Child Prodigy Siblings (Violinists) Teresa Milanollo and Maria Milanollo, 1840's
Teresa (on the left : 1827-1904) and her younger sister Maria (on the right: 1832-1848) Milanollo, were Italian violin-playing child prodigies who toured Europe extensively to great acclaim in the 1840s. After Maria died at age 16, it must have been a shocking blow for the entire family, but especially for Teresa, who had lost her closest friend and musical partner. For the next two years she only played for charity, establishing a series of concerts known as the "Concerts des Pauvres" across France. She would play one concert for the wealthy, charging for the tickets, and then a second free concert for the poor; afterward, food and clothing were distributed to those in need. In 1852 she resumed a more traditional career. Not only was Teresa a violinist, but she was also a composer, as most instrumentalists of her day were. Among other things, she wrote a Fantaisie elegiaque in 1853 in memory of her sister. Unfortunately her works are no longer performed today.
This is a later portrait from (1846)
The Lithograph was done by: Ignaz Fertig