Geistinger, Marie (actually, Maria Char-lotte Cäcilia)

Geistinger, Marie (actually, Maria Char-lotte Cäcilia), noted Austrian soprano; b. Graz, July 26, 1836; d. Klagenfurt, Sept. 30, 1903. She appeared on the stage while still a child. At 16, she sang the title role in Die falsche Pepita in Vienna. After singing in Berlin, Hamburg, Riga, and again in Berlin in juvenile comedy roles, she returned to Vienna in 1865 to sing the title role in Offenbach’s La Belle Helene at the Theater an der Wien. During the following decade, she sang there regularly and acquired the status of queen of the Vienna musical theater. She became particularly well known for her roles in Offenbach’s works, but also was acclaimed as Fantasca in Johann Strauss’s Indigo und die vierzig Rauber in 1871. In 1874 she created the role of Rosalinde in Strauss’s Die Fledermaus. In 1877 she was seen in dramatic roles at the Vienna Stadttheater. After appearances in Leipzig (1877–79), she returned to Vienna’s Theater an der Wien. In 1881 she made her U.S. debut as Offenbach’s Grande-Duchess in N.Y., subsequently star-ring in various productions there and in other cities. In 1884 she returned to Vienna and appeared at the CarItheater. She also had guest engagements in other Austrian and German music centers. In 1891, 1896, and 1899 she made return visits to the U.S. She retired from the stage in 1900.

Bibliography

E. Pirchan, M. G. (Vienna, 1947).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire