Pauline de Ahna

Pauline de Ahna was a German sopranoForbes, E. (1992) 'De Ahna(-Strauss), Pauline', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 1, pp. 1093-1094.Kutsch, K.J. and Riemens, L. (1987) 'de Ahna, Pauline', in Großes Sängerlexikon. Bern and Stuttgart: Francke, vol. 1, col. 659.Wikipedia (2026) Pauline de Ahna. (Accessed: August 2026). who created Freihild in Richard Strauss's first opera, Guntram, at Weimar in 1894Forbes, E. (1992) 'De Ahna(-Strauss), Pauline', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 1, pp. 1093-1094.Kutsch, K.J. and Riemens, L. (1987) 'de Ahna, Pauline', in Großes Sängerlexikon. Bern and Stuttgart: Francke, vol. 1, col. 659.Wikipedia (2026) Pauline de Ahna. (Accessed: August 2026)., and married the composer that yearKutsch, K.J. and Riemens, L. (1987) 'de Ahna, Pauline', in Großes Sängerlexikon. Bern and Stuttgart: Francke, vol. 1, col. 659.Wikipedia (2026) Pauline de Ahna. (Accessed: August 2026).. She had studied in MunichForbes, E. (1992) 'De Ahna(-Strauss), Pauline', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 1, pp. 1093-1094.Kutsch, K.J. and Riemens, L. (1987) 'de Ahna, Pauline', in Großes Sängerlexikon. Bern and Stuttgart: Francke, vol. 1, col. 659.Wikipedia (2026) Pauline de Ahna. (Accessed: August 2026). before taking lessons with Strauss at Feldafing in 1887Forbes, E. (1992) 'De Ahna(-Strauss), Pauline', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 1, pp. 1093-1094., made her stage debut at Weimar in 1890 as PaminaForbes, E. (1992) 'De Ahna(-Strauss), Pauline', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 1, pp. 1093-1094.Kutsch, K.J. and Riemens, L. (1987) 'de Ahna, Pauline', in Großes Sängerlexikon. Bern and Stuttgart: Francke, vol. 1, col. 659.Wikipedia (2026) Pauline de Ahna. (Accessed: August 2026)., and sang Elisabeth and a Flowermaiden at Bayreuth in 1891Forbes, E. (1992) 'De Ahna(-Strauss), Pauline', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 1, pp. 1093-1094.Kutsch, K.J. and Riemens, L. (1987) 'de Ahna, Pauline', in Großes Sängerlexikon. Bern and Stuttgart: Francke, vol. 1, col. 659.Grove and Kutsch-Riemens give 1891 for Elisabeth at Bayreuth, followed here; the English Wikipedia article places it in 1894.. Her repertory also took in Agathe, Leonore and Donna AnnaForbes, E. (1992) 'De Ahna(-Strauss), Pauline', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 1, pp. 1093-1094.Kutsch, K.J. and Riemens, L. (1987) 'de Ahna, Pauline', in Großes Sängerlexikon. Bern and Stuttgart: Francke, vol. 1, col. 659.Wikipedia (2026) Pauline de Ahna. (Accessed: August 2026). before she retired from the stage in 1897Forbes, E. (1992) 'De Ahna(-Strauss), Pauline', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 1, pp. 1093-1094.Kutsch, K.J. and Riemens, L. (1987) 'de Ahna, Pauline', in Großes Sängerlexikon. Bern and Stuttgart: Francke, vol. 1, col. 659.Wikipedia (2026) Pauline de Ahna. (Accessed: August 2026).. Strauss went on to portray her as Christine in IntermezzoForbes, E. (1992) 'De Ahna(-Strauss), Pauline', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 1, pp. 1093-1094.Wikipedia (2026) Pauline de Ahna. (Accessed: August 2026)., and wrote the soprano roles from Salome to Capriccio with her voice in mindForbes, E. (1992) 'De Ahna(-Strauss), Pauline', in Sadie, S. (ed.) The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. London: Macmillan Reference, vol. 1, pp. 1093-1094.Wikipedia (2026) Pauline de Ahna. (Accessed: August 2026)..