Born: 15 February 1858, Poland
Died: 11 January 1935
Country most active: International
Also known as: Prakseda Marcelina Kochanska
The following is excerpted from Famous Women: An Outline of Feminine Achievement Through the Ages With Life Stories of Five Hundred Noted Women, written by Joseph Adelman, published 1926 by Ellis M Lonow Company.
Marcella Sembrich, an operatic soprano, born in a small Polish town in Galicia. Her real name was Kadanska, and her father, from whom she received her first instruction, was a teacher of the violin and piano. At a very early age she was a talented performer on both instruments, long before it was discovered that she was the possessor of a voice.
She began her operatic career in 1877, and soon became one of the most popular sopranos of Europe. Later she visited the United States and for a number of years was one of the favorite artists at the Metropolitan Opera House, where her Rosina in The Barber of Seville was especially admired.
Her voice is of great limpid purity, very brilliant in the upper register, and she possessed remarkable coloratura facility.
During the World War in 1914 – 1918, Mme. Sembrich devoted herself to the cause of Poland and the Allies, and rendered valuable service.
The following is excerpted from A Dictionary of Music and Musicians, published in 1900 and edited by George Grove.
SEMBRICH, Marzella, born 1858 at Lemberg, Galicia, was taught music by her father, and played in public both piano and violin at the age of twelve; she afterwards received further instruction on these instruments from Stengel (to whom she is now married), and Bruckmann, both professors at Lemberg. She then went to Vienna, for completion of her studies under Liszt, but discovering herself to be the possessor of a fine voice, determined to attempt a vocal career, and for that purpose studied singing at Milan under Lamperti the younger (at present professor at the Conservatorium, Dresden). On June 3, 1877, she made her début at Athens as Elvira in ‘I Puritani,’ and was highly successful there for two months in that, and as Lucia and Dinorah. She returned to Vienna, studied the German repertoire under Professor Levy, and in Oct. 1878 made a highly successful début at Dresden as Lucia. She remained there until the spring of 1880, becoming well known for her performances of Zerlina, Susanna, and Constance, of Mozart, the heroines in Flotow’s Martha and Stradella, of Gilda, Amina, etc. She sang at the Lower Rhine Musical Festival of 1880; and June 12 of the same year made her first appearance in England at the Royal Italian Opera as Lucia, and was greatly successful in that, Amina, and Margaret of Valois. She returned there for the seasons 1881–82, playing for the first time in England Dinorah, and Constance in the revival of Mozart’s ‘Entführung.’ She has also sung at Milan, Vienna, Warsaw, St. Petersburg, Moscow, etc., and during her engagements abroad has occasionally played with great success in the twofold capacity of pianist and violinist. Madame Sembrich’s voice is about 2½ octaves in compass, viz. from the lower C to F in alt, and is very brilliant in the upper register; she also possesses considerable powers of execution.