Gertrud Elisabeth Mara

Gertrud Elisabeth Mara (born Feb. 23, 1749, Kassel, Landgraviate Hesse-Kassel [Germany]—died Jan. 20, 1833, Revel [now Tallinn], Estonia, Russian Empire) was a German soprano of great technical ability, who was one of the few non-Italians of the time to gain a great international reputation. A child prodigy, Schmeling gave violin recitals accompanied by her father, a violin maker, in Vienna and London, where at the age of 10 she played for the queen. At the...