonna (1925)
- Korngold's Violanta (1927)
- Richard Strauss's Die Ägyptische Helena (1928)
- Suppé's Boccaccio (1931) and Donna Juanita (1932)
Maria was very popular at the Metropolitan Opera, just like she was in Vienna. People especially loved her performances as Tosca, Carmen, and Massenet's Thaïs. She even appeared in an early sound film called Grossfürstin Alexandra. The famous composer Franz Lehár wrote a special song for her in that movie called 'Du und ich sind für einander bestimmt'.
Her Life Outside the Stage
Maria Jeritza was married several times. In 1935, she married Hollywood movie producer Winfield R. Sheehan. He passed away in 1945. In 1948, she married a businessman from New Jersey named Irving Seery. She then moved to a large house in the Forest Hill area of Newark, New Jersey.
Maria lived there until she passed away in 1982. She was 94 years old. She was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, New Jersey.
Maria Jeritza made many recordings of her singing. These recordings show how amazing her voice was. Many of these old recordings have been put onto CDs so people can still listen to her today.
See also
In Spanish: Maria Jeritza para niños
