Maria Waldmann (19 November 1845 – 6 November 1920) was an Austrian

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

who had a noted association with

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

. She was born in Vienna, then part of the Austrian Empire in 1845 and studied with Francesco Lamperti. She dedicated herself to the Italian mezzo-soprano repertoire. She was heard with Teresa Stolz in September 1869 in a production of '' Don Carlo'' in Trieste. Thereafter she sang in Moscow and 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 ...

, Milan where, in 1871-2, she appeared in both '' La forza del destino'' and as Amneris in the European premiere of '' Aida'' (8 February 1872). Despite Verdi's initial reluctance to engage Waldmann for that premiere, she became his favorite Amneris. In 1874, he again used her for the mezzo-soprano role in his ''

Requiem A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

'', for which he wrote the ''Liber scriptus'' with her voice in mind. Verdi particularly valued her for the rich, dark color of her lower, contralto register. Verdi exploits that to great effect in the ''Liber scriptus'', which focusses on the mid- and low-registers of the mezzo-soprano range. Waldmann retired from the stage at age 31 after marrying Duke Galeazzo Massari. She lived with him at Palazzo Massari on Corso Parto Mare in

Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...

. After her retirement, she enjoyed Verdi's and his wife's affection for many years thereafter and she maintained a long correspondence with Verdi, almost until his death. Her husband died in 1902, and she died in 1920, in Ferrara.

Sources

Eric Blom Eric Walter Blom (20 August 188811 April 1959) was a Swiss-born British-naturalised music lexicographer, music critic and writer. He is best known as the editor of the 5th edition of ''Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1954). Biogr ...

, Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed. 1954 * Parish register

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waldmann, Maria 1845 births 1920 deaths People from the Austrian Empire Italian mezzo-sopranos Operatic mezzo-sopranos 19th-century Italian singers 19th-century Italian women singers