''Julie'' Mathilda Berwald (14 October 1822 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 ...

– 1 January 1877) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

and

opera singer Opera is a form of Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a lib ...

. Julie Berwald was born to the concert singer Mathilda Berwald and the musician Johan Fredrik Berwald. She and her sisters Fredrique and Hedvig Eleonora were trained as singers by their mother, and performed with her at their fathers public concerts. They toured as concert singers in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

(1842),

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(1844) and

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(1847). The three siblings were a popular singing trio. Between 1847 and 1852, she was engaged as an opera singer at 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 ...

in Stockholm; from 1848 contracted as a 'Premier Actress'. During her years at the Opera, she became one of the greatest stars of the Swedish opera. In 1851, she also performed in Copenhagen to great acclaim.

Nils Arfwidsson Nils Arfwidsson (7 May 1802, Gothenburg – 14 April 1880, Stockholm) was a Swedish writer, journalist, and government official. Biography He was born to Niklas Arfwidsson, a village counselor, and his wife, Anna Margareta née von Jacobsson, the ...

said about her: :"... daughter of the royal orchestra conductor by the same name and fostered within the theatre, she gained fame as a society singer already as quite young. In the late 1840s she decided to perform on stage, where she became the most noted person displayed on the operatic stage after

Lind Lind is a surname of both Swedish and Estonian origin. In Swedish, it is the word for the linden tree. In Estonian, it is the word for bird. Geographical distribution As of 2014, 36.1% of all known bearers of the surname ''Lind'' were resid ...

and prior to

Michal Michal (; ; ) was, according to the first Book of Samuel, a princess of the United Kingdom of Israel; the younger daughter of King Saul, she was the first wife of David (), who later became king, first of Judah, then of all Israel, maki ...

. Julia Bervald had a beautiful figure, a well shaped though somewhat lifeless face, a pleasant manner. Her by nature beautiful soprano had been much trained, and there was much correctness, much grace in her performance although, as with her entire being, something cool and sober. She was not very good, or at least not very spectacular, in glowing tragic parts, but there was also here grace, softness and a certain intensity in her performance. "Nils Arfwidsson,
Teaterbilder från fordom
', 1885 In 1852, she married

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

Georg Gustaf Knut Åkerhielm and retired from the stage. Her marriage met with no resistance from the

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

, indicating a change in attitude towards singers and actresses, who were long looked down upon socially. Julie Berwald was elected to the

Royal Swedish Academy of Music The Royal Swedish Academy of Music (), founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in ...

, as member no. 337 on 16 December 1853.

References

*
Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon
', 1906 Herman Hofberg, *

', 1864 Johan Leonard Höijer * Gustaf Hilleström, Kungl. Musikaliska Akademien, Matrikel 1771-1971 * Sten Broman, Franz Berwalds stamträd, 1968 * Lars Löfgren (2003) Svensk teater {{DEFAULTSORT:Berwald, Julie 1822 births 1877 deaths Singers from Stockholm Swedish Jews 19th-century Swedish nobility 19th-century Swedish women opera singers Swedish operatic sopranos