DI MURSKA, Ilma [PUKSEC, Ema (?Maria Thea)] (b Ogulin, Croatia, 6 February 1834; d 30 Maximilianstrasse, Munich, 14 January 1889)

This chapter presents a biography of mid- to late-19th-century Victorian vocalist Ilma di Murska. One of the outstanding coloratura sopranos of the Victorian era, 'Fräulein di Murska' paired a superb voice with a very individual style and personality. Considering the size of her fame, di Murska has been dealt with oddly by the makers of reference works and web-biogs. In October 1861, Mme Mathilde Marchesi moved her operation to Paris, taking her nine prize lady pupils – at the head of whom was the restyled Ilma di Murska (de Murska, von Murska) – with her. She followed up as Leonora in Il trovatore and as Amina in Sonnambula with much happier results, although she and Charles Adams sang their part in Italian while the rest preferred German. Her activities over the years to come featured largely seasons in London and Vienna, and largely the repertoire of operas in which she had made her name.