Luísa Todi
Encyclopedia
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
mezzo-soprano opera singer.
Luísa Todi was born Luísa Rosa de Aguiar on January 9, 1753 in Setúbal
Setúbal
Setúbal is the main city in Setúbal Municipality in Portugal with a total area of 172.0 km² and a total population of 118,696 inhabitants in the municipality. The city proper has 89,303 inhabitants....
, Portugal. In 1765, her family moved to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, where her father was a musical writer in the Theatre of Bairro Alto.
Luísa began her career as an actress in 1767 or 1768 in Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
's play Tartuffe
Tartuffe
Tartuffe is a comedy by Molière. It is one of his most famous plays.-History:Molière wrote Tartuffe in 1664...
. She met Francesco Saverio Todi, an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist, whom she married in 1769. After their marriage, on her husband's advice, she began having singing lessons with David Perez, an Italian composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and Music Master of the Portuguese Royal Chapel.
In 1770, she began her career as a singer with Giuseppe Scolari's opera Il Viaggiatore Ridicolo, in the Theatre of Bairro Alto.
From 1772 to 1777, Luísa lived in Oporto, where she was a singer and a singing teacher and where she began to be recognized as an artist of stature.
In the winter of 1777, at age 24, she gave her first performance abroad, at the King's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre, in Haymarket, City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the theatre...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The enthusiastic critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
s said that "Mrs. Luísa Todi possesses high merit as singer and as actress."
In 1778 she sang at the famous Concerts Spirituels in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, winning a triumph
Triumph
-Business:* Triumph , a defunct German motorcycle manufacturer* Triumph Cycle Co. Ltd., a British bicycle brand* Triumph Engineering Co Ltd, a defunct British motorcycle manufacturer* Triumph Group, an aerospace manufacturing and repair company...
and being considered the best foreign singer ever featured in France. She remained in France until 1780; then from 1780 to 1783, she sang at the Teatro Reggio in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
and gave performances in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
in 1781.
She returned to Paris for further Concerts Spirituels series, during which time a confrontation
Confrontation
Confrontation is a tactical fantasy miniature wargaming in which the combatants are represented by metal figures in 28 mm scale. For comparison purposes, the system's figures are slightly larger than those of Games Workshop or The Foundry....
arose between Luísa Todi and the German soprano Gertrud Elisabeth Mara
Gertrud Elisabeth Mara
Gertrud Elisabeth Mara [née Schmeling] was a German operatic soprano.She was born in Kassel, the daughter of a poor musician, Johann Schmeling. From him she learnt to play the violin, and while still a child, her playing at the fair at Frankfurt was so remarkable that money was collected to...
(1749–1833), which divided the public. Luísa Todi won this battle of rivals, being called by the French "the Nation's Singer".
In 1784, Luísa travelled to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
with her husband and children. They arrived at St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
on June 7, 1784 (May 27 O.S.). On June 10 (May 30 O.S.), Luísa gave her first concert, performing Giuseppe Sarti
Giuseppe Sarti
Giuseppe Sarti was an Italian opera composer.-Biography:He was born at Faenza. His date of birth is not known, but he was baptised on 1 December 1729. Some earlier sources say he was born on 28 December, but his baptism certificate proves the later date impossible...
's Armida and Rinaldo. She was so impressive that at the end of that concert the Empress Catherine II presented her with two diamond bracelets. To express their gratitude, Luísa and her husband wrote the opera Pollinia and dedicated it to the Empress.
The opera's première was in October, when Luísa performed with the famous castrato
Castrato
A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.Castration before puberty prevents a boy's...
Luigi Marchesi
Luigi Marchesi
Luigi Marchesi was an Italian castrato singer, one of the most prominent and charismatic to appear in Europe during the second half of the eighteenth century.-Biography:Luigi Ludovico Marchesi was born in Milan...
(1754–1829). Marchesi, famous for his turbulent temperament, envied her success. He and the composer Sarti engaged in a campaign of rivalry against Luísa Todi. Empress Catherine took Luísa's side and declined to renew the contract of Marchesi and Sarti.
Luísa Todi stayed for four years in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(1784–1788). She was the royal princesses' singing teacher, and Catherine II continued to present her with magnificent jewels of incalculable value.
In 1788 Luísa was at Frederick William II
Frederick William II of Prussia
Frederick William II was the King of Prussia, reigning from 1786 until his death. He was in personal union the Prince-Elector of Brandenburg and the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel.-Early life:...
of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
's court.
The following year she returned to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
for her third season of Concerts Spirituels and was considered by critics as "the greatest singer of her time." She returned to the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n court a few weeks before the beginning of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
In 1790 she started a triumphant tour through Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and in Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
she performed for Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
.
At the end of that year, she travelled to Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
and performed at the Teatro di San Samuele in the opera La Didone Abbandonata, wearing a tiara, necklace, and diamond earrings that had been given to her by the Russian Empress.
In Venice, Luísa Todi attained one of the most glittering moments of her career; the Italian season of 1790/1791 became known as "Todi's Year". But during her stay in Venice, she started experiencing vision problems, which caused her to abandon the stage for some months. The Venetians expressed their concern and fans wrote hundreds of verses and poems in her honour. When Luísa returned to the stage in 1791, she was greeted with a rapturous ovation. She also toured other Italian cities.
Between 1792 and 1796, she sang in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
at the Teatro de los Caños del Peral.
In April 1793, Luísa returned to Portugal. She required a special authorization to perform there, because at that time women were forbidden to appear on the public stage. In Lisbon she sang at a commemorative party for the Prince Regent
Prince Regent
A prince regent is a prince who rules a monarchy as regent instead of a monarch, e.g., due to the Sovereign's incapacity or absence ....
's (the future John VI
John VI of Portugal
John VI John VI John VI (full name: João Maria José Francisco Xavier de Paula Luís António Domingos Rafael; (13 May 1767 – 10 March 1826) was King of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves (later changed to just King of Portugal and the Algarves, after Brazil was recognized...
) daughter's birth. Sadly, her native country failed to recognize Luísa's outstanding talent, because her performance was not widely advertised and the Royal Family was absent from the event.
After singing in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, she returned to Portugal in 1801, living in Oporto. There she continued to sing until the death of her husband in 1803, when she retired and wore mourning clothes for the rest of her life.
In 1809, Oporto was invaded by the Napoleonic
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
army commanded by General Soult
Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult
Nicolas Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia , the Hand of Iron, was a French general and statesman, named Marshal of the Empire in 1804. He was one of only six officers in French history to receive the distinction of Marshal General of France...
. Luísa Todi decided to abandon the city, but during the escape she lost most of her belongings, including her priceless jewels. This caused financial problems during the last years of her life. Luísa Todi and her family were imprisoned by the French, but General Soult recognized her as "the Nation's Singer" and protected her.
In 1811 she moved to Lisbon. By 1823, following her earlier vision problems, she had become completely blind. She died on October 1, 1833 after suffering a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
the previous July. She was buried in the cemetery of the Church of the Incarnation, close to Chiado, in Lisbon. The cemetery area still exists today, underneath the foundations of a later building at 78 Rua do Alecrim. In spite of constant requests made by Todi enthusiasts and family descendants, one of the greatest Portuguese singers of all time remains buried beneath the pavement of an obscure cellar.
Before her death, Luísa Todi saw her talent immortalized in Antoine Reicha's book Traité de melodie, where she is described as "the Singer of all Centuries". In modern Lisbon, the street in which Luísa Todi died was named Rua Luísa Todi in 1917. This is at the northern edge of Bairro Alto, just off Rua de São Pedro de Alcântara above the church of São Roque. She was also immortalized in her native city of Setúbal with a large monument and bust as well as the naming of Setúbal's biggest main avenue as Avenida Luísa Todi.
Todi was praised for her vocal abilities, her clear diction, her linguistic skills (she spoke excellent French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
), her professionalism, her talent as an actress, and the emotion and sensibility with which she infused her roles — qualities that make her seem an extremely modern performer. These are the same qualities that have ensured that Luísa Todi is still remembered across the centuries.
