Jeanette Wässelius

Marie Jeanette Wässelius, commonly known as "Wässelia" or "Mamsell Wässelia", (Stockholm, 23 August 1784–5 December 1853, Stockholm), was a Swedish opera singer and actress, the leading prima donna of the Swedish Opera during the Napoleon age in the first decades of the 19th century and sister of the international opera star Justina Casagli. She was an associé of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.

Biography and career

Jeanette Wässelius was born in Stockholm; her father worked as a tapestry manufacturer. She was accepted as a student at the Royal Swedish Opera in 1794 at the age of ten, and from this date active as a child actor in the plays directed by Anne Marie Milan Desguillons in Dramatens elevskola and in smaller roles at the main productions.

She was given a contract and appointed premier actress in 1800, after which she rosed to be considered as one of the most promising within her field and as the successor of the prima donna Caroline Frederikke Müller. During the closure of the Opera in 1806, she was employed at the Royal Dramatic Theatre, which was no problem for her, as she was fully capable also as a dramatic actor in talking parts; she was said to unite a good singing voice with an equally good talent as an actor at the dramatic stage, and when the Opera was opened again in 1809, she took the place as the leading lady at the operatic stage, just as Carolina Kuhlman was the leadig lady of the dramatic stage. She was appointed court singer in 1815 and elected as an associé to the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 1817.

Wässelia retired in 1820 with a full royal pension from the state. Henriette Widerberg explains the circumstances of the retirement of Wässelia; in 1820, Wässelia was on the peak of her ability, and there was to have been no other grounds for her dismissal than an intrigue staged by actor and singer Edouard du Puy, with whom she was involved in a conflict and who was at the time prefekt of the opera stage - this statement also comes from Widerberg, who replaced her as the leading prima donna of the stage. Wässelia was never married. The sister of Wässelia, the ten years younger Justina Casagli, entered the theatre school ten years later and was to be famous in all Europe.

Repertoire

Initially, she was noted in easy going operettas. Her most noted parts where the interpretations of Armide by Gluck, Laura in Slottet Montenero (Palace Montenero) by Dalayrac, Sophie in Sargines by Paer, Antigone in Oedipe uti Athen (Oidipus in Athens) by Sacchini, Constance in Vattendragaren (The water bearer) by Cherubini and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet composed by Steibelt oposite Karl Gustaf Lindström, (1814-15 season) and Iphigenie by Gluck. In 1809, she was commended for her "appealing modesty and naive love" in Kalifen i Bagdad (Caliph of Bagdad) by Boieldieus opposite Gustav Åbergsson and Inga Åberg on the recently reopened Opera. She made a success in the main part of Iphigenie i Aulide by Gluck in the benefitperformance of Elisabeth Forsselius, who played Clytamnestra (1810); she played the protective angel of Sweden in Gustav Vasa by Gustav III and "did remarkably well" in Fästmännerna (The fiancees) oposite Inga Åberg.

Among her other parts where Lisette in Musikvurmen (Music craze) by Grenier the 1796-97 season, Melisse in Renaud by Haeffner, (1800-01), Lina in Operacomiquen (Opera Comique) by Della Maria (1803-04), Amelina in Léhéman by Dalayrac (1804-05), Madame de Villeroux in Herr des Chalumeaux by Gaveaux (1807-08), Elise in En timmas äktenskap (One hour marriage) by Dalayrac (1808-09), Clorinde in Nicolas Isouard's Cendrillon opposite Elisabeth Frösslind (1810-11), Emilie in De gifta ungkarlarna (The married bachelors) by Berton (1812-23), Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail by Mozart and Mathilda in Joconde (1819-20).

In 1814, she performed a cantata opposite Christoffer Christian Karsten at a grand ball, which was held in the royal palace in Stockholm to celebrate the new union between Sweden and Norway.

Assessment

Her voice was described as a colourful and versatile, her dramatic talent as "mute" but "admirably expressive", her conduct pleasant and it was said that she only needed to be taller to be a perfect heroine and queen. In the press, however, she was sometimes caricatured and called "Miss Cucumber" because of her flat figure, which was only more highlighted by the fashion of the Empire silhouette of the time. "Wässelia", as she was often called, was highly regarded by the direction because of her professional moral; according to Löwenhjelm, she allowed neither health nor personal feelings ever effect her work.

References

• [[1]]Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon (Swedish biographical dictionary) 1906 Template:Sv icon
• Georg Nordensvan: Svensk teater och svenska skådespelare från Gustav III till våra dagar. Första bandet 1772-1842 (Swedish theatre and Swedish actors from Gustav III to our days 1772-1842) (1917) Template:Sv icon
• "Kungliga teaterns repertoar 1773-1973" (The repertoire of the royal theatre) 1974 Template:Sv icon
• Carin Österberg: "Svenska kvinnor: Föregångare, nyskapare" (Swedish women: Predecessors, pioneers) 1990 Template:Sv icon
• Nils Bohman: "Svenska män och kvinnor. Book 2" (Swedish men and women. Dictionary) Template:Sv icon
• Cecilia af Klercker (översättning och redigering) (1942). Hedvig Elisabeth Charlottas dagbok IX (The diaries of Hedvig Elizabeth Charlotte IX). P.A. Norstedt & Söners förlag. ISBN 412070.
• Minne af Kongl. Dramatiska Teatern med en Repertoire (To the memory of the royal dramatic thetre with a repertoire) Template:Sv icon