Milan Pospíšil
The institution of the prima donna in Czech opera
The role of the prima donna - the principal female singer in an opera company and the performer of leading roles - in 19th-century Prague theatres where Czech-language operas were staged, is shown through the example of three generations of singers. The very first performance of Joseph Weigl's opera Die Schweizerfamilie (1823), which was meant to show whether the Czech language was suitable for opera singing, saw the emergence of a prima donna, a necessary requirement for Czech opera to fully function at an artistic and social level. This was due to the participation of budding soloist Kateřina Kometová-Podhorská (1807-1889), who worked her way up to become one of the most potent forces in Prague opera. Her very first appearance in a Czech opera performance was accompanied by typical displays of the prima donna cult, such as turbulent emotions among the audience and the publication of panegyric poems. The Prague audience took her permanently to its heart as their prima donna, although her contracts with the Estates Theatre at the time only set out the basic range of her German and Czech performances. Eleonora z Ehrenbergů (1832-1912) held a similar position as guarantor of the quality of opera performances at the Provisional Theatre during the 1860s. With her experience at German theatres, she established herself permanently at the Provisional Czech opera company and later at the National Theatre as an excellent and indispensable interpreter of soprano coloratura parts. She retained her position as the principal coloratura singer at the Czech opera company, along with the lasting favour of the audience, despite the fact that as a friend of the conductor and theatre director Jan Nepomuk Maýr she was dragged into disputes over the management of the Czech Opera between him and Smetana together with their respective camps of supporters. Third generation prima donna Marie Sittová (1852-1907) was first engaged in the Czech theatre as the principal dramatic singer. Thanks to her vocal abilities, she also achieved coloratura status, which she took over completely after Eleonora z Ehrenbergů left the scene. Only once did Sittová come into conflict with some of the public and the press. She refused to perform in the Smetana opera The Kiss, as she was protesting against the theatre's management, which had allowed the English singer Emilie Chiomi to make a guest appearance in the full 1877 season. This deprived Sittová of the opportunity to sing more frequently and to compete with her for major global repertoire roles. Privileges in later contracts testify to Sittová's unassailable position and to the directorate's extraordinary interest in keeping her in Czech opera. All three singers came to be Czech opera prima donnas through their own choice. Although they were the highest paid artistes, they would have been paid far more at German theatres. They were of vital importance to Czech opera in Prague and more than anything else they were of a rare talent.
Keywords: Kateřina Kometová-Podhorská (Katharina Comet-Podhorsky) – Eleonora z Ehrenbergů – Marie Sittová - prima donna – 19th century Czech opera – theatres in Prague
design by Bedřich Vémola
