Isabella Offenbach Maas
Isabella Offenbach Maas (March 11, 1817 – February 19, 1891) was an opera singer, pianist and the older sister of Jacques Offenbach.[1] She was born in Cologne, Germany and is known for bringing the opera to Galveston, Texas.
Early life and education[edit]
Isabella was one of ten children of Isaac Juda Offenbach, né Eberst (1779–1850) and his wife Marianne, née Rindskopf (c. 1783–1840).[2] Isaac, who came from a musical family, had abandoned his original trade as a bookbinder and earned an itinerant living as a cantor in synagogues and playing the violin in cafés.[3] He was generally known as "der Offenbacher", after his native town, Offenbach am Main, and in 1808 he officially adopted Offenbach as a surname.[n 1] In 1816 he settled in Cologne, where he became established as a teacher, giving lessons in singing, violin, flute, and guitar, and composing both religious and secular music.[5]
Isabella played piano in a trio with her brothers Jacob (Jacques) cello, and Julius (violin). They performed popular dance music and operatic arrangements at local dance halls, inns and cafés.[6]
Biography[edit]
Maas met her husband, Samuel Maas, during one of her European tours and they were married in Cologne in 1844.[7] Maas and her husband moved to Galveston, her husband's home town, that same year.[8]
Maas's son, Max, built a stage in his home for his mother to perform.[7]
After their fourth child, the couple separated and Maas moved into her daughter's home, living there for nearly 40 years.[7] The home at 1727 Sealy Avenue in Galveston has a Texas State Historical Marker.[7] The house was built in 1886 on the site of another house which had burned down in 1885.[9]
The Galveston Daily News posted that she was "dangerously ill" on February 19, 1891.[10] She died that day.
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Ornish, Natalie (27 April 2016). "Maas, Isabella Offenbach". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- ^ Faris, p. 14
- ^ Faris, p. 17
- ^ Gammond, p. 13, Almeida, p. ix, and Yon, p. 10
- ^ "Offenbach", by Peter Gammond, Omnibus Press, 1980, p. 15
- ^ Faris, p. 18
- ^ a b c d Maca, Kathleen Shanahan (2015). Galveston's Broadway Cemeteries. Arcadia Publishing. p. 101. ISBN 9781467133432.
- ^ Weiner, Hollace Ava (September 1997). "The Mixers: The Role of Rabbis Deep in the Heart of Texas". American Jewish History. 85 (3): 302. doi:10.1353/ajh.1997.0027. S2CID 159977513. Retrieved 3 June 2016 – via Project MUSE.
- ^ Weber, Betsy (17 February 1985). "New Bed and Breakfast Inn is Ready to Open". The Galveston Daily News. Retrieved 3 June 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Personal". The Galveston Daily News. 19 February 1891. Retrieved 3 June 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
Sources[edit]
- Faris, Alexander (1980). Jacques Offenbach. London: Faber & Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-11147-3.
- Gammond, Peter (1980). Offenbach. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7119-0257-2.