Elisabeth ("Lisl") Augusta Wendling, (née Sarselli; 20 February 1746 (baptised) – 10 January 1786) was a German

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

, for whom

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

wrote the role of Electra in his

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 ...

'' Idomeneo, re di Creta''. Wendling was born in

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...

. There were four musicians in the original ''Idomeneo'' from the Wendling family. She usually sang with her sister-in-law Dorothea Wendling, after her début in 1762 in ''Sofonisba'' by

Tommaso Traetta Tommaso Michele Francesco Saverio Traetta (30 March 1727 – 6 April 1779), was an Italian composer of the Neapolitan School. Along with other composers mainly in the Holy Roman Empire and France, he was responsible for certain operatic r ...

. Later, she occasionally sang as the

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 ...

, most famously as Anna in ''

Günther von Schwarzburg Günther XXI von Schwarzburg (c. 1304 – 14 June 1349), disputed King of Germany, was a descendant of the counts of Schwarzburg. Biography Born as the younger son of Henry VII, Count of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg (c. 1267–1324) and his wi ...

'' (1777) by

Ignaz Holzbauer Ignaz Jakob Holzbauer (18 September 1711 – 7 April 1783) was an Austrian composer of symphony, symphonies, concertos, operas, and chamber music, and a member of the Mannheim school. His aesthetic style is in line with that of the ''Sturm und Dran ...

. In a letter, Mozart says he has been introduced to her by Cannabich and that she was very good-looking, and a good musician. Wendling had been greatly praised by Mozart's father and thus was chosen for the role of Electra. In 1785 she was engaged to sing in ''Armida abbandonata'', but fell ill and had to hand the role to her niece ; she never sang in public again.B. Pelker: ''Theateraufführungen und musikalischen Akademien am Hof Carl Theodors in Mannheim: eine Chronik der Jahre 1742–1777, Die Mannheimer Hofkapelle im Zeitalter Carl Theodors'', ed. L. Finscher (Mannheim, 1992), pp. 219–59. She died in Munich.

References

18th-century German women opera singers German operatic sopranos Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's singers Musicians from Mannheim 1746 births 1786 deaths {{germany-opera-singer-stub