Historic Nightingales
These are some portaits of famed coloratura sopranos from the 19th Century. We don't have recordings of most of these ladies, so their reputation lives by contemporary accounts only.
Mrs. Billington (above and below) was one of the first English coloratura specialists with a trick upper extenstion. She was quite the classic prima donna as well.
Carlotta Patti (above and below in a stereopicture) was Adelina's less famous and less attractive sister, however she had a magnificent voice and a fantastic upper extension to High G.
The much more famous Patti sister -- one of the greatest divas ever: Adelina Patti.
Mignon Nevada was Emma Nevada's sister, both lyric-coloratura sopranos.
Christine Nilsson sang in the opening performance of the Met -- Marguerite in Faust.
Marie Van Zandt was an American songbird in the last quarter of the 19th Century.
Henriette Sontag, a German coloratura born in 1806, sang like "a little woodland bird opening its bill, so naturally, so spontaneously, so gaily" with a sweet, bright seductive tone, and a exceptional lark-like trill.
Sybil Sanderson was Massenet's muse -- he composed Thais and Esclarmonde for her. The High G he wrote into the later opera was known as the "Eiffel Tower note" (the opera debuted in Paris during the World's Exhibition) and was dismissed as a "squeak of heroic proportions" by a critic of the time. She is pictured below as Esclarmonde and Manon.
Here a morbid one: a seller on Ebay claimed this is a death mask of Maria Malibran, the great bel canto soprano who created so many roles in the canon. She is pictured below in more lifelike -- and rather chic -- manner.
Angelica Catalani was quite the embellisher -- audiences went mad for her roulades but the critics -- then as now -- thought her showing-off to be vulgar and unmusical.
Clara Louise Kellogg was one of the very first American coloratura divas -- quite a go-getter with great stage presence, or so I've read.
Therese Tietjens was one of the Shaw's favorite singers -- a real dramatic coloratura who sang everything from the Queen of the Night to Martha.
Giuditta Pasta created Norma. Callas has been likened to her -- an uneven voice belonging to a complete artiste. She also created an array of great bel canto roles including Amina and Anna Bolena.
The legendary Giulia Grisi is captured majestically above. She created Adalgisa in Norma, Elvira in Puritani, and Norina in Don Pasquale. Much has been written about her angelic voice, and her self-centered diva persona.
Fanny Tacchinardi-Persiani picture above (as Lucia) and below (an 1834 portrait by Karl Brulloff -- perhaps as Amina) created Lucia and was one of the first of what we think of as "nightingale" specialists -- light voice, high notes, ornaments, etc.
Georgette Brejean-Silver was another muse of Massenet -- he composed the very florid alternate Fabliau for her in Manon. Oddly, in old the recording she left of it, she takes all the low options.
Here is a real obscurity: Giuseppina Ronzi de Begnis, who created Elizabeth in Roberto Devereux and who came to blows with Anna del Serre during rehearsals for Maria Stuarda. Here she is, elaborately costumed, as Fatima in "Pietro l'Eremite" (a version of Rossini's Moise en Egypte).
Melba as Rosina.
One of the legends: Marie Miolan-Carvalho. She created most of Gounod's lyric/florid soprano roles: Marguerite, Juliette, Mireille, and Baucis. [So we have her to thank for all those annoying waltz songs.] She also created two coloratura-fests for Masse: La Reine Topaze and Les Noces de Jeannette. Massenet dedicated Manon to her, although she did not create the role. This songbird got around.
Christine Nilsson who sang Marguerite at the first performance of the Met.
