Ella Tvrdková (19 February 1878 – 8 November 1918), also written as Ella Tordek, was a Czech opera singer.

Early life

Alžběta Anna Tvrdková was born in

Kamenice nad Lipou Kamenice nad Lipou (; ) is a town in Pelhřimov District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,700 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative division ...

, the daughter of Václav Tvrdek. She studied voice with

Mathilde Mallinger Mathilde Mallinger (; 17 February 1847 – 19 April 1920) was a Croatian lyric soprano opera singer. Life and career Born as Mathilde Lichtenegger in Graz, the daughter of composer and teacher Vatroslav Lichtenegger, she studied singing with at ...

at the

Prague Conservatory The Prague Conservatory () is a public music school in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1808. Currently, the school offers four- or six-year courses, which can be compared to the level of a high school diploma in other countries. Graduates c ...

, with further studies in Berlin.

Career

Tvrdková was with the

Prague National Theatre The National Theatre () is a historic opera house in Prague, Czech Republic. It is known as the alma mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art. The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural ...

from 1899 to 1901. In 1901, she sang a small part in the premiere of Dvořák's ''

Rusalka In Slavic folklore, the rusalka (plural: rusalki; , plural: русалки; , plural: ''rusałki'') is a female entity, often malicious toward mankind and frequently associated with water. It has counterparts in other parts of Europe, such as th ...

''. From 1901 to 1913, she sang under the name "Ella Tordek" with the Munich Court Opera, and a regular performer at Munich's Wagner and Mozart festivals. In 1913, she created the role of Rosaura in the original cast of

Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (born Ermanno Wolf) (January 12, 1876 – January 21, 1948) was an Italian composer and teacher. He is best known for his comic operas such as ''Il segreto di Susanna'' (1909). A number of his works were based on plays by ...

's opera ''

Le donne curiose ''Le donne curiose'' (English: ''The Inquisitive Women'') is an opera in three acts by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari to a text by after Carlo Goldoni's play . Performance history The first dramatic work by Wolf-Ferrari to achieve more than local notice, ...

,'' in Milan. Tordek made recordings, including a duet with Luise Hofer, singing

Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the ''Symphonie fantastique'' and ''Harold en Italie, Harold in Italy'' ...

's "Nuit paisible et sereine", from ''

Béatrice et Bénédict ''Béatrice et Bénédict'' (''Beatrice and Benedick'') is an ''opéra comique'' in two acts by French composer Hector Berlioz. Berlioz wrote the French libretto himself, based in general outline on a subplot in Shakespeare's ''Much Ado About Noth ...

'', and duets with

Friedrich Brodersen Friedrich Brodersen (1 December 1873 - 19 March 1926) was a German operatic baritone. Born in Bad Boll, he studied singing with Heinrich Bertram. He made his professional opera debut in 1900. He created roles in several world premieres during his ...

Anton Rubinstein Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein (; ) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor who founded the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. He was the elder brother of Nikolai Rubinstein, who founded the Moscow Conservatory. As a pianist, Rubinstein ran ...

's "Wanderers Nachtlied" and

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 ...

's " Reich mir die Hand", from ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...

''.

Personal life

Ella Tvrdková married Gustav Gerhäuser in 1909. She died in 1918, aged 40, in

Krumbach, Bavaria Krumbach (also: ''Krumbach (Schwaben)'') is a town with 13,000 residents in the district Günzburg in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is the second biggest town in the district. Geography Krumbach (elevation 512 m (1680 ft)) is situated i ...

References

External links

*, singing "Nuit paisible et sereine" {{DEFAULTSORT:Tvrdkova, Ella 1878 births 1918 deaths Sopranos from Austria-Hungary People from Kamenice nad Lipou Czech operatic sopranos Singers from Austria-Hungary Expatriates from Austria-Hungary in Germany Prague Conservatory alumni