Bertha Schwarz

Bertha Schwarz (1855-1947), often known by her stage name Bianca Bianchi, was a German coloratura soprano opera singer of the late 19th century.

Schwarz was born in Heidelberg on 27 January 1855, the daughter of actors who worked at nearby Mannheim.

[1] As an opera singer, she was for many years a prominent member of the company of the Vienna Court Opera, where her fame was such that an asteroid discovered on 4 September 1880 was named 218 Bianca in her honour.

[2] Two years later Johann Strauss II was inspired by her to compose his Frühlingsstimmen waltz for orchestra and solo soprano voice,[1] still familiar today.

Although based in Vienna, Bianchi sometimes performed in other cities of the German and Austrian empires, notably Hamburg, Karlsruhe and Budapest.