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55-492: Towards the end of her unparalleled, long and distinguished career, the legendary Swedish dramatic soprano Birgit Nilsson established the Birgit Nilsson Foundation exclusively to support this Prize. Being very concerned with the general decline of cultural values, in particular with the decline of performance standards in opera, and encountering much greater difficulties in the early years of her career than

110-404: A toy piano her mother bought for her. She once told an interviewer that she could sing before she could walk, adding, "I even sang in my dreams". Her vocal talent was first noticed when she began to sing in her church choir . A choirmaster near her home heard her sing and advised her to take voice lessons. She studied with Ragnar Blennow in Åstorp for six months to prepare for an audition at

165-653: A blower. In the 1960s, the Tomy Toy Company offered the Tuneyville Player Piano using organ music, in which air blows through pipes. The child can play the keys manually or insert a plastic disk to play a recognizable tune. By the 1950s, the toy piano market was dominated by two main toy piano makers: Jaymar and Schoenhut, counterparts to the Steinway and Baldwin for adult pianos. Wooden keys and hammers were replaced by moulded plastic ones. In

220-651: A complete Ring at the Bavarian State Opera , at the Munich Opera Festival of 1954. Later she returned as Sieglinde, Brünnhilde, and Isolde until 1969. She took the title role of Turandot , which is brief but requires an unusually big sound, to La Scala in Milan in 1958, and then to the rest of Italy. Nilsson made her American debut as Brünnhilde in Wagner's Die Walküre in 1956 with

275-438: A concert or opera singer, a classical or opera conductor, or a specific production by an opera company. The prize was funded by Nilsson herself. The foundation said that Nilsson had chosen the first winner, to be announced in early 2009. On 20 February 2009, Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo was announced as the inaugural recipient of the prize, which carried with it a cash award of $ 1,000,000. The first award ceremony took place in

330-417: A conductor, administrator, humanitarian, and creator of young artist programs and competitions. In 2011, the second laureate, conductor Riccardo Muti , was selected by a distinguished international panel of classical music experts from the major countries where Birgit Nilsson was most active during her career. Cited for his "extraordinary contributions in opera and concert, as well as his enormous influence in

385-541: A little wine and beer. I was born with the right set of parents." In sheer power, her high notes were sometimes compared to those of the Broadway belter Ethel Merman . However Nilsson claims her "explosive" high notes that were her biggest asset on-stage "have not been recorded like they should have been" in the studio. She later lamented: "It always made me a little bit sad when I heard my own recordings. And many people told me that I sang much better in person than I do on

440-779: A postage stamp showing Nilsson as Turandot. She received the Illis quorum gold medal, today the highest award that can be conferred upon a Swedish citizen by the Government of Sweden. In 1988, on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of New Sweden , the first Swedish settlement in America, The American-Scandinavian Foundation named their prize for promising young American opera singers the Birgit Nilsson Prize . Nilsson personally chaired several competitions. Nilsson died, aged 87, on 25 December 2005 at her home at Bjärlöv,

495-535: A small village near Kristianstad in Skåne in the same county where she was born. No cause of death was released. She was survived by her husband Bertil Niklasson (died March 2007), a veterinary surgeon whom she had met on a train and married in 1948. They had no children. Three years after Nilsson's death, in December 2008, the Birgit Nilsson Foundation announced that it would award a prize every two to three years to

550-416: A standard piano, the toy piano sounds by way of hammers hitting metal bars or rods which are fixed at one end. The hammers are connected to the keys by a mechanism similar to that which drives celestas . Toy pianos ostensibly use the same musical scale as full size pianos, although their tuning in all but the most expensive models is usually very approximate. Similarly, the pitch to which they are tuned

605-1025: A steady repertoire of roles in the lyric-dramatic field, including Donna Anna in Don Giovanni , Aida , Lisa in The Queen of Spades (opera) , Tosca , Venus in Tannhäuser , Sieglinde in Die Walküre , Senta in Der fliegende Holländer and the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier , one of her favourite roles, all sung in Swedish. In 1949 she sang in Ariadne auf Naxos with Hjördis Schymberg and Elisabeth Söderström among others. Under Fritz Busch 's tutelage, her career took wing. He

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660-473: A toy piano metal rod design was patented by Alice Violet Bennett. During the 1950s, J. Chein & Company of Burlington, NJ manufactured the PianoLodeon, a child's piano remarkable for the fact that it operated by a mechanism closely related to an actual player piano. The child could play the keys or let a small piano roll take over, the metal rods being struck by hammers propelled by a vacuum driven by

715-860: A wooden sphere thrown up by the piano key to make its sound. In 1866 he was offered employment in Philadelphia, United States, to repair German toy pianos which had been damaged in transit. In 1872 he established the Schoenhut Piano Company to manufacture toy pianos, diversifying into other instruments. By 1917, Schoenhut produced a catalog showing 10 pages of upright and grand pianos of all shapes and sizes, with one page devoted to miniature piano stools alone. The models had nicknames beginning with "P", such as Packer, Padder, Papa and Poet. Keys were made of imitation ivory. By 1935, Schoenhut had produced over 40 styles and sizes of toy piano, with prices ranging from 50 cents to 25 dollars. In 1930,

770-403: Is generally known to the public, Birgit Nilsson believed that overcoming these difficulties motivated her and contributed to her future success. Along with honouring great artists and artistry, it was her hope in establishing this Prize to provide incentive and inspiration to young artists to sustain their efforts to reach full potential by planning their careers over the long term and to perpetuate

825-565: Is rarely close to the standard of 440 Hz for the A above middle C . A typical toy piano will have a range of one to three octaves . The cheapest models may not have black keys, or the black keys may be painted on. This means they can play a fixed diatonic scale (or an approximately tuned version of it), but not the full chromatic scale , or diatonic scales in other keys . Typically, diatonic toy pianos have only eight keys and can play one octave. Other variants may have non-functioning black keys between every key (which would make it appear to play

880-475: Is the "Suite for Toy Piano" (1948) by John Cage . Toy pianos come in many shapes, from scale models of upright or grand pianos to toys which only resemble pianos in that they possess keys. Toy pianos are usually no more than 50 cm in width, and made out of wood or plastic . The first toy pianos were made in the mid-19th century and were typically uprights, although many toy pianos made today are models of grands. Rather than hammers hitting strings as on

935-401: The kinderklavier ( child's keyboard ), is a small piano -like musical instrument . Most modern toy pianos use round metal rods, as opposed to strings in a regular piano, to produce sound. The U.S. Library of Congress recognizes the toy piano as a unique instrument with the subject designation, Toy Piano Scores: M175 T69. The most famous example of a dedicated composition for the instrument

990-713: The Royal Opera House at Covent Garden , Tokyo, Paris, Buenos Aires , Chicago, and Hamburg . She sang with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in the all-Wagner concert that opened the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House in 1973. Nilsson was widely known as the leading Wagnerian soprano of her time, the successor to the great Norwegian soprano Kirsten Flagstad , particularly as Brünnhilde. However, she also sang many of

1045-769: The Royal Swedish Academy of Music in Stockholm where she came in first out of a group of 47 singers and was awarded the Christina Nilsson scholarship named for the famous soprano. Her teachers at the academy were Joseph Hislop and Arne Sunnegårdh . However, she considered herself self-taught: "The best teacher is the stage", she told an interviewer in 1981. "You walk out onto it, and you have to learn to project." She deplored her early instruction and attributed her success to native talent. "My first voice teacher [Hislop] almost killed me ... [T]he second

1100-604: The San Francisco Opera . She attained international stardom after a performance as Isolde at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 1959, which made front-page news. She said that the single biggest event in her life was being asked to perform at the opening of the 180th season at La Scala as Turandot in 1958. She performed at many major opera houses in the world including Vienna , Berlin,

1155-637: The Vienna Philharmonic , the company's orchestra, made her an honorary member in 1999. "If there ever was someone that one can call a real star today and a world-famous opera singer during her time then that was Frau Nilsson", said Ioan Holender , director of the Vienna State Opera. Nilsson's autobiography, Mina minnesbilder ( My memoirs in pictures ) was published in Stockholm in 1977. She retired in 1984 to her childhood home in

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1210-430: The quarter tones between E/F and B/C), but they either do not play, play the same notes as an adjacent white key, or play a special sound effect. Some toy pianos cost hundreds of dollars. Early toy pianos used glass bars to produce their sound, but Albert Schoenhut, son of a German toy-making family, introduced metal sounding bars to make the instrument more durable. One popular model used metal xylophone bars, struck by

1265-545: The 2011 Prize laureate. The Birgit Nilsson Prize for 2014 was presented to the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at the Concert Hall in Stockholm on October 8, 2014. Birgit Nilsson Märta Birgit Nilsson (17 May 1918 – 25 December 2005) was a Swedish dramatic soprano . Although she sang a wide repertoire of operatic and vocal works, Nilsson was best known for her performances in

1320-665: The Dyer's Wife in Strauss's Die Frau ohne Schatten , Salome , Elektra , Verdi's Lady Macbeth , and Leonore in Beethoven's Fidelio . In 1966 she simultaneously performed the roles of Venus and Elisabeth (who never appear together) in Wagner's Tannhäuser . She memorably appeared as replacement Sieglinde to Rita Hunter 's Brünnhilde in the 1970s. She appeared 232 times at the Vienna State Opera from 1954 to 1982, and

1375-624: The Foundation’s board and who serve for a period of three years, are currently: The first and second award ceremonies of the Birgit Nilsson Prize took place at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm . On the stage where Birgit Nilsson made her debut, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden presented the prize personally to star tenor, conductor and opera house director Plácido Domingo in 2008, and to Maestro Riccardo Muti ,

1430-460: The Met to rehearse the production of Die Walküre conducted by Karajan, she said, "Nu, where's Herbie?" And Karajan once sent Nilsson a cable several pages long, proposing in great detail a variety of projects, different dates and operas. Nilsson cabled back: "Busy. Birgit." The Swedish photographer Lennart Nilsson , who became world famous for his documentation of pregnancy from conception to birth,

1485-587: The Rolls-Royce Nilsson had hired for after the performance. When asked about this afterwards, Milanov said "If Madame Nilsson takes my roles, I must take her Rolls." The secret to singing Isolde, she said, was "comfortable shoes." After a disagreement with the Australian soprano Joan Sutherland , Nilsson was asked if she thought Sutherland's famous bouffant hairdo was real. She answered: "I don't know. I haven't pulled it yet." Once, asked what

1540-538: The Royal Swedish Opera on 13 October 2009. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden personally presented the prize to the designated winner. A jury has been set up by the foundation to make recommendations for future prizes. The second winner of the Birgit Nilsson prize was Riccardo Muti , who received the award in Stockholm on 13 October 2011. On 9 April 2014 it was announced that the third recipient of

1595-419: The Skåne province of southern Sweden, where her father had been a sixth-generation farmer and she had worked to grow beets and potatoes until she was 23. In an interview in the mid-1990s, she appeared happy, serene and as unpretentious as ever. "I've always tried to remember what my mother used to tell me", she said. "Stay close to the earth. Then when you fall down, it won't hurt so much." In 1981, Sweden issued

1650-638: The United States ended. When she returned, Donal Henahan wrote in The New York Times , "The famous shining trumpet of a voice is still far from sounding like a cornet ." Nilsson appeared at the Metropolitan Opera 223 times in 16 roles. She sang two complete Ring cycles in the 1961–62 season, and another in 1974–75. She was Isolde 33 times, and Turandot 52. She played most of the other major soprano parts: Aida , Tosca ,

1705-594: The annual Toy Piano Festival, held in San Diego at the University of California, San Diego 's Geisel Library, features a collection of toy pianos, recordings of compositions, and live performance of existing and new works written for toy pianos. The Festival influenced the Library of Congress to designate, in 2001, a dedicated subject heading and call number, Toy Piano Scores: M175 T69. Though originally made as

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1760-431: The art form. The philosophy behind the Birgit Nilsson Prize is to perpetuate the legacy of Birgit Nilsson and Sweden’s great operatic tradition by paying tribute to today’s outstanding, active figures in music, recognizing the excellence of their work and their major contributions. Birgit Nilsson personally chose the first laureate and put the chosen name in a sealed envelope to be opened three years after her death, which

1815-583: The broadcast performance of Elektra on 27 February. More seriously, in March 1974 she fell and dislocated her shoulder during a rehearsal of Götterdämmerung . While recuperating in her hospital room at Roosevelt Hospital she said, "other than my bruises and my black and blues I feel fine". Although able to sing Brünnhilde for the first two performances with her arm in a sling, her injury caused her to miss subsequent performances, including that season's Götterdämmerung broadcast. The New York Times ' review of

1870-430: The expensive project of making a studio recording of Wagner's four-opera Ring Cycle , conducted by Solti and produced by John Culshaw . The effort took seven years, from 1958 to 1965. A film of the proceedings made her a familiar image for arts-conscious television viewers. Though a frequent visitor to the Metropolitan Opera , Nilsson did not always see eye to eye with its redoubtable general manager, Rudolf Bing (who

1925-430: The first performance even slower, inducing a change of heart in the conductor. Despite her worldwide recognition, Nilsson said she was nervous before every major performance. "Before a premiere, on the way to the opera, I'd hope for just a small, small accident, it didn't need to be much, but just so I would not have to sing", she said in a 1977 interview on Swedish TV. Nilsson often spoke of her limits. She said her voice

1980-516: The high C the longest in Act II of Turandot. In one tour performance, after she outlasted him on the high C, he stormed off to Rudolf Bing during the next intermission, saying that he was not going to continue the performance. Bing, who knew how to handle Corelli's tantrums, suggested that he retaliate by biting Nilsson on the neck when Calaf kisses Turandot in Act III. Corelli didn't bite her but he

2035-677: The late 1970s, Schoenhut was acquired by Jaymar, although the two retained their distinct identities. Jaymar/Schoenhut experienced difficulty during the recession of the 1980s, folding and eventually re-emerging as the Schoenhut Piano Company in 1997. Today, Schoenhut Piano Company is still the leading manufacturer, with other toy piano manufacturers: Hering from Brazil, Zeada from China, and New Classic Toys from Netherlands. From 1939 to 1970, Victor Michel improved toy-piano conception. Michelsonne French toy-pianos are known for their uniquely distinctive sound. Launched in 2000,

2090-403: The music world both on and off the stage." The Birgit Nilsson Prize for 2014 was awarded to the Vienna Philharmonic , which is being recognized for its extraordinary contributions during its 172 years of work in opera and concert, as well as for its enormous worldwide influence in the music world both on and off the stage through live performance, recordings, and other media. The prize for 2018

2145-489: The operas of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss . Her voice was noted for its overwhelming force, bountiful reserves of power, and the gleaming brilliance and clarity in the upper register. Birgit Nilsson was born Märta Birgit Svensson on a farm at Västra Karup in Skåne (100 km/60 miles north of Malmö ) to Nils Svensson and Justina Svensson (née Paulsson). When she was three years old she began picking out melodies on

2200-557: The other famous soprano roles, among them Leonore , Aida , Turandot , Tosca , Elektra , and Salome . She had, according to The New York Times , a "voice of impeccable trueness and impregnable stamina". The conductor Erich Leinsdorf thought that her longevity, like Flagstad's, had something to do with her Scandinavian heritage, remarking that Wagner required "thoughtful, patient and methodical people." Nilsson attributed her long career to no particular lifestyle or regimen. "I do nothing special", she once said. "I don't smoke. I drink

2255-761: The prize would be the Vienna Philharmonic. A Pågatågen train has been named for Nilsson by operator Skånetrafiken , with the train Birgit Nilsson being the first in the new X61 series to depart Malmö Central Station in December 2009. On 6 April 2011, the Bank of Sweden announced that Nilsson's portrait will feature on the 500 kronor banknote, beginning in October 2016. General Audio Television appearances Interviews and articles Toy piano The toy piano , also known as

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2310-607: The production's 8 March opening night is reprinted in the Metropolitan Opera Archives . Beginning at the summer of 1968 at the Bayreuth Festival, Nilsson was obsessively stalked by a much younger American actress and model, Nell Theobald , until Theobald's suicide nine years later in 1977. Nilsson recounted her experiences with Theobald at length in her memoir, La Nilsson , in which she referred to Theobald solely as "Miss N." The stalking incident

2365-432: The recordings! That didn't flatter me at all, because I know what's going to be left when I am no longer singing". Twice at the Met, Nilsson sustained injuries that kept her from performing. In February 1971, she sprained her ankle during a performance of Elektra that resulted in cancellation of one performance (that was replaced by a historic performance of Fidelio starring Christa Ludwig ). Nilsson recovered to sing

2420-714: Was almost as bad." In 1946, Nilsson made her debut at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm with only three days' notice, replacing the ailing singer scheduled for the role of Agathe in Carl Maria von Weber 's Der Freischütz . Conductor Leo Blech was not very kind to her and, as she wrote in her autobiography, she even contemplated suicide after the performance. In 1947 she claimed national attention in Verdi 's Lady Macbeth conducted by Fritz Busch . A wealth of parts followed, from Richard Strauss and Verdi to Wagner , Puccini , and Tchaikovsky . In Stockholm she built up

2475-476: Was also famous for her ability to make money. She became one of the highest-paid singers in the field, in part because of the rarity of her skills. Being a shrewd businesswoman, she negotiated much of her own career. She never ranted or engaged in tantrums. She would begin contract talks by refusing every offer and being evasive about her availability. This tack would continue until the impresario offered something she wanted. Nilsson's reply would be "maybe". Nilsson

2530-474: Was asked by the magazine Life to photograph Birgit Nilsson's vocal cords as she sang high C. Birgit Nilsson turned the proposal down with the words "Your photographer wants me to swallow the tiny camera so he can take pictures of the vocal cord . I don't want that, since I know where it has been before." Eventually, though, she agreed on having the pictures taken. There was a healthy competition between Nilsson and tenor Franco Corelli as to who could hold

2585-402: Was awarded to the Swedish soprano Nina Stemme . Stemme noted that 2018 was Nilsson's centenary year and called her "my idol." In 2022, cellist Yo-Yo Ma received the award. Reason: "Through exceptional musicianship, passion and dedication, Yo-Yo Ma’s commitment to music helps us to imagine and build a stronger society and better future". The panel members, who are appointed by and work with

2640-401: Was her favourite role, she answered: "Isolde made me famous. Turandot made me rich." When long-time Metropolitan Opera director Sir Rudolf Bing was asked if she was difficult, he reportedly said "Not at all. You put enough money in, and a glorious voice comes out." When Nilsson was preparing her taxes and was asked if she had any dependents, she replied, "Yes, just one, Rudolf Bing." Nilsson

2695-645: Was instrumental in securing her first important engagement outside Sweden, as Electra in Mozart 's Idomeneo at the Glyndebourne Festival in 1951. Her debut at the Vienna State Opera in 1953 was a turning point; she would be a regular performer there for more than 25 years. It was followed by Elsa in Wagner 's Lohengrin at the Bayreuth Festival in 1954, then her first Brünnhilde in

2750-595: Was known for standing up to conductors. In a 1967 rehearsal of Die Walküre with Herbert von Karajan conducting, Nilsson responded to the gloomy lighting of the production by wearing a miner's helmet (complete with Valkyrian wings). When on some occasion von Karajan urged a retake "but this time with more heart. That's the place where you have your purse", Nilsson replied, "I'm so pleased to find we have something in common." When Georg Solti , in Tristan und Isolde , insisted on tempos too slow for Nilsson's taste, she made

2805-577: Was later featured in Opera News magazine and The New York Times . Nilsson did not get along with famous conductor Herbert von Karajan . Once when rehearsing on stage at the Vienna Staatsoper, her string of pearls broke. While helping her retrieve them, Karajan asked, "Are these real pearls bought with your La Scala fees?" Nilsson replied, "No, these are fake pearls bought with your Vienna Staatsoper fees." When Nilsson first arrived at

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2860-612: Was not a good fit with what she described as the softer textures and refined tones of Italian operas. Nonetheless, she sang roles in Italianate operas such as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni . Nilsson recorded all of her major roles in major commercial recordings of the complete works, as well as about a dozen solo recitals of arias, art songs, concerts, and hymns—all were originally released on vinyl LP format and most have been reissued on CD or in digital format. Partly because of her availability to play Brünnhilde, Decca Records undertook

2915-475: Was often said to dislike Wagner), nor with conductor Herbert von Karajan. Subsequently, she made fewer New York appearances than hoped in the early 1970s and was virtually excluded from the Salzburg Festival . Her American career was derailed in the mid-1970s by US Internal Revenue Service claims filed for back taxes. Several years later a schedule of payments was worked out, and Nilsson's hiatus from

2970-407: Was on Christmas Day 2005. The envelope was opened on 20 February 2009 and the first laureate, who received the award, was the opera tenor and conductor Plácido Domingo . Plácido Domingo’s worldwide career is legendary – singing 130 different roles, more than any other tenor in history. Domingo’s musicality is confirmed by his extraordinary repertoire and singing career as well as his accomplishments as

3025-411: Was so delighted with the idea that he told her about Bing's suggestion. She then cabled Bing, informing him she had to cancel the next two performances because she had contracted rabies. When Nilsson started singing Aida at the Met, soprano Zinka Milanov was miffed as Aida had theretofore been "her" role. After one performance in which Nilsson was singing, Milanov commandeered and drove off in

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