Marie Carandini
Marie Carandini | |
|---|---|
Drawing of Marie Carandini on the cover of Lewis Henry Lavenu's I Cannot Sing Tonight | |
| Born | Maria Burgess 1 February 1826 |
| Died | 13 April 1894 (aged 68) Richmond Hill, Somerset, England |
| Occupation | Opera singer |
| Years active | 1845–1894 |
| Spouse(s) |
Jerome Carandini, Marquis of Sarzano
(m. 1843; died 1870) |
| Children | 8, including Rosina Palmer |
| Relatives | Christopher Lee (great-grandson) Harriet Walter (great-great-granddaughter) |
Marie Carandini, Marchioness of Sarzano (born Maria Burgess; 1 February 1826 – 13 April 1894) was an English-Australian opera singer.
Early life
Maria Burgess was born in Brixton, Surrey, the daughter of coachman James Burgess (died 1835) and Martha Burgess (née Medwin). Her mother was a cousin of Thomas Medwin, Byron's companion and biographer, and her father claimed a close relationship to Shelley.[1]
Career
She was frequently billed as "The Australian Jenny Lind".[2] She has the distinction of having been Australia's first Adalgisa in Bellini's opera Norma (1852, Royal Victoria Theatre, Sydney) beside the Norma of Sara Flower. In November 1858 Carandini sang Leonora in Verdi's Il trovatore in a twenty-seven performance season at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne.[3] The Carandini troupe performed what may have been New Zealand's first full opera production when they performed Henry Bishop's Guy Mannering at Dunedin's Princess Theatre in September 1862.[2][4]
Late life and legacy
Carandini's last Australian appearance was in farewell concert on 3 February 1892 at the Melbourne Town Hall; she sang "Jessie the flower of Dumblane" with a strong voice for her age.[3] Soon afterwards she left for England. In her late life, Carandini lived at Richmond Hill, near Bath, with her daughter; she died there on 13 April 1894, aged 68.[3]
Family
Her eldest daughter Rosina Palmer was a notable Australian soprano, while her son Christie Palmerston was an explorer and prospector in northern Queensland.[5]
Her great-grandson (by her granddaughter, Countess Estelle Marie (née Carandini di Sarzano); (1889–1981) was actor Sir Christopher Lee and her great-great-granddaughter is Dame Harriet Walter.
She was also the great-grandmother of the actress Hermione Hannen through her daughter Fanny Ellen Hannah Louisa Carandini, who married Sir Henry Morland.
Tribute
A street in the Canberra suburb of Melba is named in her honour.
References
- ^ "The Late Madame Carandini". South Australian Register. Vol. LIX, no. 14, 800. South Australia. 20 April 1894. p. 6. Retrieved 10 July 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b Peter Flynn (1975), Shadows on the Stage: Theatre in New Zealand - the first 70 years, Dunedin: John McIndoe, Wikidata Q106818943
- ^ a b c Ann K. Wentzel,Carandini, Marie (1826-1894). Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol. 3, MUP, 1969, pp. 351-352; retrieved 25 April 2010
- ^ "Otago Daily Times". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 26 September 1862. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
- ^ Bolton, G.C. "Palmerston, Christie (1850-1897)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
External links
- Marie Carandini at Project Gutenberg Australia
- "Carandini pedigree". Archived from the original on 27 May 2006. Retrieved 17 August 2017.