![Emma Albertazzi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Emma_Albertazzi.jpg)
Emma Albertazzi (1 May 1815 – 25 September 1847), born Emma Howson, was an English operatic
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 ...
.
[ Gänzl, Kurt]
"Emma Albertazzi. The facts ... and not the fictions"
Kurt of Gerolstein, 20 May 2019 She began her opera career in Italy, France and Spain, making her British debut in 1837. Critics praised the beauty of her voice but found her acting too "ladylike" and lacking energy. She also sang prolifically on the concert stage. After giving birth to her fifth child, she returned briefly to singing, but died only months later at the age of 32.
Early life and career
Albertazzi was born in
Streatham
Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth.
Streatham was in Surrey ...
, London, the daughter of Francis Howson (died 1863), an English music professor, and his wife Sarah, ''née'' Tanner (died 1839). She had three brothers and a sister, several of whom became performers and some of whom established the
Howson family
The Howson family was a show-business dynasty founded in Australia, several of whose members went on to further success in America, London and Europe.
Family
Francis Howson (1794 – 13 April 1863) was an English pianist, arranger and voice coach. ...
musical dynasty in Australia; her niece was
Emma Howson
Emma Howson (28 March 1844 – 28 May 1928) was an Australian opera singer and actress primarily known as the creator of the principal soprano role of Josephine in the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera ''H.M.S. Pinafore''.
She began her op ...
.
[ As a child, Albertazzi studied with a music teacher, Andrea Costa. In 1827, she moved in with Costa, and her parents signed a contract with him.][
Her first public performance was in 1828 at the New Argyle Rooms, London, and she performed in a concert the following year at the King's Theatre Concert Room. In 1829 a young Italian, Francesco Albertazzi (died 1857), also began to study with Costa, and the two married in London on 25 November 1829; the bride was 14 years old. Her husband signed additional contracts with Costa.][ Sources variously report Albertazzi's activities over the next year or so, but she performed in ]Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
, Italy, in a concert at the Teatro Rè in September 1831.[
]
Operatic career
In July 1832, she appeared as the heroine in '' Adelina'' by Pietro Generali
Pietro Generali (born Mercandetti Generali; 23 October 1773 – 3 November 1832) was an Italian composer primarily of operas and vocal music.
Generali was born in Masserano. He studied counterpoint with Giovanni Masi in Rome and spent a few m ...
at Milan's Teatro della Canobbiana
The Teatro Lirico (known until 1894 as the Teatro alla Canobbiana) is a theatre in Milan, Italy. In the 19th and early 20th centuries it hosted numerous opera performances, including the world premieres of Donizetti's ''L'elisir d'amore'' and Gi ...
; this was apparently her operatic debut.[ In December, while still in Milan, she gave birth to her first child, Maria Caroline Clelia Albertazzi. The following year she appeared at ]La Scala
La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...
in ''Il nuovo Figaro'' by Ricci Ricci () is an Italian surname, derived from the adjective "riccio", meaning curly. Notable Riccis Arts and entertainment
* Antonio Ricci (painter) (c.1565–c.1635), Spanish Baroque painter of Italian origin
* Christina Ricci (born 1980), Americ ...
. By July 1833, Albertazzi was singing Adina in ''L'elisir d'amore
''L'elisir d'amore'' (''The Elixir of Love'', ) is a ' (opera buffa) in two acts by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto, after Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's ' (1831). The opera premiere ...
'' Teatro del Principe in Madrid. There she also appeared in ''Gli Arabi nelle Gallie'', by Pacini, at the Teatro de la Cruz
The Teatro de la Cruz was, during its nearly 200-year existence, the principal theater for comedy in Madrid.
History
Founded by the Hermandad de la Soledad in 1584, it soon became the premier venue of its time for Spanish comedy.
In 1743, it was ...
, and several other operas into 1835. She next went to Paris and was engaged at the Théâtre des Italiens where she began with the role of Jane Seymour in ''Anna Bolena
''Anna Bolena'' is a tragic opera (''tragedia lirica'') in two acts composed 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 ...
'' and then the title role in ''La Cenerentola
' (''Cinderella, or Goodness Triumphant'') is an operatic ''dramma giocoso'' in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the libretti written by Charles-Guillaume Étienne for the opera '' Cendrillon'' ...
'', followed by other roles there. In 1836 she returned to Italy to perform a season of roles at the Teatro Carignano
The Teatro Carignano (Carignano Theatre) is a theatre in Turin and one of the oldest and most important theatres in Italy. Designed by Benedetto Alfieri, it is located opposite the Palazzo Carignano. Building commenced in 1752 and the theatre was ...
in Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...
, followed by another season in Paris, into 1837, where she continued to receive plaudits for her singing, though rarely her acting.[
In 1837, she made her British operatic debut in ''La Cenerentola'' at the King's Theatre. The press notices were mostly ebullient, with many comparing Albertazzi's voice to that of ]Maria Malibran
Maria Felicia Malibran (24 March 1808 – 23 September 1836) was a Spanish singer who commonly sang both contralto and soprano parts, and was one of the best-known opera singers of the 19th century. Malibran was known for her stormy personality ...
.[ She alternated busy seasons in London and Paris performing in opera and singing prolifically on the concert stage; among many other roles she performed as Ann Page in the world premiere of Balfe's '']Falstaff
Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays '' Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...
'' in July 1838.
During this time, her old singing teacher, Andrea Costa, sued her for 50% of her operatic earnings, based on the contracts that her parents and husband had signed. In Paris, in November 1839, she gave birth to her second daughter, Marianna Emma Clotilde Lucrecia Albertazzi. She soon returned for a summer concert tour of Europe and Britain. At the end of 1840, she rejoined the ''Théâtre des Italiens'' and followed the season with touring in Europe, avoiding London where the Costa case continued in the courts and the press. In 1841–1842, along with her operatic roles, Albertazzi continued to sing in may concerts, including in the première of Rossini's ''Stabat Mater
The Stabat Mater is a 13th-century Christian hymn to Mary, which portrays her suffering as Jesus Christ's mother during his crucifixion. Its author may be either the Franciscan friar Jacopone da Todi or Pope Innocent III.Sabatier, Paul ''Life o ...
''.[
She then gave concert tours in Italy and France, and gave birth to a third daughter, Fanny. In May 1843 she appeared as Adina in ''L'elisir d'amore'' at the ]Princess's Theatre
The Princess's Theatre or Princess Theatre was a theatre in Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europ ...
in London, where she appeared in other roles that season, also singing in concerts in England. In January 1845, her fourth daughter, Emma Victorine Sarah Violet Albertazzi, was born. Albertazzi again earned warm reviews for her concert work during the 1845 season. After two seasons away from the operatic stage, she returned in June 1846, singing several roles at the Surrey Theatre
The Surrey Theatre, London began life in 1782 as the Royal Circus and Equestrian Philharmonic Academy, one of the many circuses that provided entertainment of both horsemanship and drama (hippodrama). It stood in Blackfriars Road, near the jun ...
.[ From October 1846, for the world premiere of Loder's opera ''The Wilis, or The Night Dancers'', she sang the role of Giselle.][ She withdrew by January 1847 and gave birth to her fifth daughter, Sarah Henrietta Mary Albertazzi. She returned to the concert stage shortly thereafter, performing until March.][
Albertazzi became ill that spring and died from ]tuberculous meningitis
Tuberculous meningitis, also known as TB meningitis or tubercular meningitis, is a specific type of bacterial meningitis caused by the ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' infection of the meninges—the system of membranes which envelop the central nerv ...
in September at her home in St John's Wood
St John's Wood is a district in the City of Westminster, London, lying 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Traditionally the northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west from ...
, London, at the age of 32.
Reputation
In 1837 the critic of London's ''The Musical World'' called Albertazzi "a superb contralto with great range of compass upwards and though rather deficient in the descending scale, great flexibility, lightness and volume, correct intonation and polished execution. Her upper notes are equally steady and as full as those of a soprano; her great deficiencies are in power and in that animation which distinguishes the children of the south. Her transition to falsetto was without a break, and could she but throw her heart into her singing, we could have nothing against her. Her acting is miserably tame but ladylike and self-possessed. To see her Cenerentola ... was a rich treat".[ According to '']Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians
''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians'' is a major reference work in the field of music, originally compiled by Theodore Baker, PhD, and published in 1900 by G. Schirmer, Inc. The ninth edition, the most recent edition, was published in 20 ...
'', she had a fine voice, but no passion or animation in singing or acting.[ ]Henry Fothergill Chorley
Henry Fothergill Chorley (15 December 1808 – 16 February 1872) was an English literary, art and music critic, writer and editor. He was also an author of novels, drama, poetry and lyrics.
Chorley was a prolific and important music and litera ...
expressed the same view in his musical memoirs. However, his near contemporary, dramatic author, Edward Fitzball
Edward Fitzball (20 March 179327 October 1873) was a popular English playwright, who specialised in melodrama. His real surname was Ball, and he was born at Burwell, Cambridgeshire.
Fitzball was educated in Newmarket, was apprenticed to a Nor ...
took a different view: "As Ninetta in ''La Gazza Ladra'', a more beautiful representative ... never presented itself to the tearful eye, or tender heart. ... Her voice was unsurpassable. ... Her singing of 'Di Piacer' is not to be described. er… voice and execution have seldom been surpassed by a foreigner.[Fitzball, Edward 1859, ''Thirty Five Years of a Dramatic Author's Life''. ii, pp. 137, 196–7.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albertazzi, Emma
1814 births
1847 deaths
English contraltos
Operatic contraltos
19th-century British women opera singers
British expatriates in Italy
Tuberculosis deaths in the United Kingdom
Deaths from meningitis