Elena Asachi, née Teyber; also known as Hélène and Eleonora (30 October 1789 – 9 May 1877) was a

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n pianist, singer translator and composer of Austrian birth. She was the daughter of Austrian composer

Anton Teyber Anton Teyber (8 September 1756 (bapt.) – 18 November 1822) was an Austrian organist, Kapellmeister and composer. Anton Teyber was born and died in Vienna. His brother was Franz Teyber. He taught the children of the Holy Roman Emperor before w ...

and niece of concertmaster

Franz Teyber Franz Teyber (bapt. 25 August 1758, Viennadied 21 October 1810, Wien-Josefstadt, today 8. Bezirk) was an Austrian Kapellmeister ( , , ), from German (chapel) and (master), literally "master of the chapel choir", designates the leader of an e ...

. She studied music under her father as a child in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

. Later she studied in Vienna under opera singer

Domenico Donzelli Domenico Donzelli (2 February 1790 – 31 March 1873) was an Italian tenor with a robust voice who enjoyed an important career in Paris, London and his native country during the 1808-1841 period. Biography Donzelli can be regarded as an off ...

. She became a professor at Iași Conservatory where she was known as a pianist and composer from 1827 to 1863. She married

Gheorghe Asachi Gheorghe Asachi (, surname also spelled Asaki; 1 March 1788 – 12 November 1869) was a Moldavian, later Romanian, prose writer, poet, painter, historian, dramatist, engineer, border maker, and translator. An Enlightenment-educated polymath and ...

, with whom she collaborated on songs and theatrical works. Together with her husband she promoted the creation of the first music institute in the

Principality of Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially independent and later auto ...

, the Philharmonic-Drama Conservatory.

Life

Elena Asachi was born Elena Teyber, on 30 October 1789 in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. She was the daughter of Austrian composer

and the niece of concertmaster

. Asachi was a pianist, singer, translator and composer. She studied music under her father as a child in

, including theory, solfege, harmony and counterpoint. Later, around 1882, she studied in Vienna under opera singer

. After completing her studies, she became a professor at

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...

Conservatory where she was known as a pianist and composer from 1827 to 1863. She married

, with whom she collaborated on songs and theatrical works. Together with her husband she promoted the creation of the first music institute in the

- the Philharmonic-Drama Conservatory. Asachi adapted works by other composers for use in Romanian plays, including works by

Vincenzo Bellini Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini (; ; 3 November 1801 – 23 September 1835) was an Italian opera composer famed for his long, graceful melodies and evocative musical settings. A central figure of the era, he was admired not only ...

Daniel Auber Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (; 29 January 178212 May 1871) was a French composer and director of the Paris Conservatoire. Born into an artistic family, Auber was at first an amateur composer before he took up writing operas professionally whe ...

Saverio Mercadante Giuseppe Saverio Raffaele Mercadante (baptised 17 September 179517 December 1870) was an Italian composer, particularly of operas. While Mercadante may not have retained the international celebrity of Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti or Gioa ...

Gaspare Spontini Gaspare Luigi Pacifico Spontini (14 November 177424 January 1851) was an Italian opera composer and conductor from the classical era. During the first two decades of the 19th century, Spontini was an important figure in French ''opera'', and ...

, and

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...

. She also translated scientific and social articles into Romanian, including a children's encyclopedia, translated from the French. Asachi died on the 9 May 1877 in Iași.

Works

Selected works include: *''Fête pastorale des bergers moldaves'' (pastoral-vaudeville) 1834 *''Contrabantul'' (The Smuggler) (comedy-vaudeville) 1837 *''Țiganii'' (The Gypsies) (vaudeville with songs) 1856 Songs: *''Ballade moldave'' (with G. Asachi) 1834 *''Se starb, sagst tu'' (G. Asachi, translated by E. Asachi) 1837 *''Song of Society'' (with G. Asachi) 1849

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Asachi, Elena 1789 births 1877 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century classical pianists 19th-century Romanian women singers Austrian classical composers Austrian classical pianists Austrian women classical composers 18th-century Austrian musicians Austrian women pianists Musicians from Vienna Romanian classical composers Romanian classical pianists Romanian people of Austrian descent Romanian women classical pianists 19th-century Moldavian women 19th-century women pianists Romanian women composers 19th-century Austrian women composers 19th-century Austrian composers