A Cyclopaedia of Female Biography/Kirchgessner, Marianne
KIRCHGESSNER, MARIANNE,
Was born, 1770, at Bruchsal. The loss of her eye-sight, in her fourth year, by the small-pox, seemed rather to have augmented than lessened her talent for music. In the sixth year of her age, she astonished her auditors by her execution on the piano. Taught by Schmittbaur, in Carlsruhe, she made the most extraordinary progress. In company with Mr. Bassler (her biographer,) she travelled, in her tenth year, over Germany, where she received everywhere great applause; and, 1794, she went to London. Her abode there, of three years, besides the perfecting of her art, was useful to her on account of her eye-sight having become partly restored. In November, 1796, she visited Copenhagen, and went from thence to St. Petersburg; and after having gained just approbation and well-merited reward in all these places, she chose the beautiful village of Gahles, near Leipsic, for her dwelling-place. She remained there until 1807, in the society of her friend, Mr. Bassler, when she intended to go back to her native country; but at Schaffhausen she had a violent attack of fever, of which she died, on the 9th. of December, in her thirty-eighth year.