Sophia Corriaus classic

Sophia Giustina Corri

Life

Sophia Corri was the daughter of the Italian composer, impresario, music publisher and singing teacher Domenico Corri (1746-1825). She received singing lessons from her father, who had her perform at an early age. Three younger brothers also embarked on musical careers – Montague Philip (around 1784-1849) and Philip Anthony (around 1784-1832) became composers, Haydn (1785-1860) a composer and singer. Her uncle Natale Corri (1765-1822) was also a composer, and his daughter Fanny Corri-Paltoni became a celebrated soprano throughout Europe with Mozart and Rossini roles between 1818 and 1835.

In 1788, the family moved from Edinburgh to London, where Sophia Corri continued her vocal studies with Luigi Marchesi, Giuseppe Viganoni and Giambattista Cimador. In 1791 she made her successful debut as a singer in a Salomon concert, conducted by Joseph Haydn on the harpsichord. She then sang regularly in this concert series, including on 24 February 1792 in the premiere of Haydn’s madrigal The Storm (Hob. XXIVa:8). She would later also play an important role in Mozart’s reception, for example as a soloist in the London premiere of his Requiem on 20 February 1801 at the Covent Garden Theatre as part of John James Ashley’s Lenten Oratorios.

In 1792, she married the Bohemian-born pianist and composer Jan Ladislav Dussek, with whom she had taken lessons and with whom she performed in several concerts, singing as well as playing the piano and harp. In 1794, Dussek joined his father-in-law Domenico Corri’s music publishing house and music trade, which he had founded in Edinburgh in 1779. The company was then called Corri, Dussek & Co. Sophia Corri’s husband also maintained close contact with the English piano manufacturer John Broadwood and, between 1789 and 1794, persuaded him to increase the keyboard range of the Broadwood instruments, first from 5 to 5½ and then to 6 octaves, and to emphasise the robustness of the instruments.

The couple had a daughter, Olivia Francisca Dussek, born around 1799, who would later also become a pianist, harpist and composer. Around the time of Olivia’s birth, bankruptcy threatened the existence of the Corris and Dusseks. The couple also became estranged. Husband Dussek left London and his family for Hamburg in a hurry for fear of the law. Father Corri was imprisoned. The couple continued to correspond for some time, but the correspondence also broke off over the years. Dussek never saw his wife and daughter again; he died in St Germain-en-Laye in 1812.

Sophia Corri sang and played in numerous concerts, composed sonatas, rondos, variations and numerous arrangements for piano and harp. In the course of time, some of the composer’s works were attributed to others, either by mistake or on purpose. For example, the popular Sonata in C minor, one of the six sonatas of op. 2, was correctly published in the three editions in London (by the joint enterprise of father and husband) with the author’s note Madame Dussek. Schott in Mainz wrongly attributed the work to her husband, the Pleyel edition from Paris only mentioned the family name, presumably on purpose, as Sophia’s husband was much more prominent and his name promised better sales. The misattributions continued well into the 20th century, when the famous Spanish harpist Nicanor Zabaleta also attributed the work to her husband. In 1808, she appeared on the stage of the King’s Theatre in London and sang under the name Sophia Dussek in operas by Giovanni Paisiello, Valentino Fioravanti, Sebastiano Nasolini and Giuseppe Sarti.

After the death of her first husband in France, she married the violist John Alvis Moralt. The couple lived in Paddington, where Sophia Corri opened a music school. There is conflicting information about the place and time of her death, see below under Notes. The second husband and daughter both died in 1847.

Source Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophia_Dussek