Marie Litta
Marie Litta | |
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Born | Marie Eugenia von Elsner June 1, 1856 Bloomington, Illinois, U.S. |
Died | July 7, 1883 Escanaba, Michigan, U.S. | (aged 27)
Occupation | Operatic soprano |
Organizations |
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Marie Eugenia von Elsner (June 1, 1856 – July 7, 1883; pronounced Maria),[1] known by her stage name Marie Litta, was an American soprano opera singer.
Trained to sing from an early age by her father, she traveled with him around the country to perform. She later studied with John Underner in
Early life
Marie Eugenia von Elsner was born on June 1, 1856, in
Von Elsner went to Europe, mostly France, in October 1874.[6] There, she studied under composer Pauline Viardot and the wealthy Comtesse de Trobriand, who offered her a space to perform.[7]
Career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Marie_Eugenia_von_Elsner_-_Litta%2C_an_American_singer%3B_a_sketch_of_Marie_Eugenia_von_Elsner_%28IA_littaamericansin00scotiala%29_%28page_8_crop%29.jpg/170px-Marie_Eugenia_von_Elsner_-_Litta%2C_an_American_singer%3B_a_sketch_of_Marie_Eugenia_von_Elsner_%28IA_littaamericansin00scotiala%29_%28page_8_crop%29.jpg)
Her first career performance was in Paris at the
After about four years in Europe and after signing a deal with the
In 1880, about two years into her return, she left Strakosch's company and formed her own, which included pianist Nellie Bangs Skelton.[18] Among the performances she and her crew put on was the program "Carnival of Venice" by Julius Benedict.[19] She was also involved in the troupe of Giovanni Tagliapietra from 1880 to 1881.[20] The year she left, she became involved in a lawsuit against him.[21] Despite Litta's fame and personal success, the troupe was unsuccessful, and Tagliapietra had gone into debt, failing to pay his fellow performers.[22] The amount he owed Litta was some $1200 at the time.[22]
Death
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Litta_Monument_at_Bloomington_Cemetery_-_Litta%2C_an_American_singer%3B_a_sketch_of_Marie_Eugenia_von_Elsner_%28IA_littaamericansin00scotiala%29_%28page_179_crop%29.jpg/170px-Litta_Monument_at_Bloomington_Cemetery_-_Litta%2C_an_American_singer%3B_a_sketch_of_Marie_Eugenia_von_Elsner_%28IA_littaamericansin00scotiala%29_%28page_179_crop%29.jpg)
In May 1883, she became violently ill while singing to miners of the Great Lakes town of Escanaba, Michigan.[23] Litta died on July 7, 1883, at the age of 27 in Bloomington;[24] her death certificate labeled her cause of death as meningitis, exacerbated by exertion.[18] Her funeral was attended by some 10,000 people.[25]
A monument in her honor was erected on July 4, 1885.[18] The monument's service was attended by David Davis, then a United States senator from Illinois, who offered a tribute: "to Litta the artist ... whose eminence is our local legacy".[26]
References
Citations
- ^ a b c Yoo 2008.
- ^ Kemp 2013; Scott 1897, p. 46.
- ^ Kemp 2013; Scott 1897, p. 49.
- ^ Kemp 2013; Scott 1897, p. 50.
- ^ Kemp 2013; Scott 1897, pp. 51–52.
- ^ Kemp 2013; Scott 1897, p. 57.
- ^ Kemp 2013; Scott 1897, p. 61.
- ^ Kemp 2013; Scott 1897, pp. 67, 70.
- ^ Scott 1897, p. 76.
- ^ Parker 2010.
- ^ Scott 1897, p. 71.
- ^ Kemp 2013; Scott 1897, p. 81.
- ^ Scott 1897, p. 99.
- ^ Scott 1897, pp. 84, 103.
- ^ Scott 1897, pp. 103, 114.
- ^ Scott 1897, pp. 112, 114, 119.
- ^ Dictionary of American Biography 1936.
- ^ a b c Kemp 2013.
- ^ Scott 1897, p. 132.
- ^ Daily Picayune 1880, p. 5; Times Democrat 1883, p. 4.
- ^ Kijas 2019, p. 60.
- ^ a b Chicago Tribune 1881, p. 8.
- ^ Kemp 2013; Scott 1897, p. 161.
- ^ Scott 1897, p. 32.
- ^ Kemp 2013; Scott 1897, p. 158.
- ^ Scott 1897, p. 37.
Bibliography
- Kemp, Bill (July 7, 2013). "Death takes Bloomington opera diva at age 27". Pantagraph. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- Kijas, Anna E. (2019). "The life of Teresa Carreño (1853–1917), a Venezuelan prodigy and acclaimed artist". Notes. 76 (1): 38–83. S2CID 213199940.
- Parker, Roger (January 28, 2010). "Lucia di Lammermoor's mad tragedy in Donizetti's mad life". The Guardian. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- Scott, John M. (1897). Litta, an American singer: A sketch of Marie Eugenia von Elsner. Bloomington, IL.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Yoo, Sarah (2008). "Litta, Marie". McLean County Museum of History. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- "Tagliapietra's troubles: Litta wants satisfaction". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, IL. October 29, 1881.
- "Bidwell's new St. Charles Theatre". Daily Picayune. New Orleans, LA. October 29, 1880.
- "Charles R. Adams". Dictionary of American Biography. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1936. Gale BT2310019094.
- "(Untitled)". Times Democrat. New Orleans, LA. July 8, 1883.