Benedetta Rosmunda Pisaroni (born

Piacenza Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...

, 16 May 1793 – died Piacenza, 6 August 1872) was an Italian

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

who later became a

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically b ...

. She was born as Benedetta Pisaroni to Giambattista Pisaroni and Luigia Pratti. Active on the operatic stage from 1811 to 1831, she suffered from smallpox in the early years of her career which caused a change (downward) in her extended vocal range. Appearing in Bergamo, Padua, Bologna, Venice, Milan, Rome and eventually Paris in the 1810s and 1820s, she was closely associated with the operas of

Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

and

Giacomo Meyerbeer Giacomo Meyerbeer (born Jakob Liebmann Beer; 5 September 1791 – 2 May 1864) was a German opera composer, "the most frequently performed opera composer during the nineteenth century, linking Mozart and Wagner". With his 1831 opera ''Robert le di ...

Roles created

*Romilda in Meyerbeer's '' Romilda e Costanza'' (1817) *Zomira in Rossini's ''

Ricciardo e Zoraide ''Ricciardo e Zoraide'' (''Ricciardo and Zoraide'') is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Francesco Berio di Salsa. The text is based on cantos XIV and XV of '' Il Ricciardetto'', an epic poem by Niccolò Forte ...

'' (1818) *Andromaca in Rossini's ''

Ermione ''Ermione'' (1819) is a tragic opera (azione tragica) in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, based on the play ''Andromaque'' by Jean Racine. Performance history 19th century ''Ermione'' was first pe ...

'' (1819) *Malcolm in Rossini's ''

La donna del lago ''La donna del lago'' (English: ''The Lady of the Lake'') is an opera composed by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola (whose verses are described as "limpid" by one critic) based on the French translationOsborne, Charles 19 ...

'' (1819) *Almanzor in Meyerbeer's ''

L'esule di Granata (''The Exile of Granada'') is a ''melodramma serio'' (serious opera) in two acts by Giacomo Meyerbeer. The Italian libretto was by Felice Romani based on the rivalries between the Zegridi and the Abenceraggi factions in the last days of the kin ...

'' (1821)

Sources

* Forbes, Elizabeth (1992), 'Pisaroni, Benedetta Rosmunda' in ''The

New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volu ...

'', ed. Stanley Sadie (London) 1793 births 1872 deaths People from Piacenza Italian contraltos Italian operatic sopranos Operatic contraltos 19th-century Italian women opera singers {{italy-opera-singer-stub