Elisabeth Forsselius
Encyclopedia
Gertrud Elisabeth Forsselius (Forsell), later Elisabet Haeffner and Elisabet Fahlgren, (23 January 1771-15 February 1850), was a Swedish opera singer and actor, married to the German
-born Swedish composer Johann Christian Friedrich Haeffner, and the actor and singer Johan Jacob Fahlgren. She belongs to the circle of actors that is often talked about and mentioned in history books as the pioneer generation of Swedish actors at the Royal Dramatic Theatre
.
in 1783, and at the Ristell Theatre in Bollhuset
by Ristell in 1787, which was converted in to the Royal Dramatic Theatre
in 1788. She married Haeffner the same year. Forseelius was appreciatied both as a singer within opera, and as an actress within theatre. She was considered an excellent dramatic actress particularly within comedy
, and she was frequently used for so called soubrette
- and boy's breeches role
s, where she was described as terrific, and continued to play teenagers until her last years at the stage.
She played Anna in Siri Brahe och Johan Gyllenstierna by Gustav III
in 1788 and 1790 and the title role of Minna von Barnhelm
by Lessing
in 1793. Among her other parts were Sidonie in Armide
by Gluck
in the season 1786-1787, Ismene in Elektra (by Hæffner) in 1787-1788, Delia in Les trois sultanes, a play by Favart
in 1789-1790, Weakness in Alcides inträde i världen in 1793-1794 and Armide in Renaud (both also by Hæffner) in 1800-1801, and the marchioness in Griselda by Friedrich Halms in 1809-1810.
In 1788, Forsselius became a member in the actors board of directors of the Royal Dramatic Theatre
until 1803. As a member of the board, she is, in the report of Armfelt, who observed the board meetings as a representant for the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts, described as someone who let her personal feelings towards the other members affect her votings. If this is true, she was far from the only one doing so; these sessions were reputed for and often described as chaotic and stormy.
Forsselius divorce
d Haeffner in 1807, and remarried the singer Jacob Johan Fahlgren (1786–1848), a student of her husband, who had been their tenant, the year after. As many of her generation of actors and singers, she retired from both the opera and theatre after the season of 1810.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-born Swedish composer Johann Christian Friedrich Haeffner, and the actor and singer Johan Jacob Fahlgren. She belongs to the circle of actors that is often talked about and mentioned in history books as the pioneer generation of Swedish actors at the Royal Dramatic Theatre
Royal Dramatic Theatre
The Royal Dramatic Theatre is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's eight running stages....
.
Biography and career
Elisabeth Forsselius was employed at the Royal Swedish OperaRoyal Swedish Opera
Kungliga Operan is Sweden's national stage for opera and ballet.-Location and Environment:...
in 1783, and at the Ristell Theatre in Bollhuset
Bollhuset
Bollhuset, also called ', ', and ' at various times, was the name of the first theater in Stockholm, Sweden; it was the first Swedish theater and the first real theater building in the whole of Scandinavia. The name "" means "The Ball House", and it was built in 1627 for ball sports and used in...
by Ristell in 1787, which was converted in to the Royal Dramatic Theatre
Royal Dramatic Theatre
The Royal Dramatic Theatre is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's eight running stages....
in 1788. She married Haeffner the same year. Forseelius was appreciatied both as a singer within opera, and as an actress within theatre. She was considered an excellent dramatic actress particularly within comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
, and she was frequently used for so called soubrette
Soubrette
A soubrette is a female stock character in opera and theatre. The term arrived in English from Provençal via French, and means "conceited" or "coy".-Theater:...
- and boy's breeches role
Breeches role
A breeches role is a role in which an actress appears in male clothing .In opera it also refers to any male character that is sung and acted by a female singer...
s, where she was described as terrific, and continued to play teenagers until her last years at the stage.
She played Anna in Siri Brahe och Johan Gyllenstierna by Gustav III
Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....
in 1788 and 1790 and the title role of Minna von Barnhelm
Minna von Barnhelm
Minna von Barnhelm or the Soldiers' Happiness is a lustspiel or comedy by the German author Gotthold Ephraim Lessing...
by Lessing
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing was a German writer, philosopher, dramatist, publicist, and art critic, and one of the most outstanding representatives of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the development of German literature...
in 1793. Among her other parts were Sidonie in Armide
Armide (Gluck)
Armide is an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck, his fifth for the Parisian stage and the composer's own favourite among his works. It was first performed in Paris at the Académie Royale on 23 September 1777....
by Gluck
Christoph Willibald Gluck
Christoph Willibald Ritter von Gluck was an opera composer of the early classical period. After many years at the Habsburg court at Vienna, Gluck brought about the practical reform of opera's dramaturgical practices that many intellectuals had been campaigning for over the years...
in the season 1786-1787, Ismene in Elektra (by Hæffner) in 1787-1788, Delia in Les trois sultanes, a play by Favart
Charles Simon Favart
Charles Simon Favart was a French dramatist.Born in Paris, the son of a pastry-cook, he was educated at the college of Louis-le-Grand, and after his father's death he carried on the business for a time...
in 1789-1790, Weakness in Alcides inträde i världen in 1793-1794 and Armide in Renaud (both also by Hæffner) in 1800-1801, and the marchioness in Griselda by Friedrich Halms in 1809-1810.
In 1788, Forsselius became a member in the actors board of directors of the Royal Dramatic Theatre
Royal Dramatic Theatre
The Royal Dramatic Theatre is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's eight running stages....
until 1803. As a member of the board, she is, in the report of Armfelt, who observed the board meetings as a representant for the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts, described as someone who let her personal feelings towards the other members affect her votings. If this is true, she was far from the only one doing so; these sessions were reputed for and often described as chaotic and stormy.
Forsselius divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d Haeffner in 1807, and remarried the singer Jacob Johan Fahlgren (1786–1848), a student of her husband, who had been their tenant, the year after. As many of her generation of actors and singers, she retired from both the opera and theatre after the season of 1810.