Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Rosa, Carl August Nicholas
ROSA, CARL AUGUST NICHOLAS (1843–1889), musician and impresario, whose father's surname was Rose, was born at Hamburg, 22 March 1843. He began to study violin-playing under one Lindenau; at seven years of age he played a concerto by Jansa in public, and at eleven he made a concert tour. In 1859 he entered the Leipzig conservatorium, and after passing through the course there he went to Paris and gained a prize at the conservatoire. On his return to Hamburg he became a member and occasional conductor of the Philharmonic Society, and subsequently went on another tour, during which he appeared on 10 March 1866 as violin soloist at the Crystal Palace. He next went to America as conductor of Bateman's company, and there he met and married Mlle. Parepa [see Parepa-Rose]. During 1872 he spent a considerable time in Egypt.
In 1875 he formed in London, and became manager of, the Carl Rosa Opera Company, when he changed his name to Rosa, in order, it is said, to avoid confusion in pronunciation. His aim was to produce operas in English. By careful selection of his singers and his répertoire, and by attention to scenic arrangements, he raised at once the fallen fortunes of English opera. His company was formed for touring purposes, but he gave each year at least one series of representations at a leading theatre in London. On 11 Sept. 1875 he opened the Princess's Theatre, London, with a performance of Mozart's ‘Nozze di Figaro,’ and in the same season he produced Cherubini's ‘Les deux Journées.’ In the following year he took the Lyceum Theatre for a season which lasted upwards of two months, and there he achieved a triumph with Wagner's ‘Flying Dutchman,’ Santley taking the title-rôle. Rosa was at the Adelphi in 1878. In 1879 he produced ‘Rienzi’ with Schott in the leading character at Her Majesty's; in 1880, ‘Lohengrin’ and Goetz's ‘Taming of the Shrew,’ at the same theatre, and two years later ‘Tannhäuser’ was brought forward. In 1883 at Drury Lane he turned his attention to the works of British composers, and produced ‘Esmeralda’ by Goring Thomas [q. v.], and Mackenzie's ‘Colomba.’ Villiers Stanford's ‘Canterbury Pilgrims’ was the sole novelty of the following season. Between 1885 and 1887 he produced Thomas's ‘Nadeschda,’ Mackenzie's ‘Troubadour,’ and (at the Alexandra Theatre, Liverpool, of which he had become lessee) Corder's ‘Nordisa.’ In 1889 the Carl Rosa Light Opera Company was started at the Prince of Wales's Theatre with Planquette's ‘Paul Jones.’
Rosa died suddenly at the Grand Hotel, Paris, 30 April 1889, and was buried at Highgate, 6 May. He had married a second time in 1881. His opera companies were continued after his death on the lines that he had laid down.
[Times, 1 May 1889; Grove's Dict. of Music and Musicians.]