Catherine Tofts or Katherine Tofts (c. 1685–1756) was the first English singer who sang

Italian opera Italian opera is both the art of opera in Italy and opera in the Italian language. Opera was in Italy around the year 1600 and Italian opera has continued to play a dominant role in the history of the form until the present day. Many famous ope ...

in England.

Life

Tofts began her career as a concert soprano in 1703 and joined the roster of principal sopranos at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and listed building, Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) an ...

in 1704. Around this time, the competition between Tofts and

Margherita de l'Épine Margherita de L'Épine (also Francesca Margherita de l'Épine; c. 1680 – 8 August 1746, London) was an Italian soprano of the Baroque era. She was among the most popular and successful of London's female singers in the years just before and a ...

was in earnest. Perhaps to illustrate the famed rivalry,

Marco Ricci Marco Ricci (6 June 1676 – 21 January 1730) was an Italian Baroque painter. Early years He was born at Belluno and received his first instruction in art from his uncle, Sebastiano Ricci, likely in Milan in 1694–6.Giacometti, Margherita. In: ' ...

painted L'Épine with her back to Tofts, in the composition ''Rehearsal of an opera'' (c.1709) .

Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish writer, essayist, satirist, and Anglican cleric. In 1713, he became the Dean (Christianity), dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, and was given the sobriquet "Dean Swi ...

has a short poem about Mrs Tofts in his "works" which talks of her beauty. It is thought however that the verse was written by

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early ...

. Tofts quit the stage in 1709 and married

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious and political leader and the founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. Publishing the Book of Mormon at the age of 24, Smith attracted tens of thou ...

, English consul at Venice. They had a son but he died when still a child and Catherine became mentally ill. She died in 1756 and her husband married again the following year.Stuart L. Morrison, ‘Smith, Joseph (1673/4?–1770)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 9 May 2015
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Life

References

See also