Ladda ner (PDF) - Statens musikverk

A letter to her mother tells about that. 4 In her life there was also a desire
to have a family – her own childhood was not very happy and she missed
having a family. She had fallen in love with Felix Mendelssohn, but
he was unapproachable since he was married already. We have a lively
description of this in a diary written by Jenny Lind’s accompanying lady
Louise Johansson. 5
She tells how Jenny and Mendelssohn both performed in a concert
where Mendelssohn played a piece he had written himself and
which was very much appreciated. Twelve days later, on December
17, Jenny sends him a letter and Louise is very worried how this
will affect Mendelssonhn’s family. “Poor wife and children!” she says.
Further, in March 1846 Jenny sung at a concert for the poor and that
afternoon she twisted her ancle. Although ordered by the doctor to rest
with cold compresses she instead stood for the whole evening and the
next day she needed bloodletting treatment with leeches and was ordered
to rest for 14 days.
This evening Felix Mendelssohn was at Vickman’s where also Jenny stayed
for dinner. 6 That is why Jenny was standing up the whole evening (p.39 in
the diary). So it seams clear that Jenny had a crush on Mendelssohn.
Jenny herself did not know that Louise kept this diary which revealed
so much about her private life. 7 A final remark — what does the dog to
the right do in the picture? It is difficult to say. During the renaissance it
used to symbolize faithfullness, but during the 1800’s I am not so sure...
However, I do know that Jenny Lind had several dogs during her life, one
of which she was given by Queen Victoria.
Our next example is a group portrait. Here the presence of music lets
us know that someone has an interest in music. For a long time it was
important to show interests that were really the “musts” of their time.
Being interested in culture was one of these and representing music was
part of such a message. We also touch upon the symbolic meaning of
music, namely harmony, when looking at a picture of a family gathering
around an instrument.
4 See the letter from Jenny to her mother, written in Berlin February
2 nd , 1845, where she describes how homesick and tired she is and
that she wants to leave the theatre and that she has difficulties with
all the fuss around her. The letter belongs to the letter collections of
the Music and Theatre Library of Sweden.
5 Louise Johansson, nine years older than Jenny, had partly grown up
together with her. In Jenny’s household she started as a paying guest
but gradually became more of a housekeeper.
6 Louise must refer to the sculpturer Wichman – they stayed at his place
when visiting Berlin 1845 and this was also where Jenny first met
Felix Mendelssohn.
7 Two diaries by Louise Johansson exist – one in the Music and Theatre
Library of Sweden and the other in the Uppsala University Library. The
handwriting is difficult to read and so is the spelling. The diaries have
been published: Åke Davidsson, Resa med Jenny Lind: Sällskaps-
damen Louise Johanssons dagböcker. Uppsala, 1986.
27