Mallinger, Mathilda

OPERA SINGER (AUSTRIA)
BORN 17 Feb 1847, Zagreb - DIED 19 Apr 1920, Berlin
GRAVE LOCATION Berlin: Alter Domfriedhof der St.-Hedwigs-Gemeinde, Liesenstrasse 8 (cleared (memorial in section 7))

Mathilde Mallinger was born as Mathilde Lichtenegger in Zagreb. Her father was the composer Vatroslav Lichtenegger. In Prague she studied singing under Giovanni Battista Gordigiani. In 1863 she entered the Conservatory in Vienna. In that city Richard Loewy was her teacher. She met Richard Wagner and after he heard her sing he recommended her to the Court Opera in Munich. There she debuted in the title role of Bellini's "Norma" in 1866. On 21 June 1868 she created the part of Eva in Wagner's "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg".

In 1869 she was engaged at the State Opera in Berlin, where she performed until 1882. She sang at the Berlin premieres of Wagner's "Lohengrin" (1869) and ""Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" (1870) and also at Verdi's "Aida" in 1874. In Berlin Pauline Lucca was her rival. In 1882 she retired from opera, but she continued her career as a concert singer until 1895.

She married Baron Otto Schimmelpfenig Oye (1838-1912), also known as the actor Otto Düringsfeld. In 1878 they had a daughter, Marie, who would also become an opera singer. From 1890 to 1895 Mathilda worked as a singing teacher in Prague. From 1895 until her death in 1920 she was a teacher in Berlin. Lotte Lehmann was one of her pupils.

Related persons
• was teacher of Lehmann, Lotte
• was rival of Lucca, Pauline
• met Wagner, Richard

Events
21/6/1868Premiere of Wagner's "Die Meistersinger von Nünberg". It was staged in Munich in the presence of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Hans von Bülow was the conductor. Ludwig insisted that Wagner would sit next to him in the royal box. After the first act the public was very enthousiastic and demanded to see the composer. But Wagner didn't show himself. Only after the last act he rose to accept the ovation of the public. This caused a scandal because it was considered inappropriate that a composer received the honours of the public standing next to the king. [Bausewein, Kaspar][Bülow, Hans von][Diez-Hartmann, Sophie][Strauss, Franz Joseph][Wagner, Richard]

Images

Grave monument for Matilda Mallinger at the St. Hedwig-Friedhof in Berlin. Her grave has disappeared.
Picture by Androom (16 Aug 2010)

 

Grave monument for Matilda Mallinger at the St. Hedwig-Friedhof in Berlin. Her grave has disappeared.
Picture by Androom (16 Aug 2010)

 

Sources
• Killy, Walther [Ed.], Deutsche Biographische Enzyklopädie, Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt, 1995
• Hammer, Klaus, Historische Friedhöfe & Grabmäler in Berlin, Stattbuch Verlag, Berlin, 1994
• Marek, George R., Cosima Wagner, Ein Leben für ein Genie, Knaur, München, 1993
Winkler Prins Encyclopedie (editie 1909), 1909
Mathilde Mallinger - Wikipedia


Malmesbury, James Howard Harris, 3rd Earl of

Published: 21 Jul 2019
Last update: 28 Jan 2023