CAROLSFELD, Malvina Schnorr Von

Malvina Schnorr von Carolsfeld, born Eugénia Malvina Garrigues, was a Danish-born operatic soprano, composer and singing teacher. She was born in Copenhagen on 7 December 1825 and studied singing in Paris with Manuel García. She performed in Breslau, Coburg, Gotha, Hamburg, Karlsruhe and Dresden.

She is best remembered for creating the role of Isolde in the world premiere of Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde in Munich on 10 June 1865, appearing opposite her husband, the tenor Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld. Following his sudden death several weeks later, she retired from the operatic stage and subsequently worked as a singing teacher.

Schnorr von Carolsfeld composed songs for voice and piano, including Bedeckt mich mit Blumen, Es war ein alter König, Die stille Wasserrose, Sehnsucht, Tränen, Rosenlied and Melancholie im Walde. In 1867 she edited Neun Lieder, a collection containing songs by herself and her husband.