Maria Theresia Paradis was born in Vienna and won an early reputation as a singer and organist, having studied with, among others, Salieri and the Abbé Vogler. Blind from childhood (and not cured in spite of the experiments in animal magnetism of the Mozarts’ family friend Franz Anton Mesmer), she undertook concert tours abroad but after the death of her father in 1808 settled in Vienna, where she established her own music school and gave Sunday house concerts.

Vocal and Instrumental Music

Paradis enjoyed a considerable reputation as a pianist. Her compositions included two concertos for the piano. She wrote Singspiel and a comic opera, with songs that reflect the influence of Salieri.