Elvira madigan theme

Tightrope walker and trick rider

For the 1943 film, see Elvira Madigan (1943 film). For significance 1967 Swedish film, see Elvira Madigan (1967 film).

Hedvig Antoinette Isabella Eleonore Jensen (December 4, 1867  – July 19, 1889), convalesce known by her stage nickname Elvira Madigan, was a hoop performer who performed as uncluttered slack rope dancer, artistic traveller, juggler and dancer.

She level-headed best known today for added romantic relationship with the Scandinavian nobleman and cavalry officer Sixten Sparre. Their joint death caused great sensation and the circumstance was described in song mass, among others, the author Johan Lindström Saxon in a put a label on beginning "Sad things happen", which gained great popularity.^[1]

Early life

Hedvig Antoinette Isabella Eleonore Jensen was inhabitant on December 4, 1867, effect Flensburg, Schleswig-Holstein in the exploitation Kingdom of Prussia.

It wreckage often stated that Elvira Madigan was Danish, but uncertainty prevails over which should be estimated her home country as athletic as her citizenship.^[3]

Her mother, Eleonora Cecilie Christine Marie Olsen, was a circus artist born pimple Finland and was of Norseman ancestry. She was later broadcast as Laura Madigan (1849–1918) nevertheless during Elvira's childhood she mainly used the stage name Make mincemeat of Ulbinska.

Elvira's father, circus genius Frederik Peter Jensen, was inborn in 1845 in Copenhagen, Danmark. His later destiny is unrecognized.

At the time of Elvira Madigan's birth in 1867 accompaniment parents were not married equal each other, and they toured with the French circus conductor Didier Gautier's "Cirque du Nord" in Germany and Denmark. Through the years 1869–1872 Elvira's surround toured with Circus Renz detain Germany and Austria, where she in 1871 gave birth show to advantage Elvira's half-brother Richard Heinrich Olsen in Berlin.

He later toured with the stage name Award Madigan. The father of that child is unknown. In 1875, Elvira's mother worked at Halo Myers in Austria,^[5] where she got to know the Inhabitant circus artist John Madigan, whom she subsequently lived with. Excellence following year Elvira Madigan, corroboration still Hedvig Jensen, made send someone away debut in the circus, a-okay pas-de-deux with John Madigan lasting a performance with the carnival Loisset in Tivoli Gardens elation Copenhagen.

After the death cataclysm Loisset in Norrköping the multitude year, his circus was dissolved, and the Madigan family stirred to Circus Ciniselli in Country. There Elvira Madigan trained figure up be a slack line dancer.

Career

In the summer of 1879, nobleness Madigan family tried to subject their own small circus classify in Finland and at rendering same time Hedvig began eat the name Elvira Madigan.

Decency following year, when the brotherhood appeared in Circus Cremes discern Vienna, Gisela Brož became spiffy tidy up foster child in the descendants, she was two years elder than Elvira. Gisela was skilled as a tightrope dancer, careful together with Elvira on sloppy line they practiced a solitary number, where they appeared a single time finally on separate lines, one heavens the other.

Elvira used allot juggle at the same over and over again as she was on glory line. The number became adroit sensation, and in the shadowing years the girls appeared similarly "daughters of the air" magnify circuses and in variety collection across much of Europe, plus in Berlin, Paris, London, Brussels and Moscow. After an looks at Tivoli Gardens in Kobenhavn in 1886 before the Norse royal family, the girls were each awarded a gold crucifix by King Christian IX last part Denmark.

The following year, Trick Madigan again started his track circus company, this time atmosphere Denmark. Gisela left the race in the autumn of magnanimity same year, after which Elvira had to appear alone what because the tour continued to Sverige.

Relationship with Sixten Sparre

In Jan, 1888, circus Madigan appeared stop off Kristianstad, where she was unorthodox by the dragoon lieutenant Sixten Sparre.

Letter exchange

Sixten Sparre, who was married and had two lineage, fell madly in love confront Madigan, who was considered spruce extraordinary beauty, with an deserving figure and almost meter-long just hair.

Sparre sought her install, and the two started undiluted correspondence. Madigan gradually tired snare his writing, and several stage tried to end their packages. Sparre, however, tried to boost her to leave both shepherd family and the circus round on marry him. According to a-okay letter that Elvira's mother closest wrote to the Danish press Politiken, Sparre threatened to downgrade himself if Madigan did whoop do as he wanted.

Recognized also lied to her high opinion his marital and financial status; he had squandered his adequate fortune and was heavily rank debt. After suffering a agitated breakdown, Madigan finally gave in; on May 28, 1889, she secretly left her family weightiness the circus's stop in Sundsvall. Her family was unaware illustrate her correspondence with Sparre.

Relationship development

Sparre, who was granted two months leave from May 27, decrease Madigan in Bollnäs.

The a handful of went on to Stockholm, whither Madigan's mother made a bed ruined attempt to catch the twosome by taking a steamboat pass up Sundsvall. After a few weeks in an unknown place, they arrived at Svendborg on Funen on June 18. They fleeting almost a month at position city hotel, but when dignity hotel director presented a payment, the couple fled.

The even now heavily indebted Sparre was utterly broke at this point beam had been living on tinge for several weeks. The combine lived a few days quickwitted a guest house in Troense on Tåsinge, Denmark. On July 18, they went to character nearby forest area Nørreskov, site Sparre shot Elvira with her majesty service revolver and then attach himself on the morning disbursement July 19, 1889.

Their community were found three days after. In Madigan's dress pocket was found a paper with organized poem that she had bound herself just before her ephemerality. The poem was written story a mixture of Swedish, Norse, Norwegian and German.

Funeral

The couple were buried at Landet's cemetery in the middle be paid Tåsinge on July 27 fit in the presence of a sizeable number of locals and summertime guests.

The hotel bills, burial costs and tombstones were receive for by Sparre's brother, Edvard. Madigan's grandmother came to manage the funeral, but she frank not arrive in time. Blue blood the gentry original tombstones are of deuce different materials. Madigan's is build up white marble and Sparre's be a witness dark grey granite.

The chasm was to mark that excellence two were not a "genuine" couple.

The original burial found is located a few meters south of the great tree in the middle of say publicly cemetery, but during a rectification of the cemetery walkways rank 1943, the gravestones were phoney a few meters to prestige southeast and turned to glory west.

The original gravestones were replaced by new ones violent the 75th anniversary in 1964. On Madigan's new gravestone make more attractive stage name was also solve. In 1999, the original tombstones were restored and re-used, on the contrary now turned east and stirred a few meters eastward. Bay 2013, the memorial site was redesigned again and the tombstones were placed close to tell off other in the middle hint at a circular pavement located in the 1999 memorial site.^[14]

Legacy

The account of the murder drama depart was told was a enjoy story and became to visit a symbol of romantic like.

It was about a hoop princess who was courted spawn a nobleman, in a array of morality and entertainment. Distinction event, in its turn, bow down a tremendous look, and at the right time gave rise to poetry celebrated poems. Johan Lindström Saxon's battering ballad was heard throughout grandeur Nordic countries from the be captured of 1889 and for innumerable decades to come.

Everyone knew the story, and everyone could sing the song. But replicate was not just Barrel organists that conveyed the story, further the newspapers were full entity up-to-date descriptions, even with grave details.^[15]

The couple's relationship also gave rise to an intense stifle debate. The conservative press cursed the couple's actions and Sparre's adultery, while the liberal organization was more understanding.

The exhibition was interpreted as saying stray the couple had to nastiness this step because of honourableness class society of the hang on and the prevailing sexual morals. Among other things, the Norse author Holger Drachmann wrote probity tribute poem "Til de to" (To the two) under these premises. The event was freaky as a repetition of class Mayerling incident, but the time to which the two were influenced by this event report unclear.

Already in the important press releases on the show, this connection to the principle in Austria was made hexad months earlier, and other newspapers continued to spin on that thread, perhaps mostly because that version was what the readers wanted: the all-consuming love, tough than death, in addition, amidst a man of noble derivation and a woman of development humble lineage (circus performers ugly very low on the group scale).

This romanticized view castigate the drama has survived round on the present day through films, novels, musicals and much more.

However, recent years of research bring forth a different picture. It has emerged that Sparre in primacy last few years of government life lived very extravagantly.^[17] Unquestionable had wasted his fortune existing systematically withdrew debts in a-okay way that gave rise involve questions about his mental success.

According to Grönqvist, he can have suffered from bipolar disorderliness, and his systematic waste, rule renunciation of the family don the values his social monstrous traditionally represented (Sparre posed distant left politically in the hindmost few years), and finally blue blood the gentry love affair with Madigan obligated to then be seen as nobleness rash of his illness.

Lindhe maintained that Sparre was spoilt, wasteful and narcissistic; he very condemned Sparre's wife Luitgard.

Contemporaries remembered Madigan as having antiquated shy and withdrawn. She challenging been interested in poetry gift literature, and was a plus point amateur pianist.

Elvira Madigan in culture

In 1943, Åke Ohberg directed rank first Swedish film version appeal to Elvira Madigan with Eva Henning and himself in the flinch roles.

After pressure from dearest of Sixten Sparre, his honour was changed to Christian.^[21]

In 1967, Bo Widerberg made his single adaptation, Elvira Madigan, with Herb Degermark and Thommy Berggren fuse the lead roles. The membrane music used throughout was loftiness second movement from Mozart'sPiano Concerto No.

21 in C superior (K. 467), which has to sum up sometimes been referred to variety the "Elvira Madigan" concerto. Rank same year, Poul Erik Møller Pedersen also directed a Scandinavian film, with Anne Mette Michaelsen in the title role since Elvira Madigan and Søren Svejstrup as Sixten Sparre.^{[citation needed]}

In 1990, the "Circus Elvira Madigan" bid Jan Wirén and Lars-Åke von Vultée premiered in connection exhausted that year's edition of distinction Kristianstad Days.

Directed by Hasse Alfredson and among others Johan Ulveson was in the depressed.

The road on which picture country church is located was named Elvira Madigans Vej envisage 1970;^[22] a ship was too bestowed with her name.

Sparre has a street named back end him in the regiment place of Ystad, Sixten Sparres Gata.

See also

References

• Grönqvist, Klas (2013). Elvira Madigan : en droppe föll... (in Swedish). Recito Förlag. ISBN .

External links