Minna Fischer
Minna Pauline[a] Fischer (20 January 1858 – 7 August 1941)[1] was an Australian lyric soprano and singing teacher in London.
History
Fischer was born in Tanunda, South Australia, the second daughter of George Friedrich Fischer and his second wife Emma Caroline Antoinette Fischer, née Sobels (married 5 April 1855).
George emigrated to South Australia aboard the ship Louise, arriving 26 March 1849,
Emma emigrated with her parents, winemaker Carl August Sobels and Johanna Wilhelmine Sobels, née Diemann, six brothers and a sister aboard Hermann von Beckerath from Bremen in December 1847.
Minna received early training from Moritz Heuzenroeder and Fred Ellard of Adelaide and Lucy Chambers of Melbourne. At age 16 she joined the Italian Opera Company, which toured New Zealand and Australia and undertaking further study in Germany, she performed concerts in London and elsewhere.
In 1877 she was a member of
Fischer left Simonsen's company, then in December 1877 she and Maggie Liddle joined Emily Soldene's English Comic Opera Company who were about to tour New Zealand with Giroflé-Girofla, Rose Stella and Cissy Durant having left the troupe at the last minute.[9] Fischer took the role of "Pedro".[10] On their return to Sydney, Stella and Durant were rehired.[11] Fisher joined the Melbourne
The Opera House came under the management of
In 1888 she joined the Amy Sherwin concert company touring New Zealand, and followed Sherwin to London, performing regularly on the concert stage, and with her two sons staying with Sherwin for at least some of the time.
She quit the stage around 1904,[13] and as Madame Minna Fischer taught voice production in the St John's Wood district, London. She was involved in
Flemming died in 1908 and two months later, on 12 December 1908, Fischer married Clutsam. They had shared the stage in Sydney at Sherwin's 1888 farewell concert series,[15] the extensive concert tour which followed,[16] then in London, when Fischer, Sherwin and Clutsam frequently appeared together.[17]
Apart from her other vocal qualities, Fischer was known for her command of the German language.[18]
Students
Fischer's pupils include:
- Irene Ainslie of New Zealand[19]
- Meta Buring[20]
- Amy Castles[21]
- her niece Elsa Fischer[22] (died 1945), daughter of Hugo Fischer, professional name Elsa Stralia.
- Dunedin, New Zealand
- Eva Mylott, of Moruya, New South Wales
- Minnie Rayner[23] of Perth, Western Australia, not to be confused with Minnie Rayner (1869–1941), the English actress.
- Elsie Rosslyn, singing teacher of Perth, Western Australia
She has one of several teachers of Ada Crossley,[24] who headed a list of students, Misses Owen Chaplin, Cassie Crang, Grace Dalton, Maud Hatzfield, Annie Horrocks, Marion Tack, Tessie Kelly, Nora Long, Dorothea Loring, Beatrice Miranda, Jessie Neil, Minnie Rayner, Jessie Redpath, Enid Sass, and Fanny Wood who made Fischer the much-appreciated gift of an enamel-faced clock.[25]
Family
Minna Pauline Fischer married the actor Herbert Flemming (1856 – 23 October 1908) in Melbourne on 28 May 1879. They had two sons before their amicable separation:[26]
- Leonard Denman Flemming (29 April 1880 – 1946) married Wilma Berkeley c. October 1929 in London. Born in Adelaide, he settled in South Africa at age 15, became a farmer and author of Call of the Veldt (filmed in 1929), Fool of the Veldt, New Story of an African Farm and Fun of the Veldt.[27] A Bard in the Backveld : Verse and Worse (1943); The Curious Continent and Other Stories (1941).[28] She was an Australian singer in musical comedy, a protege of Dame Nellie Melba.
- Herbert Flemming (c. 1881 – 7 May 1915). As Captain Flemming of the 9th Bn. London Regiment (Queen Victoria's Rifles), he died from wounds received during the war of 1914–1918. Cited by some as Flemming's eldest son, however his headstone gives his age as 33 years.[29]
She married again, to
Her sister Johanne Elisabeth Fischer (13 February 1856 – 17 July 1929), born in Tanunda, married Robert Homburg "Judge Homburg" (10 March 1848 – 23 March 1912) in Adeaide on 16 October 1882.
Her brother Otto Fischer (2 May 1862 – 14 January 1934), later known as Otto Fischer Sobell, born in Tanunda, was a bass-baritone noted for Wagnerian roles; was in 1883 first recipient of the Elder Scholarship. He married Mabel Burrows in Adelaide on 10 July 1889. They divorced in 1891. He married again, to Agatha Scheper in Frankfurt, on 5 April 1893. He married once more, to Viola (often Violet) Agnew in London, on 28 June 1913. They arrived in Sydney aboard Media in April 1915 as "Frank Sobell", with wife and son. He died at
- Jack Fischer (4 May 1890 – )
- James Otto Sobell (6 April 1914 – ) known as a linguist
- George Hamish Sobell (20 January 1917 – )
References
- ^ Often written "Paulina", the German pronunciation of this name.
- ^ Not to be confused with Arthur Bayldon, Arthur Baildon, of Newcastle, England made several translations for the Simonsen company, another being Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi
- ^ a b Dr Graeme Skinner. "Austral Harmony: A biographical register of Australian colonial musical personnel–F". University of Sydney. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- The Adelaide Observer. Adelaide, Australia. 31 March 1849. p. 2. Retrieved 30 January 2022 – via Trove.
- ^ The Register (Adelaide). South Australia. 22 September 1908. p. 6. Retrieved 20 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Death of Mr George Fischer". South Australian Register. South Australia. 13 February 1882. p. 5. Retrieved 20 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "The Simonsen Opera Company". The Mercury (Hobart). Tasmania, Australia. 17 March 1877. p. 2. Retrieved 24 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Theatre Royal". The Tribune (Hobart). Tasmania, Australia. 26 March 1877. p. 2. Retrieved 24 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "The Simonsen Opera Company". The Mercury (Hobart). Tasmania, Australia. 27 March 1877. p. 2. Retrieved 24 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Theatre Royal". The Tribune. Tasmania, Australia. 17 April 1877. p. 2. Retrieved 24 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "The Simonsen Family". The Referee. New South Wales, Australia. 11 July 1917. p. 14. Retrieved 24 May 2020 – via Trove.
- The Australasian. Victoria, Australia. 22 December 1877. p. 19. Retrieved 24 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Amusements". The Evening News (Sydney). New South Wales, Australia. 26 January 1878. p. 5. Retrieved 26 May 2020 – via Trove.
- The Evening Journal (Adelaide). South Australia. 26 March 1878. p. 3. Retrieved 24 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Encore". The Critic (Adelaide). South Australia. 7 March 1906. p. 8. Retrieved 25 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Miss Ada Crossley's Marriage". The West Australian. Western Australia. 20 May 1905. p. 10. Retrieved 23 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Advertising". The Sydney Morning Herald. New South Wales, Australia. 13 October 1888. p. 2. Retrieved 25 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Stage, Song, and Show". The Australian Star. New South Wales, Australia. 5 January 1891. p. 7. Retrieved 25 May 2020 – via Trove.
- The Express and Telegraph. South Australia. 20 October 1894. p. 6. Retrieved 25 May 2020 – via Trove.
- The Chronicle (Adelaide). South Australia. 11 March 1905. p. 50. Retrieved 20 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Mme. Melba's Protege". The World's News. New South Wales, Australia. 8 August 1908. p. 8. Retrieved 22 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Miss Meta Buring". The Advertiser (Adelaide). South Australia. 17 March 1908. p. 9. Retrieved 25 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Miss Amy Castles". The Leader (Melbourne). Victoria, Australia. 28 December 1901. p. 24. Retrieved 23 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Musical Notes". Table Talk. Victoria, Australia. 19 May 1910. p. 10. Retrieved 22 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Personal". The Evening Mail (Fremantle). Western Australia. 23 May 1908. p. 1. Retrieved 25 May 2020 – via Trove.
- The Daily News (Perth). Western Australia. 2 November 1910. p. 8. Retrieved 22 May 2020 – via Trove.
- The Mirror (Perth). Western Australia. 8 November 1907. p. 19. Retrieved 25 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "The Late Herbert Flemming". The Barrier Miner. New South Wales, Australia. 31 October 1908. p. 6. Retrieved 21 May 2020 – via Trove. A personal recollection.
- ^ "A Satchel of Books". The Bulletin. 47 (2433). John Haynes, J. F. Archibald. 30 September 1926. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ "Leonard Flemming". AustLit, University of Queensland. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ "WWI cemetery, Hampstead". AStreetNearYou. Retrieved 21 May 2020.