Recital Singer, Folk Figure. A well-known mezzo soprano of her day, she is better remembered as the first wife and operatic muse of Johann Strauss II. Drawn to music early, she studied in Vienna, taking her mother's maiden name for the stage. Jetty made her professional bow in 1837 at the Theater am Karntnertor, then had engagements at the Court Theaters of both Leipiz and Dresden between 1839 and 1841. From 1844 to 1848, she was a regular at Theater in der Josefstadt and at Theater an der Wien, while also singing in France, though Jetty was to find her greatest acclaim from a series of 1849 London concerts in which she appeared with the elder Johann Strauss. From 1843 to 1852, she bore seven illegitimate children, at least some by wealthy banker and socialite Moritz Todesco with whom she lived between 1843 and 1862. Around early 1862, Jetty met Johann Strauss II at one of Todesco's parties, though it is possible they had been introduced some time previously; a romance ensued, and the pair married on August 27, 1862, in the face of much protest from Strauss' family and friends. (There were even rumors of an earlier dallience with the groom's father). Fears were rapidly quieted as Jetty took charge of her husband's musical and financial affairs, leading to a rise in his fortunes, and an increase in both the quantity and quality of his compositions. Jetty was to guide Strauss in the direction of opera and operetta, resulting in his best known piece, "Die Fledermaus" (1874). Afflicted with increasing ill health, Jetty died of a heart attack, reportedly after reading an upsetting letter from one of her children; her husband was to remarry within two months.
Recital Singer, Folk Figure. A well-known mezzo soprano of her day, she is better remembered as the first wife and operatic muse of Johann Strauss II. Drawn to music early, she studied in Vienna, taking her mother's maiden name for the stage. Jetty made her professional bow in 1837 at the Theater am Karntnertor, then had engagements at the Court Theaters of both Leipiz and Dresden between 1839 and 1841. From 1844 to 1848, she was a regular at Theater in der Josefstadt and at Theater an der Wien, while also singing in France, though Jetty was to find her greatest acclaim from a series of 1849 London concerts in which she appeared with the elder Johann Strauss. From 1843 to 1852, she bore seven illegitimate children, at least some by wealthy banker and socialite Moritz Todesco with whom she lived between 1843 and 1862. Around early 1862, Jetty met Johann Strauss II at one of Todesco's parties, though it is possible they had been introduced some time previously; a romance ensued, and the pair married on August 27, 1862, in the face of much protest from Strauss' family and friends. (There were even rumors of an earlier dallience with the groom's father). Fears were rapidly quieted as Jetty took charge of her husband's musical and financial affairs, leading to a rise in his fortunes, and an increase in both the quantity and quality of his compositions. Jetty was to guide Strauss in the direction of opera and operetta, resulting in his best known piece, "Die Fledermaus" (1874). Afflicted with increasing ill health, Jetty died of a heart attack, reportedly after reading an upsetting letter from one of her children; her husband was to remarry within two months.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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Hofopernsaengerin
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