Paula Menotti
Paula Menotti , known as the Gigerlkönigin (* around 1870 in Graz ; † April 17, 1939 in Baden , Lower Austria ; born Paula Heuberger , married Manois ), was an Austrian singer in the 1890s.
The daughter from a middle-class family ran away to Vienna at the age of 16 to become an actress. The parents succeeded in getting her back with the help of the police, but a second attempt to break away was successful and she fled to Russia, where she met an impresario who went to London with her. In England she should have completed her training as an "eccentric singer". After returning to continental Europe, she sang in Berlin and also in the Viennese establishment Ronacher .
Her greatest success in 1894 was the Rhinelander “Die Gigerlkönigin”, which was also published as a record by Hymnophon in 1897 and composed by Paul Lincke (according to other readings, but originating from London ) , in which she celebrated herself as it were:
- “I always dress according to the latest style
- move me in the salon
- I invent new fashions, what I wear is chic
- you can see it at first glance "
The refrain read:
- “Just look at me, please
- this elegant step
- Everyone sees who I am right away
- the Gigerlkönigin "
Gigerl is an old Viennese expression for a particularly fashion-conscious person.
On the occasion of her appearances, Paula Menotti used to exhibit her jewelry publicly and dedicate the proceeds to social causes. At a charity event in Vienna, she is said to have sold a kiss for 1000 guilders .
In 1912 Menotti commissioned the architect Karl Köhler with the construction of a representative Art Nouveau villa at Kaiser-Franz-Ring 13 in Baden near Vienna that still exists today ; the construction work was in the hands of August Amberger. The Baden sculptor Karl Vock designed the stucco work. Menotti moved into the villa before the First World War and lived there in seclusion until her death.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Menotti, Paula |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | The Gigerl Queen; Heuberger, Paula (maiden name); Manois, Paula |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Austrian singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1870 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Graz |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 17, 1939 |
| Place of death | Baden (Lower Austria) |