Corona Schröter
By Anton Graff
The German singer, actress, and composer Corona Schröter (1751-1802) captivated Leipzig audiences beginning in 1765 with her appearances in J.A. Hiller’s Grand Concerts. Her admirers noted her purity of vocal tone and her emotional delivery, characteristics that also helped her succeed as an actress. H. Schmid and J.G. Dyck dedicated their 1775 Chronologie des deutschen Theaters to her, and the following year, Goethe arranged her appointment as chamber musician to Duchess Anna Amalia of Saxe-Weimar. In her role at court, she performed in many of Goethe’s early dramas, even acting alongside him in the amateur court theater. Additionally, she composed the music and premiered the title role in his Singspiel Die Fischerin in 1782. Goethe publicly acknowledged Schröter’s profound influence on his own dramatic development, thereby bringing her even more significant renown.
Schröter began singing in informal salons in 1783, where she also taught singing and acting and worked on her own poetry and paintings. By 1788, she was no longer working at the court, but continued to compose, including poetry by Schiller. Her compositional output includes two collections of lieder (1786 and 1794).
Resources
Sources
Citron, Marcia J. “Women and the Lied, 1775-1850.” In Women Making Music, edited by Jane Bowers and Judith Tick. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1986.
Kidd, Ronald R. “Schröter family.” Grove Music Online. 2001.
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