Signe Amundsen
Encyclopedia
Signe Amundsen Finsland was a Norwegian opera
tic soprano
. She studied singing in her native country with the soprano Mimi Hviid before making her professional debut at the Gamle Logen in Oslo in 1920. She then pursued further voice studies in Rome with Rosina Storchia and made her Italian debut at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
in 1925 as Norina in Gaetano Donizetti
's Don Pasquale
. She was heard at that house later that year as Rosina in Gioachino Rossini's The Barber of Seville
. She was then heard in the title role of Giuseppe Verdi
's Aida
at La Scala
, and during her time in Milan studied singing further with the conductor Antonio Votto. She was soon heard at the Opéra-Comique
in Paris as Santuzza in Pietro Mascagni
's Cavalleria rusticana
. After further engagements in the French provinces, she became a member of the National Theatre, Oslo where she remained active for the rest of her career. As an educator, she was the singing teacher of Eva Gustavson
.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
. She studied singing in her native country with the soprano Mimi Hviid before making her professional debut at the Gamle Logen in Oslo in 1920. She then pursued further voice studies in Rome with Rosina Storchia and made her Italian debut at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma is an opera house in Rome, Italy. Originally opened in November 1880 as the 2,212 seat Costanzi Theatre, it has undergone several changes of name as well modifications and improvements...
in 1925 as Norina in Gaetano Donizetti
Gaetano Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. His best-known works are the operas L'elisir d'amore , Lucia di Lammermoor , and Don Pasquale , all in Italian, and the French operas La favorite and La fille du régiment...
's Don Pasquale
Don Pasquale
Don Pasquale is an opera buffa, or comic opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The librettist Giovanni Ruffini wrote the Italian language libretto after Angelo Anelli's libretto for Stefano Pavesi's Ser Marcantonio ....
. She was heard at that house later that year as Rosina in Gioachino Rossini's The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...
. She was then heard in the title role of Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
's Aida
Aida
Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
at La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
, and during her time in Milan studied singing further with the conductor Antonio Votto. She was soon heard at the Opéra-Comique
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...
in Paris as Santuzza in Pietro Mascagni
Pietro Mascagni
Pietro Antonio Stefano Mascagni was an Italian composer most noted for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece Cavalleria rusticana caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the Verismo movement in Italian dramatic music...
's Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from a play written by Giovanni Verga based on his short story. Considered one of the classic verismo operas, it premiered on May 17, 1890 at the Teatro...
. After further engagements in the French provinces, she became a member of the National Theatre, Oslo where she remained active for the rest of her career. As an educator, she was the singing teacher of Eva Gustavson
Eva Gustavson
Eva Gustavson , sometimes known as Eva Gustafson, was a Norwegian-American contralto who had an active international performance career in operas and concerts during the 1940s and 1950s...
.