Marietta Piccolomini
Encyclopedia
Marietta PiccolominiConflicting dates for both her birth and death are widespread - birthdates include 5 and 15 March 1834; death dates indlude 11 February, and 11, 20 and 23 December 1899. The dates given in this article, are the ones that are given in Grove's Dictionary of Opera and appear most frequently on the World Wide Web. was an Italian soprano.
(Sienna), Italy on 5 March 1834. She was descended from Italian nobility, see Piccolomini
and her parents were horrified at her wanting to pursue a career in opera, but she succeeded in persuading them to allow her to do so. From the age of four years, Marietta had amused herself at playing at mock theatrical representations. She used to sing duets with her mother, a skilful amateur, and she had been instructed by Romani, one of the first professional singing teachers in Italy.
Marietta had long implored her father to allow her to appear on the stage. At last she prevailed and she made her debut in Rome, November, 1852, in Donizetti's Poliuto
and Antonio Cagnoni
’s Don Bucefalo, under the guidance of her teacher, Romani. Then she appeared in her native town of Sienna and subsequently, she went to Florence, where she performed in Lucrezia Borgia
.This is frequently but erroneously given as her debut in biographical notes.
In Pisa in 1853, she sang Gilda in Rigoletto
and in Turin in 1855 she sang Violetta in La Traviata
, a role in which she became especially famous. The response in Turin was a spectacle not seen before in the world of entertainment. Throngs surrounded her hotel. Men tried to unharness the horses from her carriage so that they might draw it through the streets themselves but she would not permit this.
in London, where she appeared for the first time on May 24, 1856. On May 5 she appeared in Lucia di Lammermoor
. Due to her limited range of a little over two octaves, the music had to be transposed or adapted to suit her capabilities. Nevertheless, audiences received her well. On June 26, Piccolomini appeared for the first time as Maria, in La figlia del reggimento, and on July 26 in Don Pasquale
. She also sang Zerlina in Don Giovanni
. Although these performances revealed her inexperience, critics praised her dramatic ability. Following her season in England, Picolomini sang in Dublin with great success.
When the Empress Eugénie heard that she had missed the most talked about première in Paris, she sent word to Calzado, the director of the theatre, and a command performance was arranged for the Emperor and her.
on a starring tour through Germany.
Biography
Marietta Piccolomini was born Maria Teresa Violante Piccolomini Clementini in SienaSiena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
(Sienna), Italy on 5 March 1834. She was descended from Italian nobility, see Piccolomini
Piccolomini
Piccolomini is the name of an Italian noble family, which was prominent in Siena from the beginning of the 13th century onwards. In 1220, Engelberto d'Ugo Piccolomini received the fief of Montertari in Val d'Orcia from the emperor Frederick II as a reward for services rendered...
and her parents were horrified at her wanting to pursue a career in opera, but she succeeded in persuading them to allow her to do so. From the age of four years, Marietta had amused herself at playing at mock theatrical representations. She used to sing duets with her mother, a skilful amateur, and she had been instructed by Romani, one of the first professional singing teachers in Italy.
Marietta had long implored her father to allow her to appear on the stage. At last she prevailed and she made her debut in Rome, November, 1852, in Donizetti's Poliuto
Poliuto
Poliuto is a tragedia lirica, or tragic opera, by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian libretto after Pierre Corneille's play Polyeucte . It was composed in 1838 and first performed on 30 November 1848 at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples...
and Antonio Cagnoni
Antonio Cagnoni
Antonio Cagnoni was an Italian composer. Primarily known for his operas, his work is characterized by his use of leitmotifs and moderately dissonant harmonies. In addition to writing music for the stage, he composed a modest amount of sacred music, most notably a Requiem in 1888...
’s Don Bucefalo, under the guidance of her teacher, Romani. Then she appeared in her native town of Sienna and subsequently, she went to Florence, where she performed in Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia [luˈkrɛtsia ˈbɔrʤa] was the illegitimate daughter of Rodrigo Borgia, the powerful Renaissance Valencian who later became Pope Alexander VI, and Vannozza dei Cattanei. Her brothers included Cesare Borgia, Giovanni Borgia, and Gioffre Borgia...
.This is frequently but erroneously given as her debut in biographical notes.
In Pisa in 1853, she sang 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...
and in Turin in 1855 she sang 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...
, a role in which she became especially famous. The response in Turin was a spectacle not seen before in the world of entertainment. Throngs surrounded her hotel. Men tried to unharness the horses from her carriage so that they might draw it through the streets themselves but she would not permit this.
London
When word of her success in Turin reached Britain, she was invited to sing La Traviata at Her Majesty's TheatreHer 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, where she appeared for the first time on May 24, 1856. On May 5 she appeared in Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor....
. Due to her limited range of a little over two octaves, the music had to be transposed or adapted to suit her capabilities. Nevertheless, audiences received her well. On June 26, Piccolomini appeared for the first time as Maria, in La figlia del reggimento, and on July 26 in Don Pasquale
Don Pasquale
Don Pasquale is an opera buffa, or comic opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The librettist Giovanni Ruffini wrote the Italian language libretto after Angelo Anelli's libretto for Stefano Pavesi's Ser Marcantonio ....
. She also sang Zerlina in Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
. Although these performances revealed her inexperience, critics praised her dramatic ability. Following her season in England, Picolomini sang in Dublin with great success.
Paris
Picolomini's appearance in Paris in Traviata on December 6, 1856 was the first time the opera had been heard in France. Verdi tried to stop the opera from being performed at Théâtre des Italiens owing to lack of copyright for his operas in France at the time, as did Alexandre Dumas, who claimed copyright infringement of La Dame aux camélias, but without success. Again, while critics remarked on the limitations of her voice and singing, they praised her natural talent and stage presence.When the Empress Eugénie heard that she had missed the most talked about première in Paris, she sent word to Calzado, the director of the theatre, and a command performance was arranged for the Emperor and her.
On tour in 1857
Piccolomini returned to the United Kinghdom on April 21, 1857 and performed in in La figlia del reggimento again and also in Don Giovanni, Lucia di Lammermoor and Le Nozze di Figaro. She had been working hard to improve her technique as a result of the criticism she had received the year before. She then made a provincial tour which included Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bath, Bristol, Cheltenham, Brighton, and other places. Then she repaired again to Dublin. In November and December she went with GiugliniAntonio 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...
on a starring tour through Germany.