Gallmeyer, Josephine

OPERA SINGER (GERMANY)
BORN 27 Feb 1838, Leipzig, Sachsen - DIED 3 Feb 1884, Wien
BIRTH NAME Tomaselli, Josephine
GRAVE LOCATION Wien: Zentralfriedhof, Simmeringer Hauptstraße 234, Simmering (Gruppe 32 A, Nummer 17)

Soprano, known as Pepi Gallmeyer. Her mother was the singer Tomaselli and her father the opera singer Michael Greiner. She was illegitimate, but after her mother married the actor Christian Gallmeyer (1816-1867) he accepted her as their child her last name became Gallmeyer.

Josephine made her debut in Brünn when she was only fifteen years old. Nestroy brought her to Vienna in 1856, but their cooperation was little successful. She returned to Brünn and only returned to Vienna in 1862 when Friedrich Strampfer engaged her at the Theater an der Wien. This time she quickly became a favourite of the public, singing in opera's, operettes and performing folk songs. She lived at the Praterstrasse.

As director of the Strampfertheatre at the Tuchlauben (1874) she lost most of her fortune and she was was pressed by financial worries until her death, although she toured successfully in the USA in 1882-1883.

She died in 1884 and was buried with her father at the cemetery in Matzleinsdorf, Vienna. In later years her remains were transferred to the Zentralfriedhof.

Images

The grave of Josephine Gallmeyer at the Zentralfriedhof, Vienna.
Picture by Androom (20 sep 2004)

 

Sources
• Budig, Robert S. et al, Ehrengräber am Wiener Zentralfriedhof, Compress Verlag Wien, Wien
Grosse Frauen der Weltgeschichte, Neuer Kaiser Verlag, Klagenfurt, 1987
Josefine Gallmeyer - Wikipedia (DE)


Galvani, Luigi

Published: 01 Jan 2006
Last update: 18 Aug 2022