Lenya, Lotte (real name, Karoline Wilhelmine Blamauer)

Lenya, Lotte (real name, Karoline Wilhelmine Blamauer), Austrian-American singer and actress; b. Vienna, Oct. 18, 1898; d. N.Y., Nov. 27, 1981. She received training in Classical dance and the Dalcroze method in Zürich (1914–20), where she also worked at the Stadttheater’s opera-ballet and at the Schauspielhaus. In 1926 she married Kurt Weill and made her debut as a singer in the premiere of his “songspiel” Mahagonny (Baden-Baden, July 17, 1927). She later sang in the first performance of its operatic version as Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny (Leipzig, March 9, 1930). She also created the role of Jenny in his Die Dreigroschenoper (Berlin, Aug. 31, 1928). In 1933 Lenya and Weill fled Nazi Germany for Paris. During their stay there, she created the role of Anna in his Oie sieben Todsunden der Kleinburger (June 7, 1933). In 1935 they emigrated to the U.S. She created the roles of Miriam in his The Eternal Road (N.Y., Jan 7, 1937) and the Duchess in his The Firebrand of Florence (N.Y., March 22, 1945). Following Weill’s death in 1950, Lenya devoted herself to reviving many of his works for the American stage. She also was active as an actress on stage and in films. Although she was not a professionally trained singer, she adapted herself to the peculiar type of half-spoken, half-sung roles in Weill’s works with total dedication.

Bibliography

H. Marx, ed., Weill-L (N.Y., 1976); L. Symonette and K. Kowalke, eds. and trs., Speak Low (When You Speak of Love): The Letters of Kurt Weill and L L (Berkeley, 1996).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire