A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Borghi, Adelaide
BORGHI, Adelaide, formerly a celebrated mezzo-soprano singer, well known as Borghi-Mamo, was born in 1829 at Bologna. She showed as a child great aptitude for singing, and received instruction or advice from Pasta, and was also later advised by Rossini to adopt a musical career. She made a successful début in 1846 at Urbino in 'Il Giuramento' of Mercadante, and was engaged there. She sang next at Malta, where in '49 she married Signer Mamo, a native of that place; she sang also at Naples, Florence, Leghorn, etc.
Madame Borghi-Mamo appeared in Italian Opera from 1854 to '56, at Vienna in the spring, and in the winter at Paris, and was highly successful. In Paris, on Dec. 23, '54, she played Azucena, on the production there of 'Il Trovatore,' Leodato on revival of Pacini's 'Gli Arabi nelle Gallie,' Jan. 24, '55, Edoardo ('Matilde di Shabran '), Arsace, Rosina, La Cenerentola, etc. From '56 to '59 she sang with the same success at the Grand Opera, among other parts Azucena on production of 'Trovatore' in Frenchman. 12, '57, Melusine (Halévy's 'Magicienne'), March 17, '58, Olympia (Félicien David's 'Herculanum'), March 4, '59, in the production of those operas; and as Fidès, Leonora, and Catarina on the respective revivals of 'Le Prophète,' 'La Favourite,' and 'La Reine de Chypre.' (Lajarte, Bibliothèque de l'Opera.) She went back to the 'Italiens' and played the title part in the production of Braga's 'Margherita la Mendicante,' Dec. 20, '59, Desdemona, etc.
On April 12, '60, Madame Borghi-Mamo first appeared in England at Her Majesty's as Leonora ('La Favorita'), and sang during the season as Desdemona, Rosina, Azucena, Maffio Orsini, Zerlina ('Don Giovanni'), and Urbano ('Les Huguenots'), and was generally well received both by press and public. 'She is not only one of the most accomplished singers, but also one of the finest actresses of the lyric stage.' (Musical World, May 5, '60.) She also sang with great success at the Philharmonic, New Philharmonic, at the Norwich Festival, and in opera in the provinces. She never reappeared in England, but returned to Italy and sang at Milan, afterwards at Paris, Lisbon, etc. She is now living in retirement at Florence.
A daughter Erminia, a soprano, has sung with success in Italian opera in Italy, Paris, Madrid, and Lisbon, and in '75 played Margaret and Helen of Troy in the reproduction of Boito's 'Mefistofele' at Bologna.