1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Tietjens, Thérèse Johanne Alexandra

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4112801911 Encyclopædia Britannica, Volume 26 — Tietjens, Thérèse Johanne Alexandra

TIETJENS, THÉRÈSE JOHANNE ALEXANDRA (1831–1877), Hungarian soprano vocalist, was born at Hamburg on the 17th of July 1831. Her voice was trained at Hamburg, where she made a successful début in 1849 as Lucrezia Borgia in Donizetti's opera. Thence she proceeded to Frankfort and Vienna. She sang for the first time in London in 1858, appearing as Valentine in Les Huguenots. Her success was so great that for the rest of her life she made England her home, and soon gained as brilliant a reputation in concert and oratorio work as she had already won upon the stage. Her voice was a dramatic soprano of magnificent quality, and her powers as an actress were supreme. Her most famous parts were Fidelio, Medea (in Cherubini's opera) and Donna Anna (in Don Giovanni). She died in London on the 3rd of October 1877, having endeared herself to the English people as much by her private virtues as by her artistic gifts.