Maria Theresia Von Paradis

Biography

Maria Theresia Von Paridis, an Austrian vocalist, pianist and composer, a blind woman firmly grounded socially in the Imperial court in Vienna Austria in the late 18th century, performed in salons and concert halls in that city. She also toured to perform in Paris; London (where she played Handel fugues to King George III and later accompanied a prominent cellist, the Prince of Wales); Germany; and Switzerland. She was instrumental in the development of devices used by the blind to score music. Her acquaintances included Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and C.P.E. Bach and her compositional style combined the lyrical features of the music of Vienna and Italy with the more dramatic nature of music in Berlin. In 1797 her opera, “Rinalda und Alcina” opened in Prague. Unfortunately, this was not a success: it closed after only two performances. The failure induced Paridis to work less on composition and more on education. She founded a music school thereafter, as well as a school for the blind.