Goldschmidt

Goldschmidt, Madame (1820-1887), a great Swedish singer, better known as Jenny Lind, was born at Stockholm. In spite of her parents' poverty she had lessons in the Court theatre from the age of nine, and, after a successful debut at eighteen in Der Freischutz, continually sang before royal audiences. In 1841 she studied under Manuel Garcia at Paris, but her first appearance there was a failure. She then studied German at Berlin, to which city she returned after a short stay in Stockholm. In 1846 she sang at Vienna, and in 1847 made her first appearance in London, to which she returned a year later, and again in 1849. She went on an American tour under Barnum's management in 1850-52, and married her pianist, Otto Goldschmidt, in the latter year. On her return to Europe she confined her appearances to concerts and oratorios, and left the stage. She lived chiefly in London and Malvern, and was Professor of Singing at the Royal College of Music from 1883 to 1886. From the proceeds of her American tour and other engagements she founded the Mendelssohn scholarship, and also gave a hospital to Liverpool. She also interested herself greatly in the Bach Choir conducted by her husband. She was called the "Swedish Nightingale," and, from the accounts written of her voice by those who had heard it, seems to have deserved the name.