Caroline Fischer-Achten

Caroline Fischer-Achten (29 January 1806 – 13 September 1896) was an Austrian operatic soprano. She appeared at the Royal Court Theatre in Vienna, and toured Germany.

Fischer-Achten as Constanze in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail; oil painting by G. A. Barthel [de]

Life

She was born in Vienna in 1806, daughter of Anton Achten, a civil servant. She had singing lessons from her father and later from Aloysia Weber, Mozart's sister-in-law. In 1827 she first appeared at the Vienna Court Theatre.^[1][2]

She married in 1830 Friedrich Fischer (1805–1871), a bass singer, whom she met at the Court Theatre. With her husband she toured Germany, appearing at opera houses in Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Frankfurt and Braunschweig.^[1][2]

Fischer-Achten's roles included Pamina in Mozart's The Magic Flute, Alice in Meyerbeer's Robert der Teufel (Robert le diable), Mathilde in Rossini's William Tell and Zerline in Auber's Fra Diavolo.^[1][2]

From 1853 the couple lived in Friedensheim near Graz, where she died in 1896.^[1]

Three sons of the couple became opera singers: Ludwig Fischer-Achten (1837–1891), a tenor; Emil Fischer (1838–1914), a bass-baritone; and Karl Fischer (1840–1883), a bass-baritone.^[1]