Paradis, Maria Theresia von

Paradis, Maria Theresia von, noted Austrian pianist, organist, singer, and composer; b. Vienna, May 15, 1759; d. there, Feb. 1, 1824. She was the daughter of Josef von Paradis, the imperial court secretary. She studied piano with L. Kozcaron;eluh, singing with Richter, singing and dramatic composition with Salieri, dramatic composition with Vogler, and theory with Frib-erth. She appeared in concerts in Vienna (from c. 1775). She was blind from her 5^th year; Mesmer became interested in her condition and attempted to cure her, without effect (1777–78). She set out on a major concert tour in 1783, visiting Salzburg, Frankfurt am Main, Mainz, and other cities. In 1784 she arrived in Paris, where she was highly praised for her appearances as both a keyboard artist and a singer at the Concert Spirituel; Mozart composed a concerto for her. She went to London in late 1784 and appeared at court and in public concerts, then returned to Vienna in 1786, where she continued to make tours until founding her own music inst. (1808). Her friend and librettist, Johann Riedinger, invented a notation system for her, and she became a skilled composer. Much of her music is not extant.

Works

dramatic:Ariadne und Bacchus, melodrama (Laxenburg, June 20, 1791); Der Schulkanditat, ländliches Singspiel (Vienna, Dec. 5, 1792); Rinaldo und Alcine, Die Insel der Verführung, comic opera (Prague, June 30, 1797). orch.: 2 piano concertos. chamber: Piano Trio (Vienna, 1800). Piano: 4 sonatas (Amsterdam, 1778); 12 sonatas (Paris, 1792); other pieces. vocal: Cantatas; songs; etc.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire