A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Schebest, Agnes

SCHEBEST, Agnes, born at Vienna, Feb. 15, 1813, became attached at a very early age to the Court Theatre at Dresden, first in the chorus, and then as singer of small solo parts. Here she had the inestimable advantage of frequently hearing and seeing the great Schroeder-Devrient. In 1833 she left Dresden for Pesth, and from 1836 to 41 starred throughout Germany with very great applause. Her voice was a fine mezzo-soprano, her style and method were good, her best parts heroic, with much energy and passion. In 1841 she married the great theologian Dr. David Strauss (himself a keen amateur, and author of an interesting paper on the Ninth Symphony), and died Dec. 22, 1869, at Stuttgart. She left an account of her career 'Aus dem Leben einer Künstlerin' (1857).

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