Rosa, Carl

IMPRESARIO, CONDUCTOR, VIOLINIST (GERMANY)
BORN 22 Mar 1842, Hamburg - DIED 30 Apr 1889, Paris
BIRTH NAME Rosa, Carl August Nicholas
GRAVE LOCATION London: Highgate Cemetery West, Swain's Lane, Highgate

Carl Rosa was the son of Ludwig Rose, a businessman from Hamburg. He was brilliant on th violin and as a child prodigy his father took him to Edinburgh and he toured in Scotland between the age of twelve and sixteen. In 1859 he entered the Conservatory in Leipzig where he befriended Arthur Sullivan. In 1862 he continued his studies in Paris.

He obtained the position of concertmaster in Hamburg in 1863. There he had the change to work as a conductor and a few years later his name was made in England as well as the USA. There he met the Scottish soprano Euphrosyne Parepa. They married in New York City in 1867. In 1869 he formed the Parepa Rosa English Opera Company and with his wife he toured for three years in the USA. In 1872 they returned to England, where he founded the Carl Rosa Opera Company. His wife was pregnant at the time, but she died in childbirth early in 1874.

The company was very successful in London as well as in other cities in the UK and Rosa formed different groups of actors to be able to tour several places at the same time. Rosa married for the second time in 1881 and with Josephine he had four children. In 1889 he suddenly died during a visit to Paris. He was buried at Highgate Cemetery and Arthur Sullivan was present at his funeral. Josephine died in 1927 and was buried beside him.

Images

The grave of Carl Rosa at Highgate Cemetery West, London.
Picture by Androom (28 Mar 2016)

 

Sources
Carl Rosa - Wikipedia


Rosales, Eduardo

Published: 24 Apr 2016
Last update: 20 Apr 2022