Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Lind-Goldschmidt, Jenny

LIND-GOLDSCHMIDT, Jenny, vocalist, b. in Stockholm, Sweden, 6 Oct., 1821; d. in London, 2 Nov., 1887. She early manifested musical ability, and at the age of seventeen appeared on the operatic stage in her native city. After a thorough training with eminent masters she began her musical career, appearing with remarkable success in the capitals of Europe. Paris remained the one exception. In 1849 Jenny Lind came to this country, under the management of Phineas T. Barnum, for an extended concert tour in our large cities. Under this arrangement 95 concerts were given, for which the receipts amounted to $712,000, her share being $176,000. In 1851 she was married in Boston to Otto Goldschmidt, a composer and pianist, and soon afterward went to Europe, where she has appeared only occasionally in concerts and oratorios. For many years she has lived in retirement in London, and is well known for her private charities and Christian character. Her voice had power, sweetness, flexibility, and the extreme range of high soprano, combined with purity of intonation And musical sensibility. Her ornamentation was remarkable for variety and originality, and she was unrivalled in the management of very soft passages. The “Swedish Nightingale” continued her intercourse to the last with many New-World friends, and to the writer said, “I shall never cease to love America and the Americans, for there I spent some of my happiest days.” She suffered a stroke of paralysis 29 Sept., 1887, from which there was no hope of her recovery.