great beauty, which death was destined too soon to silence. A few years and the name of Guidetta Grisi passes out of opera annals—but the name of Giulia Grisi remains.
She was born at Milan on the 22nd of May, the fête of Santa Giulia, 1812. She was the niece of Josephine Grassini, an Italian singer of the grand old world school, a contemporary of Marchesi, Crescentini, and other great vocalists. The father of Giulia Grisi was an officer of engineers in the army of Napoleon. He had placed his child at a convent at Gorizia for her education. But the example of Giudetta prima donna at the theatre of Bologna tempted Giulia. She had been noted in childhood for a strange hoarseness of voice: this cleared away, however, in time, and left unveiled an organ of singular power and purity, but it was of a low register, the piercing soprano notes with which audiences were subsequently to be charmed were not yet acquired. Giulia Grisi first appeared on any stage in the contralto part of Emma, in Rossini’s opera of “Zelmira.” For Rossini ruled in musical Italy in those days. The singer was then seventeen, with a face and figure of extreme beauty. She appeared afterwards at Florence, as Juliet to the Romeo of her sister. Was it wonderful that she created an extraordinary sensation? At least Shakspeare’s heroine can never have been so well looked as by Giulia Grisi at seventeen. At Milan she first met and took for her model the great Pasta, and when Bellini composed Norma for Pasta, he also composed Adalgisa for Grisi. Such a Norma and such an Adalgisa can never since have been seen together on the boards of an opera-house.
The new Ninetta had a great success in London. Certainly she did not shine from the dulness of her fellow-labourers, for the cast of “La Gazza Ladra” in 1834 included the names of Rubini, Zuchelli, Tamburini, and Miss Bartolozzi. It was a genuine triumph. Ninetta thoroughly won her audience, and from 1834 down to 1861 inclusively (with the exception of one year, 1842, when there was some difficulty with the impresario, and the lady tore up her contract and declined to sing in England that season) the prima donna par excellence of Italian opera has been Giulia Grisi. Nor was her first public a public to be so very easily pleased. It had still the tones of Pasta, Cinti-Damoureau, Henrietta Sontag, De Meric and Malibran-Garcia ringing in its ears when it first applauded the new singer. But her merits were undeniable, and the chief characters in the répertoire were ceded to her as a matter of course.
During the month of April, 1834, Giulia Grisi appeared (in addition to the character of Ninetta) in the operas of “Anna Bolena,” the ugly Russian tenor with the beautiful voice, Ivanoff, making his first appearance in England as Percy, “Otello” and “Don Giovanni,” (Madame Caradori being the Zerlina). During May she added to the list Elena in “La Donna del Lago,” and Rosina in “Il Barbiere.” In June she first appeared as Semiramide, and as Palmira in Rossini’s “L’Assedio di Corinto,” played for the first time in England. On the occasion of her benefit on the 10th July she appeared as Amina in “La Sonnambula.” In the season of 1835 she appeared as Elena in “Donizetti’s Marino Faliero,” and Elvira in “I Puritani,” both operas being then produced for the first time in England, and the last-named being played for her benefit. She undertook also the new parts of Fiorilla in Gnecco’s “Prova d’un Opera Seria,” and of Norma, which character she first assumed on the 25th June. The triumphant representations of the preceding season were of course repeated. In 1836 the lady’s only new part was that of Amelia in Mercadante’s opera “I Briganti,” played for the first time in England. The season of 1837 presents too or three noteworthy facts. The King’s Theatre became Her Majesty’s Theatre. William the Fourth died on Tuesday, the 20th June—of course there was no performance at the Opera House in the evening. Queen Victoria visited the opera for the first time on the 18th of July, when “Ildegonda,” by Marliani, was produced, Madame Grisi performing the heroine. The opera gave no great satisfaction, and has not been repeated since the season of 1837. On the 18th of May Signor Costa’s opera of “Malek Adel” was first played, Madame Grisi being the Mathilde, assisted by Madame Albertazzi (who this season made her début in England in “La Cenerentola,”) Ivanoff, Rubini, Lablache, and Tamburini. The opera was repeated the following year, and portions of it were given in 1842, during our prima donna’s absence from England, when Madame Persiani undertook the rôle of heroine. In 1837 Madame Grisi also added to her répertoire the part of Carolina in Cimarosa’s “Matrimonio Segreto.” Her new characters in 1838 were Parisina, in Donizetti’s opera of that name; Susanna, in Mozart’s opera “Nozze di Figaro;” and Mrs. Ford in Balfe’s “Falstaff.” In this year Madame Persiani first appeared in England. The following year gave Madame Grisi only one new part, but it was one that has done more to enhance her reputation than almost any other. On the occasion of her benefit on the 6th of June, 1839, Donizetti’s opera of “Lucrezia Borgia” was played for the first time in England, Madame Grisi, of course, being the Lucrezia, and Signor Mario making his first appearance before an English audience as Gennaro. Among the other events of the season may be noted the début in this country of Madame Viardot, as Desdemona; and the first appearance of Madlle. Ernesta Grisi, who played the contralto part of Smeaton to the Anna Bolena of her cousin. Opera goers will recollect the season of 1840 as being the season of the “Tamburini Row,” when the indignant pit compelled the impresario to re-engage their favourite baritone at any price, and refused to accept the very good singer who had been secured as a substitute—Signor Coletti, who made his first appearance in Donizetti’s “Torquato Tasso.” Our prima donna this year played for the first time Lisetta, in “Il Matrimonio Segreto,” and Eloisa on the production of Mercadante’s “Il Giuramento.” In 1841 Madame Grisi undertook two new characters in operas, both played for the first time in England, and both by Donizetti: Fausta and Roberto Devereux. During the whole of the next season Madame Grisi did not appear. The chief parts in her répertoire were shared amongst
