Augusta Sophie Wilhelmine Lütken née Schou (1855â€"1910) was a
Danish operatic soprano who, despite her lack of formal schooling,
became one of her country's most popular singers in the nine short
years she performed at Copenhagen's Royal Danish Theatre. As a result
of poor health, she was forced to retire in 1885 although she returned
to make a few appearances in the 1890s.Born on 5 October 1855 in
Copenhagen, Augusta Sophie Wilhelmine Schou was the daughter of Jens
August Hammerich (1820â€"97) and Sophie Frederikke Iversen
(1822â€"76). At the time of her birth, her mother was called Schou as
the result of her previous marriage. On 6 August 1880, Augusta Schou
married the naval officer Otto George Lütken (1849â€"1906). She had
three children: Ellen (1881), Otto (1882) and George (1883).After
training under Carl Helsted (1818â€"1904), Lütken made her début at
the Royal Theatre in 1876 as Vilhelmine in Édouard Du Puy's Youth and
Folly (Ungdom og Galskap). Exhibiting an unusually high and clear
soprano delivery, she immediately attracted attention. The tall,
slender blonde impressed her audiences even more as the Queen of the
Night in The Magic Flute, as Zerlina in Don Giovanni and as Susanna in
The Marriage of Figaro. While she had a fine natural singing voice,
she was less gifted as an actress. As a result of her limitied
schooling, her performances in London and Stockholm were not well
received. By contrast, in Copenhagen she continued to please her
audiences with coloratura performances of Gilda in Rigoletto and Marie
in Donizetti's La fille du régiment.As early as 1885, she had to
retire as a result of problems with her legs. In the 1990s, she made a
few guest appearances including Venus in Tannhäuser and Isabella in
Meyerbeer's Robert le diable but her voice was no longer what it had
been and she appeared to have lost her good humour.
Danish operatic soprano who, despite her lack of formal schooling,
became one of her country's most popular singers in the nine short
years she performed at Copenhagen's Royal Danish Theatre. As a result
of poor health, she was forced to retire in 1885 although she returned
to make a few appearances in the 1890s.Born on 5 October 1855 in
Copenhagen, Augusta Sophie Wilhelmine Schou was the daughter of Jens
August Hammerich (1820â€"97) and Sophie Frederikke Iversen
(1822â€"76). At the time of her birth, her mother was called Schou as
the result of her previous marriage. On 6 August 1880, Augusta Schou
married the naval officer Otto George Lütken (1849â€"1906). She had
three children: Ellen (1881), Otto (1882) and George (1883).After
training under Carl Helsted (1818â€"1904), Lütken made her début at
the Royal Theatre in 1876 as Vilhelmine in Édouard Du Puy's Youth and
Folly (Ungdom og Galskap). Exhibiting an unusually high and clear
soprano delivery, she immediately attracted attention. The tall,
slender blonde impressed her audiences even more as the Queen of the
Night in The Magic Flute, as Zerlina in Don Giovanni and as Susanna in
The Marriage of Figaro. While she had a fine natural singing voice,
she was less gifted as an actress. As a result of her limitied
schooling, her performances in London and Stockholm were not well
received. By contrast, in Copenhagen she continued to please her
audiences with coloratura performances of Gilda in Rigoletto and Marie
in Donizetti's La fille du régiment.As early as 1885, she had to
retire as a result of problems with her legs. In the 1990s, she made a
few guest appearances including Venus in Tannhäuser and Isabella in
Meyerbeer's Robert le diable but her voice was no longer what it had
been and she appeared to have lost her good humour.
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