Marianna Barbieri-Nini
Encyclopedia
Marianna Barbieri-Nini was an Italian opera
tic soprano
who had an active career in Italy's major opera house
s from 1840 through 1856. She also made appearances at the Liceu
in Barcelona, the Teatro Real
in Madrid, Her Majesty's Theatre
in London, and at theatres in Paris. She possessed a powerful voice with coloratura
facility and was known for her highly dramatic singing and acting. She was especially admired in the title roles of Gaetano Donizetti
's Anna Bolena
and Gioachino Rossini's Semiramide
. She was also successful in the operas of Giuseppe Verdi
, notably creating roles in the world premieres of three of his works.
, Barbieri-Nini studied singing
with Luigi Barbieri, Giuditta Pasta
, and Nicola Vaccai
. In 1840 she made her professional opera debut at La Scala
as Antonina in Donizetti's Belisario
; a performance which was negatively received. She had her first success the following year in the title role of Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia
at the Teatro della Pergola
in Florence. For the next 15 years she sang with great success throughout Italy and in Spain and France. She created roles in the world premieres of several operas by Giuseppe Verdi
, including Lucrezia Contarini in I due Foscari
(1844, Teatro Argentina
), Lady Macbeth in Macbeth
(1847, Teatro della Pergola
), and Gulnara in Il corsaro
(1848, Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi).
After retiring from the stage in 1856, Barbieri-Nini worked as a singing teacher in Florence. Her first marriage was to Count Nini of Sienna, and after his death she married the Viennese pianist Leopold Hackensöllner. She died in Florence in 1887 at the age of 69.
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 career in Italy's major 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 from 1840 through 1856. She also made appearances at the Liceu
Liceu
The Gran Teatre del Liceu , or simply Liceu in Catalan and Liceo in Spanish, is an opera house on La Rambla in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain...
in Barcelona, the Teatro Real
Teatro Real
The Teatro Real or simply El Real , is a major opera house located in Madrid, Spain.-History:...
in Madrid, 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, and at theatres in Paris. She possessed a powerful voice with coloratura
Coloratura
Coloratura has several meanings. The word is originally from Italian, literally meaning "coloring", and derives from the Latin word colorare . When used in English, the term specifically refers to elaborate melody, particularly in vocal music and especially in operatic singing of the 18th and...
facility and was known for her highly dramatic singing and acting. She was especially admired 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 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 Gioachino Rossini's Semiramide
Semiramide
Semiramide is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini.The libretto by Gaetano Rossi is based on Voltaire's tragedy Semiramis, which in turn was based on the legend of Semiramis of Babylon...
. She was also successful 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...
, notably creating roles in the world premieres of three of his works.
Life and career
Born in FlorenceFlorence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Barbieri-Nini studied singing
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
with Luigi Barbieri, Giuditta Pasta
Giuditta Pasta
Giuditta Angiola Maria Costanza Pasta , born in Saronno, Italy, was a soprano considered among the greatest of opera singers, to whom the 20th-century soprano Maria Callas was compared.-Studies and career:...
, and Nicola Vaccai
Nicola Vaccai
Nicola Vaccai was an Italian composer, particularly of operas, and a singing teacher.-Life and career as a composer:...
. In 1840 she made her professional opera debut at 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...
as Antonina in Donizetti's Belisario
Belisario
Belisario is a tragedia lirica, or opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian libretto after Luigi Marchionni's adaptation of Eduard von Schenk's play. The plot is loosely based on the life of the famous general Belisarius of the 6th century Byzantine Empire...
; a performance which was negatively received. She had her first success the following year in the title role of Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia (opera)
Lucrezia Borgia is a melodramma, or opera, in a prologue and two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto after the play by Victor Hugo, in its turn after the legend of Lucrezia Borgia. Lucrezia Borgia was first performed on 26 December 1833 at La Scala, Milan with...
at the Teatro della Pergola
Teatro della Pergola
The Teatro della Pergola is a historic opera house in Florence, Italy. It is located in the centre of the city on the Via della Pergola, from which the theatre takes its name...
in Florence. For the next 15 years she sang with great success throughout Italy and in Spain and France. She created roles in the world premieres of several operas by 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...
, including Lucrezia Contarini in 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....
(1844, Teatro Argentina
Teatro Argentina
The Teatro Argentina is an opera house and theatre located in the Largo di Torre Argentina, a square in Rome, Italy. It is one of the oldest theatres in Rome, and was inaugurated on January 31, 1732 with Berenice by Domenico Sarro....
), Lady Macbeth in 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...
(1847, Teatro della Pergola
Teatro della Pergola
The Teatro della Pergola is a historic opera house in Florence, Italy. It is located in the centre of the city on the Via della Pergola, from which the theatre takes its name...
), and Gulnara in Il corsaro
Il corsaro
Il corsaro is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, from a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on Lord Byron's poem The Corsair...
(1848, Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi).
After retiring from the stage in 1856, Barbieri-Nini worked as a singing teacher in Florence. Her first marriage was to Count Nini of Sienna, and after his death she married the Viennese pianist Leopold Hackensöllner. She died in Florence in 1887 at the age of 69.