Open Features: Marya Freund
Peter Wintersgill outlines the life of Marya Freund, one of the first to sing 12-note works.
Born
1876 in Breslau
Adolescence
Began as violin student at Sarasate, but switched to singing, studying under Stockhausen.
Adult Life
Her debut was in 1909. She concentrated on contemporary composers, and was one of the first to sing 12-note works. She created the role of the Wood Dove in Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder in 1913 and was the speaker in the first French and English performances of Pierrott Linacre. She sang in new works by Satie, Bloch Milhaud, Szymanovski and Poulenc.
She was a teacher in Paris for over 30 years.
She died in 1966 in Paris, aged 90.
