A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Todi, Luiza
TODI, Luiza Rosa de Agular, known as Madame Todi, from her husband Francesco Saverio Todi, was a famous mezzo-soprano singer, and was born at Setubal, Jan. 9, 1753. She received her musical education from David Perez, at Lisbon. When, in her seventeenth year, she first appeared in public, she at once attracted notice by the beautiful, though somewhat veiled, quality of her voice. She made her début in London in 1777, in Paisiello's 'Due Contesse,' but was not successful. Her voice and style were unsuited to comic opera, which, from that time, she abandoned. At Madrid, in the same year, her performance of Paisiello's 'Olimpiade' won warm admiration, but her European fame dates from 1778, when her singing at Paris and Versailles created a lasting sensation. She returned for one year to Lisbon, but in 1781 was at Paris again. In 1782 she engaged herself for several years to the Berlin Opera, at a yearly salary of 2000 thalers. But the Prussian public thought her affected and over-French in manner, and at the end of a year she gave up her engagement and returned to Paris, where she always found an enthusiastic welcome. Madame Mara was also in Paris, and the two queens of song appeared together at the Concert Spirituel. The public was divided into 'Maratistes' and 'Todistes,' and party spirit ran as high as between the 'Gluckistes' and 'Piccinnistes,' or the adherents of Cuzzoni and Faustina. The well-known retort shows that the contest was not conducted without wit:—'Laquelle etoit la meilleure? C'est Mara. C'est bien Todi (bientôt dit).'
Mara excelled in bravura, but Todi would seem to have been the more pathetic. Their rivalry gave rise to the following stanza—
Todi, par sa voix touchante,
De doux pleurs mouille mes yeux;
Mara, plus vive, plus brillante,
M'étonne, me transporte aux cieux.
L'une ravit et l'autre enchante,
Mais celle qui plaît le mieux
Est toujours celle qui chante.
Todi returned to Berlin in 1783, where she sang the part of Cleofide in 'Lucio Papirio.' The king wished her to remain, but she had already signed an engagement for St. Petersburg. There her performance of Sarti's 'Armida' was an immense success. She was overwhelmed with presents and favours by the Empress Catherine, between whom and the prima donna there sprang up a strange intimacy. Todi acquired over Catherine an almost unbounded influence, which she abused by her injustice to Sarti, the imperial Chapelmaster, whom she disliked. Seeing that she was undermining his position at court, Sarti revenged himself by bringing Marchesi to St. Petersburg, whose wonderful vocal powers diverted some part of the public admiration from Todi. Todi retorted by procuring Sarti's dismissal. This ugly episode apart, she is asserted to have been amiable and generous.
Meanwhile the king of Prussia was tempting her back to Berlin, and, as the Russian climate was telling on her voice, she, in 1786, accepted his offers, and was far more warmly received than upon her first visit. With the exception of six months in Russia, she remained at Berlin till 1789, achieving her greatest triumphs in Reichardt's 'Andromeda' and Neumann's 'Medea.' In March 1789 she reappeared in Paris, and among other things sang a scena composed for her by Cherubini, 'Sarete alfin contenti,' eliciting much enthusiasm. After a year's visit to Hanover she proceeded to Italy, and sang with great success. In 1792 she returned to Lisbon, where she died October 1, 1833.
It is strange that Todi should have made no impression in this country, for there seems no doubt that she was one of the best singers of her time, equal in many respects, superior in some, to Mara, who was much admired here. Lord Mount-Edgecumbe speaks of her as having 'failed to please here,' and Burney, later in her career, writes of her, 'she must have improved very much since she was in England, or we treated her very unworthily, for, though her voice was thought to be feeble and seldom in tune while she was here, she has since been extremely admired in France, Spain, Russia, and Germany, as a most touching and exquisite performer.'
There is a pretty and scarce portrait of her in character, singing, called 'L'Euterpe del Secolo XVIII' (1791). She was twice married, and left to her husband and her eight children, who survived her, a sum of 400,000 francs, besides jewels and trinkets worth a fortune.