Jasińska Magdalena, née Lazańska, Łazańska, Leżańska, *around 1770 in Podlasie, †23 July 1800 Warsaw, Polish singer, wife of Wojciech Jasiński. She came from an impoverished noble family. She was brought up under the care of the singer and theatre entrepreneur Leon Pierożyński, with whom she stayed at the court of Prince Karol Radziwiłł in Nieśwież from around 1783 to 1785. There she met her future husband and her vocal talent was noticed in 1784 by Wojciech Bogusławski. In the summer of 1785, without any musical training, she began her singing career in Bogusławski’s band in Vilnius. She made her debut as the Countess in the opera La scuola de’gelosi by A. Salieri. After marrying Wojciech Jasiński, in the spring of 1786, she moved with him to Warsaw, where she became the prima donna of the National Theater. Soon abandoned by her husband, she got involved with the singer D. Kaczkowski. At that time, she performed in the capital, among others, in the operas: La scuola de’gelosi (27 May 1786 Warsaw debut), Le gelosie villane by A. Sarti and Donnerwetter or A Corporal in Recruitment by A. Weinert. She also sang in the Cantata on the day of the inauguration of the statue of Jan III by M. Kamieński. In the summer of 1789, after F. Ryx disbanded the Polish company, she became involved in the theatre in Krakow. In the spring of 1793, Bogusławski recruited her to his team in Warsaw. In the capital, Jasińska reminded herself to the audience in La scuola de’gelosi, she also appeared in new operas: Axur, Re d’Ormus by A. Salieri, Una cosa rara... by V. Martín y Soler, Cud mniemany czyli Krakowiacy i górale by J. Stefani. After the capital stage closed, in the fall of 1794 she went with Kaczkowski to Krakow, from where after two months they both went to Lviv to join Bogusławski’s group. Jasińska also sang the main opera parts there, but her glory days seem to be behind her. In Lviv, she performed in the operas: Axur, Re d’Ormus, Cud mniemany, The Good Lord is the Father of His Subjects, J.D. Holland, L’impresario in angustie by D. Cimarosa, L’arbore di Diana by V. Martín y Soler, Il Re Teodoro in Venezia by G. Paisiello, and Herminia i.e. Amazons and Iskahar, King of Guaxara by J. Elsner. She also worked as an actress, playing the roles of queens in tragedies (including Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Voltaire’s Merope) and character roles in comedies. In the spring of 1799, she returned with Bogusławski’s group to Warsaw, where in the winter she appeared in several operas from the old repertoire, and then withdrew from the stage due to a fatal illness. From her relationship with Kaczkowski, two children were born: actor Dominik Kaczkowski and singer and actress Agnieszka Zdanowska.
Jasińska was one of the most outstanding Polish singers of the King Stanisław era. Her artist’s skills are proven by, among others, the part of the Queen from Elsner’s opera The Amazons, written for her, especially the daring aria The whole world trembled with astonishment, full of fioritures, trills and runs. According to Bogusławski, Jasińska was also a talented actress, particularly successful in comedies.
Literature: W. Bogusławski Życie Magdaleny Jasińskiej, in: Dzieje Teatru Narodowego, part 3, Warsaw 1965.
