Laussot, Jessie (1826-1905)

Laussot, Jessie

PIANIST, CHOIR CONDUCTOR, TRANSLATOR (ENGLAND)

BORN 27 Dec 1826, London - DIED 8 May 1905, Firenze, Toscana
BIRTH NAME Taylor, Jessie
GRAVE LOCATION Firenze, Toscana: Cimitero Evangelico Agli Allori, Via Senese 184, Galluzo (2PPsSB VII 78s)

Jessie Taylor was born in London. In 1848 she met Richard Wagner in Dresden, where she was much impressed by his opera "Tannhäuser". She spoke German fluently and was a fine pianist. Her mother married her off to her own former lover, the young wine merchant Eugène Laussot from Bordeaux. She asked Wagner to visit her and her husband and in 1850 in Bordeaux they became lovers. They planned to elope to Greece, but her husband found out about the affair and left Bordeaux with his wife. This put an end to the affair.

In 1853 she divorced her husband and moved to Florence. There she founded the Società Cherubini. She befriended Hans von Bülow and Franz Liszt. Von Bülow stayed with her for two years after his wife Cosima left him for Wagner, but they were probably only friends and not lovers. Around 1875 she met the author Karl Hillebrand and she married him in 1879. He died in 1884 and when she died in Florence herself in 1905 she was buried beside him at the Protestant Cemetery. Giuseppe Buonamici was one of her pupils.

Family
• Husband: Hillebrand, Karl Arnold (1879-1884)

Related persons
• was a friend of Bülow, Hans von
• was a friend of Liszt, Franz
• was the lover of Wagner, Richard

Events

16/3/1850	Richard Wagner arrives in Bordeaux. He had been invited by Jessie Laussot to visit her and her husband. Soon he and Jessie became lovers. [Wagner, Richard]
18/5/1850	Richard Wagner returns to Bordeaux. He went to the Hôtel des 4 Soeurs. He wanted a confrontation with the husband of his mistress Jessie Laussot but he soon found out that Laussot and his wife had left the city. In June she sent him a message that she would never see him again. They met again many years later in Germany in 1876. [Wagner, Richard]