Maria Spezia-Aldighieri
Encyclopedia
Maria Spezia-Aldighieri was an Italian opera
tic soprano
who had an active international career from 1849 up into the 1870s. She excelled in the coloratura soprano
repertoire and was particularly admired for her portrayals in the operas of Giuseppe Verdi
. Her performance of Violetta in Verdi's La traviata
at the Teatro San Benedetto
in Venice in 1854 is credited with popularizing the opera after it had initially flopped at its premiere in 1853. She was married to baritone
Gottardo Aldighieri
and is the great grandmother of singer George Aaron
.
, Spezia-Aldighieri studied singing with Domenico Foroni
in Verona. She made her professional opera debut at the Teatro Filarmonico in 1849 in the title role of Vincenzo Bellini
's Beatrice di Tenda
. She returned there soon after in the title roles of Gaetano Donizetti
's Maria Padilla
and Verdi's Attila. In 1852-1853 she was committed to the Mariinsky Theatre
in Saint Petersburg, Russia. She then spent the next two decades performing in the leading opera house
s in Italy, including the Teatro di San Carlo
, the Teatro Regio di Turino, the Teatro Costanzi, the Teatro Apollo, the Teatro alla Canobbiana, and La Fenice
. She also performed at the Teatro Real
in Madrid.
In 1854 Spezia-Aldighieri was invited by Verdi to portray the role of Violetta in La traviata
at the Teatro San Benedetto
in Venice. The work had previously been mounted only once, at La Fenice in March 1853, and had been a complete failure at its premiere. This second production was a complete triumph for both the opera and Spezia Aldighieri, whom Verdi and the critics credited with making the work a success. She later repeated the role of Violetta at the Théâtre-Italien in Paris and at many other Italian theatres, including La Scala
. In his notes for his unfinished opera Re Lear
, Verdi named Spezia Aldighieri as an ideal performer for the role of Cordelia.
In 1855-1856 Spezia-Aldighieri was committed to the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos
where she was billed as Marietta Spezia. Among the roles she sang there were Abigaille, Bice in Errico Petrella
's Marco Visconti, Elvira in Ernani
, Leila in Giuseppe Apolloni
's L'ebreo, Leonora in Il trovatore
, Rosina in The Barber of Seville
, Violetta, and the title role in Maria di Rohan
. In 1857 she performed the role of Inez in Donizetti's La favorita at Her Majesty's Theatre
in London opposite Antonio Giuglini
. That same year she made her debut at La Scala as Valentine in Giacomo Meyerbeer
's Les Huguenots
. She returned to that house in 1858 to portray the role of Mathilde in the world premiere of Stefano Ronchetti-Monteviti
's Pergolese.
In 1861 Spezia-Aldighieri portrayed Abigaille opposite her husband in the title role of Verdi's Nabucco
at both La Scala and the Teatro di San Carlo. In 1862 she sang Amelia to her husband's Renato in the Naples premiere of Verdi's Un ballo in maschera
. That same year she created roles in the world premieres of Vincenzo Moscuzza
's Don Carlo (Elisabetta di Valois) and Enrico Bevignani
's Caterina Blum at the Teatro di San Carlo. One of her last performances was at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna
in 1872 in the title role of Bellini's Norma
. Some of the other roles she sang on stage were Amalia in I masnadieri
, Desdemona in Otello
, Gilda in Rigoletto
, Giselda and Viclinda in Verdi's I Lombardi alla prima crociata
, Lady Macbeth in Verdi's Macbeth
, Lucrezia in Verdi's I due Foscari
, Maria in Carlo Pedrotti
's Mazeppa, and the title roles in Donizetti's Anna Bolena
and Gemma di Vergy
, Achille Peri
's Giuditta, Verdi's Luisa Miller
, and Pedrotti's Marion de Lorme.
She died in Colognola ai Colli
in 1907.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
who had an active international career from 1849 up into the 1870s. She excelled in the coloratura soprano
Coloratura soprano
A coloratura soprano is a type of operatic soprano who specializes in music that is distinguished by agile runs and leaps. The term coloratura refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, which is a typical component of the music written for this voice...
repertoire and was particularly admired for her portrayals in the operas of Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
. Her performance of Violetta in Verdi's La traviata
La traviata
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
at the Teatro San Benedetto
Teatro San Benedetto
The Teatro San Benedetto was a theatre in Venice, particularly prominent in the operatic life of the city in the 18th and early 19th centuries. It saw the premieres of over 140 operas, including Rossini's L'italiana in Algeri, and was the theatre of choice for the presentation of opera seria until...
in Venice in 1854 is credited with popularizing the opera after it had initially flopped at its premiere in 1853. She was married to baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
Gottardo Aldighieri
Gottardo Aldighieri
Gottardo Aldighieri was an Italian operatic baritone who had a major opera career in Italy from 1858-1885. He possessed a powerful and beautiful voice and appeared on the stages of most of Italy's great opera houses. He sang a broad repertoire which encompassed works by Italian, French, and German...
and is the great grandmother of singer George Aaron
George Aaron
George Aaron is an Italian singer known for his dance music. He first came to prominence in 1984 with the release of his album She's A Devil. He released four more albums over the next five years, selling over 10 million records worldwide. After 14 years away from the recording studio, he released...
.
Life and career
Born Maria Spezia in Villafranca di VeronaVillafranca di Verona
Villafranca di Verona is a town and comune in the province of Verona in the Veneto, Northern Italy.-History:The position on the ancient via Postumia and the perpendicular intersection structure of its roads suggests that the city had Roman origins....
, Spezia-Aldighieri studied singing with Domenico Foroni
Domenico Foroni
Domenico Foroni was an Italian composer, conductor, and music educator. He was born in Valeggio sul Mincio into a family of landowners. On 7 November 1818 he married Teresa Zovetto with whom he had five children, two of whom became famous: the operatic soprano Antonietta Foroni-Conti and the...
in Verona. She made her professional opera debut at the Teatro Filarmonico in 1849 in the title role of Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Bellini
Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini was an Italian opera composer. His greatest works are I Capuleti ed i Montecchi , La sonnambula , Norma , Beatrice di Tenda , and I puritani...
's Beatrice di Tenda
Beatrice di Tenda
Beatrice di Tenda is a tragic opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini, from a libretto by Felice Romani, after the play of the same name by Carlo Tedaldi-Fores...
. She returned there soon after in the title roles of Gaetano Donizetti
Gaetano Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. His best-known works are the operas L'elisir d'amore , Lucia di Lammermoor , and Don Pasquale , all in Italian, and the French operas La favorite and La fille du régiment...
's Maria Padilla
Maria Padilla
Maria Padilla is a melodramma, or opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Gaetano Rossi and the composer wrote the Italian libretto after François Ancelot's play. It premiered on December 26, 1841 at La Scala, Milan...
and Verdi's Attila. In 1852-1853 she was committed to the Mariinsky Theatre
Mariinsky Theatre
The Mariinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov received their premieres. The...
in Saint Petersburg, Russia. She then spent the next two decades performing in the leading opera house
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
s in Italy, including the Teatro di San Carlo
Teatro di San Carlo
The Real Teatro di San Carlo is an opera house in Naples, Italy. It is the oldest continuously active such venue in Europe.Founded by the Bourbon Charles VII of Naples of the Spanish branch of the dynasty, the theatre was inaugurated on 4 November 1737 — the king's name day — with a performance...
, the Teatro Regio di Turino, the Teatro Costanzi, the Teatro Apollo, the Teatro alla Canobbiana, and La Fenice
La Fenice
Teatro La Fenice is an opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of the most famous theatres in Europe, the site of many famous operatic premieres. Its name reflects its role in permitting an opera company to "rise from the ashes" despite losing the use of two theatres...
. She also performed at the Teatro Real
Teatro Real
The Teatro Real or simply El Real , is a major opera house located in Madrid, Spain.-History:...
in Madrid.
In 1854 Spezia-Aldighieri was invited by Verdi to portray the role of Violetta in La traviata
La traviata
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
at the Teatro San Benedetto
Teatro San Benedetto
The Teatro San Benedetto was a theatre in Venice, particularly prominent in the operatic life of the city in the 18th and early 19th centuries. It saw the premieres of over 140 operas, including Rossini's L'italiana in Algeri, and was the theatre of choice for the presentation of opera seria until...
in Venice. The work had previously been mounted only once, at La Fenice in March 1853, and had been a complete failure at its premiere. This second production was a complete triumph for both the opera and Spezia Aldighieri, whom Verdi and the critics credited with making the work a success. She later repeated the role of Violetta at the Théâtre-Italien in Paris and at many other Italian theatres, including La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
. In his notes for his unfinished opera Re Lear
Re Lear
Re Lear is an Italian operatic libretto in four acts written by Antonio Somma for Giuseppe Verdi , based on King Lear, "the Shakespeare play with which Verdi struggled for so many years, but without success" ....
, Verdi named Spezia Aldighieri as an ideal performer for the role of Cordelia.
In 1855-1856 Spezia-Aldighieri was committed to the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos
Teatro Nacional de São Carlos
The Teatro Nacional de São Carlos is an opera house in Lisbon, Portugal. It was opened on July 30, 1793 by Queen Maria I as a replacement for the Tejo Opera House, which was destroyed in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake...
where she was billed as Marietta Spezia. Among the roles she sang there were Abigaille, Bice in Errico Petrella
Errico Petrella
Errico Petrella was an Italian opera composer.Petrella was born at Palermo. A conservative of the Neapolitan school, he was the most successful Italian composer, second only to Verdi, during the 1850s and 1860s. He also earned the latter's scorn for his compositional and dramatic crudities,...
's Marco Visconti, Elvira in Ernani
Ernani
Ernani is an operatic dramma lirico in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play Hernani by Victor Hugo. The first production took place at La Fenice Theatre, Venice on 9 March 1844...
, Leila in Giuseppe Apolloni
Giuseppe Apolloni
Giuseppe Apolloni was an Italian composer born in Vicenza, Italy. He composed a total of 5 operas, only one of which, L'ebreo was successful. He died in Vicenza....
's L'ebreo, Leonora in Il trovatore
Il trovatore
Il trovatore is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play El Trovador by Antonio García Gutiérrez. Cammarano died in mid-1852 before completing the libretto...
, Rosina in The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...
, Violetta, and the title role in Maria di Rohan
Maria di Rohan
Maria di Rohan is a melodramma tragico, or tragic opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The Italian libretto was written by Salvadore Cammarano, after Lockroy and Edmond Badon's Un duel sous le cardinal de Richelieu, which had played in Paris in 1832.- Roles :- Synopsis :The comte de...
. In 1857 she performed the role of Inez in Donizetti's La favorita at Her Majesty'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 opposite Antonio Giuglini
Antonio Giuglini
Antonio Giuglini was an Italian operatic tenor. During the last eight years of his life, before he developed signs of mental instability, he earned renown as one of the leading stars of the operatic scene in London...
. That same year she made her debut at La Scala as Valentine in Giacomo Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer was a noted German opera composer, and the first great exponent of "grand opera." At his peak in the 1830s and 1840s, he was the most famous and successful composer of opera in Europe, yet he is rarely performed today.-Early years:He was born to a Jewish family in Tasdorf , near...
's Les Huguenots
Les Huguenots
Les Huguenots is a French opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer, one of the most popular and spectacular examples of the style of grand opera. The opera is in five acts and premiered in Paris in 1836. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps....
. She returned to that house in 1858 to portray the role of Mathilde in the world premiere of Stefano Ronchetti-Monteviti
Stefano Ronchetti-Monteviti
Stefano Ronchetti-Monteviti was an Italian composer, music educator, and college administrator. Born in Asti, he joined the faculty of the Milan Conservatory in 1850 as a professor of counterpoint. He was appointed the school's director in 1878, a post he held until illness forced him to resign in...
's Pergolese.
In 1861 Spezia-Aldighieri portrayed Abigaille opposite her husband in the title role of Verdi's Nabucco
Nabucco
Nabucco is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera, based on the Biblical story and the 1836 play by Auguste Anicet-Bourgeois and Francis Cornue...
at both La Scala and the Teatro di San Carlo. In 1862 she sang Amelia to her husband's Renato in the Naples premiere of Verdi's Un ballo in maschera
Un ballo in maschera
Un ballo in maschera , is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi with text by Antonio Somma. The libretto is loosely based on an 1833 play, Gustave III, by French playwright Eugène Scribe who wrote about the historical assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden...
. That same year she created roles in the world premieres of Vincenzo Moscuzza
Vincenzo Moscuzza
Vincenzo Moscuzza was an Italian composer. Born in Syracuse, Sicily, he was the son of composer Luigi Moscuzza and his initial musical training was from his father. He later studied at the Naples Conservatory with Saverio Mercadante...
's Don Carlo (Elisabetta di Valois) and Enrico Bevignani
Enrico Bevignani
Enrico Modesto Bevignani was an Italian conductor, harpsichordist, composer, and impresario. He studied in his native city with Giuseppe Albanese, Salvatore Lavigna, Giuseppe Lillo and Giuseppe Staffa...
's Caterina Blum at the Teatro di San Carlo. One of her last performances was at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna
Teatro Comunale di Bologna
The Teatro Comunale di Bologna is an opera house in Bologna, Italy, and is one of the most important opera venues in Italy. Typically, it presents eight operas with six performances during its November to April season....
in 1872 in the title role of Bellini's Norma
Norma (opera)
Norma is a tragedia lirica or opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini with libretto by Felice Romani after Norma, ossia L'infanticidio by Alexandre Soumet. First produced at La Scala on December 26, 1831, it is generally regarded as an example of the supreme height of the bel canto tradition...
. Some of the other roles she sang on stage were Amalia in I masnadieri
I masnadieri
I masnadieri is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Andrea Maffei, based on Die Räuber by Friedrich von Schiller....
, Desdemona in Otello
Otello
Otello is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play Othello. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, and was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on February 5, 1887....
, Gilda in Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
, Giselda and Viclinda in Verdi's I Lombardi alla prima crociata
I Lombardi alla prima crociata
I Lombardi alla prima crociata is an operatic dramma lirico in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera, based on an epic poem by Tommaso Grossi. Its first performance was given at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan on 11 February 1843...
, Lady Macbeth in Verdi's Macbeth
Macbeth (opera)
Macbeth is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, with an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and additions by Andrea Maffei, based on Shakespeare's play of the same name...
, Lucrezia in Verdi's I due Foscari
I due Foscari
I due Foscari is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on a historical play, The Two Foscari by Lord Byron....
, Maria in Carlo Pedrotti
Carlo Pedrotti
Carlo Pedrotti was an Italian conductor, administrator and composer, principally of opera. An associate of Giuseppe Verdi's, he also taught two internationally renowned Italian operatic tenors, Francesco Tamagno and Alessandro Bonci.-Early life:Pedrotti was born in Verona, where he studied music...
's Mazeppa, and the title roles in Donizetti's Anna Bolena
Anna Bolena
Anna Bolena is a tragedia lirica, or opera, in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto after Ippolito Pindemonte's Enrico VIII ossia Anna Bolena and Alessandro Pepoli's Anna Bolena, both telling of the life of Anne Boleyn...
and Gemma di Vergy
Gemma di Vergy
Gemma de Vergy is a tragedia lirica or tragic opera in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti from a libretto by Emanuele Bidéra. It is based on the tragedy Charles VII chez ses grands vassaux by Alexandre Dumas père, which was later to become the subject of the opera The Saracen by the Russian composer...
, Achille Peri
Achille Peri
Achille Peri was an Italian composer and conductor. He is best known for his operas which were strongly influenced by the music of Giuseppe Verdi.-Life and career:...
's Giuditta, Verdi's Luisa Miller
Luisa Miller
Luisa Miller is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play Kabale und Liebe by Friedrich von Schiller. The first performance was given at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples on December 8, 1849...
, and Pedrotti's Marion de Lorme.
She died in Colognola ai Colli
Colognola ai Colli
Colognola ai Colli is a comune in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about 90 km west of Venice and about 15 km east of Verona....
in 1907.