Sophia Corri

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Sophia Giustina Corri

Sophia Giustina Corri , also Sophia Corri-Dussek , Sophia Corri-Dusík , and Sophia Dussek-Moralt , ( May 1, 1775 in Edinburgh - after 1828 probably in London ) was a singer , pianist , harpist and composer . She was the daughter of Domenico Corri , the wife of Jan Ladislav Dussek and John Avis Moralt , the daughter-in-law of Adam Moralt and the mother of Olivia Dussek , all of whom were musically active.

life and work

Sophia Corri was the daughter of the Italian composer, impresario , music publisher and singing teacher Domenico Corri (1746-1825). She received singing lessons from her father, who let her perform at an early age. Three younger brothers also embarked on a musical career - Montague Philip (around 1784–1849) and Philip Anthony (around 1784–1832) were composers, Haydn (1785–1860) became composers and singers. Her uncle Natale Corri (1765–1822) was also a composer, whose daughter Fanny Corri-Paltoni was a celebrated soprano in Europe with Mozart and Rossini roles from 1818 to 1835.

In 1788 the family moved from Edinburgh to London, where Sophia Corri continued her singing studies with Luigi Marchesi , Giuseppe Viganoni and Giambattista Cimador . In 1791 she made her successful debut as a singer in a Salomon concert , conducted by Joseph Haydn on the harpsichord. She then sang regularly in this series of concerts, including on February 24, 1792 in the world premiere of Haydn's madrigal The Storm (Hob. XXIVa: 8). Later she would also play an important role in Mozart's reception , for example as a soloist in the London premiere of his Requiem on February 20, 1801 at the Covent Garden Theater as part of John James Ashley's Lenten Oratorios .

Jan Ladislav Dussek,
her first husband

In 1792 she married the Bohemian pianist and composer Jan Ladislav Dussek , with whom she had taken lessons and with whom she performed in several concerts, where she sang, played the piano and the harp. Dussek entered the music publishing and music business of his father-in-law Domenico Corri in 1794 , which he founded in 1779 in Edinburgh. The company was then Corri, Dussek & Co . Sophia Corri's husband was also in close contact with the English piano manufacturer John Broadwood, and between 1789 and 1794 he had him expand the key range of the Broadwood instrument keyboard from 5 to 5½, then to 6 octaves, and to emphasize the robustness of the instruments.

The couple had a daughter Olivia Francisca , born around 1799. She would later also become a pianist, harpist and composer. Around the time of Olivia's birth, bankruptcy threatened the existence of the Corris and Dusseks. The married couple also became estranged. Hussek left London and his family in a hurry to go to Hamburg for fear of the judiciary. Father Corri was arrested. The couple continued to correspond for some time, but the correspondence also broke down over the years. Dussek never saw his wife and daughter again; he died in St. Germain-en-Laye in 1812 .

Sophia Corri sang and played in numerous concerts, composed sonatas, rondos, variations and numerous arrangements for piano and harp. Over time, some of the composer's works have been mistakenly or deliberately ascribed to others. For example, the popular C minor sonata, one of the six sonatas of Op. 2, was correctly published in three editions in London (through the joint venture between father and husband) with the author's note Madame Dussek . Schott in Mainz wrongly attributed the work to her husband, the Pleyel edition from Paris only mentioned the family name, probably on purpose, since Sophia's husband was much more prominent and his name promised better sales. The misassignments continued well into the 20th century, when the famous Spanish harpist Nicanor Zabaleta also assigned the work to the husband. In 1808 she appeared on the stage of the King's Theater in London and sang under the name Sophia Dussek in operas by Giovanni Paisiello , Valentino Fioravanti , Sebastiano Nasolini and Giuseppe Sarti .

After the death of her first husband in France, she married the violist John Alvis Moralt . The couple lived in Paddington , where Sophia Corri opened a music school. There are contradicting information about the place and time of her death, see below under Notes. The second husband and daughter both died in 1847.

Compositions

For keyboard instruments:

  • Sonata for pianoforte with violin or flute, Op. 1
  • 3 Sonatas for harpsichord with violin, Op. 1
  • Sonata for pianoforte

For the harp:

  • 3 Sonatas with Scots Airs and Reels for the Adagios & Rondos, Op. 2: B-flat, G, C minor
  • 3 Sonatas with Scots Airs and Reels for the Adagios & Rondos, Op. 2: E-flat, F, C
  • 6 Sonatas: C, F, G, B-flat, F, E, formerly attributed to Jan Ladislav Dussek
  • A French air with variations
  • C'est l'amour: A 3rd French air with variations
  • Introduction and March
  • Variations on God Save the King
  • La Chasse: An original rondo
  • and at least seven movements of Favorite Airs, some with flute or violin ad libitum
  • and a number of arrangements

For harp and piano:

  • duet
  • Introduction and Waltz
  • as well as arrangements

literature

Discography

  • Dussek, Jan Ladislav & Sophia: Harp sonatas by Kyunghee Kim-Sutre (Sonarti records, 2013, RT01)

Web links

Commons : Sophia Corri-Dussek  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Hints

  • The date of death of the artist is given by Grove Music Online and by Deutsche Biographie as "1847". However, MGG and Kutsch / Riemens write of their death "after 1828", the DNB mentions 1830, and the library of Congress authority data entry cites a source according to which the information in 1847 is based on a mix-up with their daughter Olivia. The Spanish and English Wikipedia name "approx. 1831 “and express doubts about the year of death 1847 - with reference to the fact that the artist's second husband, John Avis Moralt, died that year, that there is no death certificate for the singer and that there could be a mix-up. The Bavarian Musicians' Lexicon Online gives “24. December 1847 in London ”, which, however, corresponds to the information for the daughter Olivia Dussek. The date of death of Sophia Corri widowed Dusík and married Moralt is therefore not definitely guaranteed.
  • Occasionally the artist is confused with the Prague soprano Josepha Duschk (1754–1824), who was married to the Bohemian composer František Xaver Dušek (1731–1799), German: Franz Xaver Duschk .
personal data
SURNAME Corri, Sophia
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Corri, Sophia Giustina (maiden name); Corri-Dušik, Sophia; Corri-Dussek, Sophia; Dussek-Moralt, Sophia
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Singer, pianist, harpist and composer based in the UK
DATE OF BIRTH May 1, 1775
PLACE OF BIRTH Edinburgh
DATE OF DEATH after 1828
Place of death unsure: London