Teresa Stolz facts for kids
Teresa Stolz was a famous singer from Bohemia, which is now part of the Czech Republic. She was born on June 2, 1834, and passed away on August 23, 1902, in Milan, Italy. Teresa was a talented soprano, which means she sang the highest parts in opera. She lived in Italy for a long time and was well-known for performing in many new operas by the famous composer Giuseppe Verdi. People described her voice as powerful and full of emotion, yet also very controlled and dignified.
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Her Early Life and Training
Teresa Stolz was born Tereza Stolzová in 1834 in a town called Kostelec nad Labem. This town was part of the Austrian Empire back then. She started her music studies with Josef Neruda. Later, she went to the Prague Conservatoire to learn more about singing from Giovanni Battista Gardigiani.
She left the Conservatoire in 1851 but kept studying with another teacher, Vojtěch Čaboun. She then moved to Trieste to be with her brother. There, she continued her singing lessons with Luigi Ricci, who was a composer and conductor. He later became her brother-in-law.
Becoming an Opera Star
Teresa Stolz made her first public performance in 1857 in a city called Tiflis. After that, she sang in many other places like Odessa, Nice, and Granada. In 1864, she moved to Italy. She studied with Francesco Lamperti in Milan and made her European debut in Turin that same year.
She often performed at La Scala, a very famous opera house in Milan, between 1865 and 1877. She was chosen to sing the role of Leonora in a new version of Verdi's opera La forza del destino in 1869.
Teresa Stolz was also the very first singer to perform the main role in Verdi's famous opera Aida in Italy. This happened at La Scala on February 8, 1872. Verdi himself was very involved in this performance. He considered it the true first showing of Aida, even though it had premiered in Cairo earlier.
She was also the main soprano singer when Verdi's Requiem was first performed on May 22, 1874. She even sang in the Requiem again in London in 1875, with Verdi conducting. She performed Aida under Verdi's direction in Vienna and Paris too.
Teresa Stolz sang many other important roles during her career. These included the main parts in operas like Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia and Bellini's Norma. She also performed in Verdi's Giovanna d'Arco, Un ballo in maschera, Rigoletto, and Otello. Her singing career took her to many major cities around the world, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Cairo, and many famous opera houses in Italy.
Her Life with Composers
Teresa Stolz was engaged to a conductor and composer named Angelo Mariani. Their relationship ended around 1871. Mariani had been a good friend of Verdi's, but their friendship ended too. This happened after Mariani seemed unsure about conducting the first performance of Aida in Cairo.
Teresa Stolz worked very closely with Verdi, especially when they were preparing for the Milan premiere of Aida in 1872. She remained a close friend of Verdi and his wife, Giuseppina Strepponi. After Giuseppina passed away in 1897, Teresa continued to be a companion to Verdi.
Teresa Stolz passed away in Milan in 1902, just one year after Giuseppe Verdi. She is buried in Milan. A hall in her hometown of Kostelec is named after her to honor her memory.
Her Musical Family
Teresa Stolz had two older identical twin sisters, Francesca and Ludmila. Both of them were also singers. Her sister Ludmila married Luigi Ricci, who had been Teresa's teacher. Luigi and Ludmila had a daughter named Adelaide, who was also a singer.
Francesca, Teresa's other twin sister, also had a son with Luigi Ricci. This son was named Luigi Ricci, just like his father. He was Teresa's nephew and grew up to be a conductor and composer. When Teresa Stolz passed away, he inherited her belongings and changed his name to Luigi Ricci-Stolz.
Another famous musician in her family was her grand-nephew, the composer Robert Stolz.
See also
In Spanish: Teresa Stolz para niños
