Elena D'Angri Vitturi (also known as Elena Angri; May 1821 or 1824 in

Corfu Corfu ( , ) or Kerkyra (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands; including its Greek islands, small satellite islands, it forms the margin of Greece's northwestern frontier. The island is part of the Corfu (regio ...

– 29 August 1886 in Barcelona) was a Greek-born operatic

contralto A contralto () is a classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice type, voice types. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare, similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to ...

of Italian origin who was active in the mid-19th century in European opera houses and in the United States. The daughter of Saverio Angri (originally from Naples) and Maria Vitturi di Giovanni, her real name was Nazarena Mattia Elena Catterina. She was baptised on 10 June 1821 at the Roman Catholic

Cathedral of Saint James and Saint Christopher The Cathedral of Saint Jacob and Saint Christopher () or the Catholic Metropolitan Church (, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Corfu, Zakynthos and Cephalonia. The church houses an extensive collection of paintings one of the most i ...

in Corfu, Greece. She studied singing with

Salvatore Taglioni Salvatore Taglioni (17905 October 1868) was an Italian dancer and choreographer who danced and produced ballets in the 19th century. Early life Salvatore Taglioni was born in Palermo, Sicily, Italy in 1790.Regli, F. (1860). Dizionario biograf ...

and Giuseppe Doglia. She made her opera debut in Lucca in 1843 and was engaged by

La Scala La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...

in 1844. She divided her time between the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...

and La Scala from 1845 through 1847, and in 1846 was named a

Kammersänger Kammersänger (male; ) or Kammersängerin (female; ), abbreviated Ks. or KS, is a German Title of honor, honorific title for distinguished singers of opera and classical music. It literally means "chamber singer". Historically, the title was besto ...

Ferdinand I of Austria Ferdinand I ( 19 April 1793 – 29 June 1875) was Emperor of Austria from March 1835 until his abdication in December 1848. He was also King of Hungary, King of Croatia, Croatia and King of Bohemia, Bohemia (as Ferdinand V), King of Lombardy– ...

. Her debut in London was in 1849. During the 1855 and 1856 season at the Teatro Regio in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) 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 from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, she performed in ''

La Cenerentola ("Cinderella, or Goodness Triumphant") is an operatic 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'' with music by Nico ...

'' (as Angelina), ''

The Barber of Seville ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( ) is an ''opera buffa'' (comic opera) in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's French comedy ' ...

'' (as Rosina), and '' Il trovatore'' (as Azucena). Later in 1856, she performed for the first time in New York City, accompanied by the pianist and composer

Sigismond Thalberg Sigismond Thalberg (8 January 1812 – 27 April 1871) was an Austrian composer and one of the most distinguished virtuoso pianists of the 19th century. Family Thalberg was born in Pâquis near Geneva on 8 January 1812. Thalberg asserted that he ...

References

Notes Sources * * * * Further reading *Lawrence, Vera Brodsky and Strong, George Templeton (1999)
''Repercussions, 1857–1862''
Volume 3 of ''Strong on Music''. University of Chicago Press. *Zavadini, Guido (1948). ''Donizetti: vita, musiche, epistolario'', pp. 807–8, 809–10 1820s births 1886 deaths Musicians from Corfu Operatic contraltos 19th-century Greek opera singers Italian contraltos 19th-century composers 19th-century Italian singers 19th-century Italian women singers 19th-century Greek musicians 19th-century Greek women musicians Greek opera singers {{opera-singer-stub