Who is jenny lind

But he relented, and over the next 11 months he retrained her voice from scratch, giving her a solid technique and finish. His enthusiasm led to Lind singing for Giacomo Meyerbeer, who at this point oversaw the Court Opera in Berlin, due to reopen following a fire with his new opera Ein Feldlager in Schlesien , in which he wanted her to sing the leading role of Vielka.

She returned home to fulfil her various duties but was soon back. In the run-up to these performances she also met another leading contemporary composer — Felix Mendelssohn — whose influence on her would be profound.

It worked. Lumley also commissioned Mendelssohn to write an opera for her to star in. Her very first notes seemed to enthral the audience. The cadenza at the end of her opening air — the whole of which was listened to with a stillness quite singular — called down a hurricane of applause.

From that moment her success was certain. At this point someone new entered her life and made her an extraordinary proposal that she accepted: Lind signed a contract with the American showman Phineas T Barnum to tour across the US under his management. Recently reintroduced to audiences as the hero of the film The Greatest Showman and, before that, the musical named after him , Barnum was in some ways an unlikely collaborator — a freewheeling huckster on the grandest scale who offered the widest public performing fleas, dogs, jugglers, ventriloquists and automata.

But part of him also wanted to introduce them to more elevated entertainment — provided he could turn a profit in doing so. But it was the composer Clara Schumann who gave the highest praise of all. Her coloratura is the most consummate I have ever heard.

Her voice is not large in itself, but it would certainly fill any room, for all its soul. See more Latest features. See more Browse by. Latest features See more Latest features. Barnum, then riding high on the fame of his American Museum in New York City, longed to elevate his public profile—which, while profitable, mainly associated him with dime-museum fare. Not only that, Barnum offered to put salaries on deposit up-front, which required him to either sell or mortgage everything he owned.

It was a huge bet, without a safety net. But to Barnum, the chance to establish himself as an American tastemaker was worth the risk. The public-relations blitz, which included constant newspaper coverage, a song contest, and competitive ticket auctions, worked a treat: from her first show on September 11, , at the Castle Garden in New York, Jenny Lind was a sensation.

She is the greatest singer we have ever heard. Her Greatest Showman portrayal notwithstanding, Lind was not the red-lipstick type. She made grown men cry solely through the purity of her voice, and impressed Americans particularly with her lack of pretension, donating thousands of dollars to local charities along her tour itinerary. The photo of the two kissing is soon published in newspapers across the country and is soon found by Charity Barnum , impacting her and Barnum's relationship.

The Greatest Showman Wiki Explore. Recent blog posts. Explore Wikis Community Central. Register Don't have an account? Jenny Lind. History Talk 0. T Barnum. Universal Conquest Wiki.