Christina Rahm (1763–1837) was a Swedish

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

singer and a stage

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

. She was active in the

Stenborg Company The Stenborg Company () was a Swedish theatre company, active in Sweden and Finland in the 18th century. It was also called Stenborgska skådebanorna ('Stenborg Stages'), Svenska komeditruppen ('Swedish Comedy Troupe') and Svenska Comedien ('Swed ...

at the Eriksberg Theatre in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

in 1780-84 and at the

Stenborg Theatre The Stenborg theatre, also called Svenska Komiska Teatern, Komiska Teatern and Munkbroteatern, was a historical Swedish 18th century theatre, active between 1784 and 1799 in Gamla stan in Stockholm. It was the second theatre of Stockholm during t ...

in 1784-99, and thereafter in travelling theatres. In 1785, she became the first Swedish artist to play Rosina in

The Barber of Seville ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( ) is an ''opera buffa'' (comic opera) in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's French comedy ' ...

.Johan Flodmark: Stenborgska skådebanorna: bidrag till Stockholms teaterhistoria, Norstedt, Stockholm, 1893

Life

Christina Rahm arrived in

in 1782 as the spouse of the

wig A wig is a head covering made from human or animal hair, or a synthetic imitation thereof. The word is short for "periwig". Wigs may be worn to disguise baldness, to alter the wearer's appearance, or as part of certain professional uniforms. H ...

maker of the

Royal Swedish Opera Royal Swedish Opera () is an opera and ballet company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Location and environment The building is located in the centre of Sweden's capital, Stockholm, in the borough of Norrmalm (borough), Norrmalm, on the eastern si ...

, Jacob Rahm. She was engaged by

Carl Stenborg Carl Stenborg (8 September 1752 – 1 August 1813) was a Swedish opera singer, composer and theatre director. He belonged to the pioneer generation of the Royal Swedish Opera and was regarded as one of the leading opera singers of the Gustavian e ...

of the Stenborg Company the same year, which was housed in the Eriksberg Theatre until 1784 and then at the Stenborg Theatre. The Stenborg theater was a very popular theater normally frequented by the public in Stockholm rather than the upper classes, and where Rahm was to become a celebrated

prima donna In opera or ''commedia dell'arte'', a prima donna (; Italian for 'first lady'; : ''prime donne'') is the leading female singer in the company, the person to whom the ''prime'' roles would be given. ''Prime donne'' often had grand off-stage pe ...

. As she was both an opera singer and a dramatic actress, she could act in both opera performances and theater plays, and was described as "one of the theatre's most useful actresses." She was described as a good singer and was often given main parts when the theater offered opera and other lyrical performances. Several benefit performances were given to Christina Rahm, illustrating her status as one of the theater's most valuable members. She was often used in the role of

soubrette A soubrette is a female minor stock character in opera and theatre, often a pert lady's maid. By extension, the term can refer generally to any saucy or flirtatious young woman. The term arrived in English from Provençal via French, and means " ...

. On 11 December 1785, she was the first Swedish artist to play Rosina in ''

''. She is noted to have played the role pregnant with her daughter: she had five children. After the 1798-99 season, the Stenborg theater was closed after the introduction of the Stockholm monopoly of the royal theaters. Rahm toured with the travelling theatre of

Johan Anton Lindqvist Johan Anton Lindqvist (25 December 1759 - 17 September 1833) was a Swedish stage actor and theater director. Biography Lindqvist was born at Ystad, Sweden. He was active in the theater party of Carl Seuerling in 1788. He was the director of ...

, where she performed in

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

. In 1800, her husband died in poverty. In 1804–09, she was active as a member in the travelling theatre of Carl Stenborg, and as such performed in

Linköping Linköping ( , ) is a city in southern Sweden, with around 167,000 inhabitants as of 2024. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Chu ...

Karlskrona Karlskrona (, , ) is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with a population of 66,675 in 2018. It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to ...

Kalmar Kalmar (, , ) is a city in the southeast of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 41,388 inhabitants in 2020 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of ...

and

Roles

Among her parts were Jenny in ''Kungen och skogvaktaren'' (The king and the gamekeeper), Lisbet in ''Njugg spar'', Orphale in ''Alexander den Store'' (Alexander the Great) (1784), Catau in ''Julie'' (1786), Rosalie in (The deceived deceiver) (1788), baron Birkwitz in ''Greven av Oldsbach'' (The Count of Oldsbach) (1790), the abbess in ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...

'' (1794), and Genevieve in '' Richard Coeur-de-lion'' by

Michel-Jean Sedaine Michel-Jean Sedaine (2 June 1719 – 17 May 1797) was a French dramatist and librettist, especially noted for his librettos for ''opéras comiques'', in which he took an important and influential role in the advancement of the genre from the ...

(1795). When the playwright launched his play ''Det besynnerliga spektaklet'' (The odd spectacle) (1790), as an after-play to ''Greven av Oldsbach'' (The Count of Oldsbach) by Brandes translated by Björn, the artists of the theatre were to thank the audience for their support in the guise of their most popular role characters. Björn performed as himself: Magnus Bonn as Mäster Sock in ''Skomakaren'' (The Shoemaker), Anders Lundberg as Hyrkusken (The Coachman) in ''Engelsmannen i Paris'' (An Englishman in Paris) by Auguste-Louis Bertin d'Antilly, Johan Petter Lindskog as Bartholo and Bazile in ''

'', Jonas Sundman as Jonas in ''Mäklaren'' (The Broker), Carl Schylander as Mor Bobi and dansmästare Rigadoun, Johanna Löfblad as Gertrud in ''Njugg spar'' (The stingy saver), Brita Maria Modéer as the maid in ''Den obetänksamma'' (The Thoughtless one), Christina Rahm as Anna Stina in ''Mascarade'' by Holberg,

Lisette Stenberg Caroline Lisette (Maria Elisabet) Stenberg (23 October 1770 in Stockholm or Gothenburg – 18 June 1847 in Vänersborg) was a Swedish stage actress, singer and pianist. She was a popular stage celebrity artist in Gustavian era Stockholm, and a ...

as Lady Alton in ''Skottländskan'' (The Scottish Woman) by

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...

Margareta Sofia Lagerqvist Margareta Sofia Lagerqvist (1771 – 6 June 1800, in Norrköping) was a noted Swedish opera singer and stage actress. She was employed as an opera singer at the Royal Swedish Opera, and as an actor at the Royal Dramatic Theatre, in 1788–99, and ...

as Anette in ''Anette and Lubin'' by

Charles Dibdin Charles Dibdin (before 4 March 1745 – 25 July 1814) was an English composer, musician, dramatist, novelist, singer and actor. With over 600 songs to his name, for many of which he wrote both the lyrics and the music and performed them himself ...

, and Eva Säfström as Trädgårdsflickan (The gardener girl) in ''Sophie''.

References

*
En lång teaterkarriär
', Släkhistoriskt Forum, 2004 * Johan Flodmark: Stenborgska skådebanorna: bidrag till Stockholms teaterhistoria, Norstedt, Stockholm, 1893

Life

Roles

References

Further reading