19th Century Women in Arts and Music

Actress: Sarah Bernhardt

A French woman, Sarah Bernhardt (c. 1844-1923) became one of the most famous stage actresses of the 19th century. Her commanding stage presence was tremendous. She toured the world, earning fame for her expressive acting as well as her extravagant lifestyle. Unknown to her audiences, she suffered terribly from stage fright.

Bernhardt played hundred of leading roles including those in a Paris theatre named after her, the Theatre-Sarah-Bernhardt. She loved acting up to her death. She even went on stage with a wooden leg, after hers had been amputated. Although she became one of the first film stars in France, Sarah Bernhardt always preferred the stage.

Composer:  Clara Wieck - Schumann

Clara Wieck (1819-1896) displayed exceptional musical talent from an early age. She was the daughter of Friedrich Wieck, a German piano teacher. At the age of nine, she was performing professional piano recitals. She later became a composer and a virtuoso classical pianist.

At the age of 20, Clara married the composer Robert Schumann, when he became a student of Clara's father. She played many of his pieces and her support helped him achieve fame and recognition at the expense of her professional pursuit. After her husband's death in 1856, Clara Schumann became a successful music teacher. She helped many young musicians, including Johannes Brahms, and championed the music of her husband, Robert Schumann.

Dancer: Anna Pavlova

The Russian dancer Anna Pavlova (1881-1931) was the most acclaimed ballerina in her day. When she as a girl, she was taken to see a famous ballet called the "Sleeping Beauty" composed by Tchaikovsky. From that day, she decided that she wanted to be a ballet dancer. Pavlova came from a poor family and she had never been a healthy child. Somehow, she was able to enter the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg at the age of ten. Three years later, she took part in the coronation celebrations of the new Czar.

Aged 25, Pavlova became a prima ballerina. She toured many countries with the Imperial Ballet. Later, she set up her own ballet company and gave numerous performances. Through her dancing many people in remote areas were introduced to classical ballet. Mikhail Fokine, a leading Russian choreographer created a solo dance for her called The Dying Swan. Worn out by two and a half decades of touring the world, she died of pneumonia aged 49. Today, Anna Pavlova's name remains famous because a kind of meringue pie named after her, "pavlova."

Singer: Jenny Lind

Jenny Lind (1820-1887) was a celebrated Swedish soprano whose real name is Johanna Maria Lind. She was not only famous for her magnetic performances in Europe, but for her philanthropic work that she became known as the "Swedish Nightingale." Lind was born in Stockholm and went to the court theatre school of singing at the age of nine. The following year, she enrolled at the Royal Opera School. After lessons in Paris, she made her debut in Stockholm as Agathe in Carl Maria von Weber's opera Der Freischütz. Here on, she attained international popularity.

Lind founded and provided musical scholarships and charities in Sweden and in England, where she lived from 1856, then became Professor of Singing at the Royal College of Music. In 1842 she sang the title role of Bellini's Norma and became greatly in demand for her coloratura brilliance. She sang all over Europe including Stockholm, Berlin, Vienna and London. Her finest achievements were in her recitals and oratorio performances, to which her pure and steady voice were ideally suited. She created sensation wherever she performed.