Pyne, Louisa (Fanny)
Pyne, Louisa (Fanny)
Pyne, Louisa (Fanny) , English soprano; b. Aug. 27?, 1832; d. London, March 20, 1904. She was a student of G. Smart. At the age of 10, she made her debut with her sister Susannah in London. In 1849 she made her operatic debut as Bellini’s Amina in Boulogne. Returning to London, she appeared at the Princess’s Theatre that same year. She also sang at the Haymarket and Royal Italian Opera at Covent Garden, garnering critical accolades at the latter in 1851 for her portrayal of the Queen of the Night. In 1854 she sang in opera in N.Y., and then toured the U.S. with her sister and the tenor William Harrison. In 1857 she and Harrison founded the Pyne-Harrison Opera Co. in London. It gave regular performances at Covent Garden (1859–64), with Pyne taking leading roles in premieres of scores by Balfe, Benedict, and Wallace. In 1868 she married the baritone Frank Bodda and subsequently taught voice.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire