Louisa Pyne by Mayer Brothers

Louisa Pyne (1832-1904); English soprano.
In 1842 (at the age of 10) she already performed in concert with her elder sister Susan and in 1847 the two sisters gave a concert in Paris. In 1849 she made her stage debut at Boulogne as Amina in “La Sonnambula”. She then returned to England and sang successively at Princesse’s Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre, Her Majesty’s Theatre and Covent Garden. In 1854/56 she made a tour in the USA. When she returned to England in 1856 she founded -together with the tenor and impresario William Harrison- the Pyne-Harrison Opera Company. From 1858 until 1864 the Company gave performances at Covent Garden; mainly works from contemporary English opera composers like Michael Balfe, Julius Benedict and Vincent Wallace. Louisa Pyne created some important roles at the various premières: in “Lurline” (1860) by Wallace, in “Satanella (1858), in “Bianca” (1860), in “The puritan’s daughter” (1861) by Balfe and in “The lily of Killarney” (1862) by Benedict. Her most memorable roles were Queen of the Night in “Der Zauberflöte” by Mozart and Arline in “The Bohemian girl” by Balfe. In 1868 she married the baritone Frank Bodda and after her retirement from the stage she was working as a singing teacher.

On the photo she is seen as Bianca in the eponymous opera by Balfe.