Giulia Grisi Italian opera singer (soprano) Date of Birth: 22.05.1811 Country: Germany

1. Biography of Giulia Grisi
2. Early Career
3. International Success
4. Career and Personal Life
5. Later Life and Death

Biography of Giulia Grisi

Giulia Grisi, an Italian opera singer (soprano), also known as the Marquise Giulia de Candia (Giulia de Candia), was born in Milan on May 22, 1811. She belonged to an extremely musically talented family. Her maternal aunt, Giuseppina Grassini, was an outstanding opera singer; her older sister, Giuditta Grisi, possessed a magnificent mezzo-soprano and also performed on the opera stage but unfortunately died young. Her cousin Carlotta Grisi became a famous ballerina, and her cousin Ernesta Grisi was also a performer with a wonderful contralto.

Early Career

There is nothing surprising about the fact that Giulia began pursuing music and preparing for a singing career. Her debut came in 1828, when she performed the role of Emma in Rossini's "Zelmira" at the Bologna Opera House. Both Rossini and Bellini had great interest in her vocal abilities, and in Milan she became the first performer of the role of Adalgisa in the premiere of Bellini's "Norma," with the leading role performed by the dramatic soprano Giuditta Pasta.

International Success

In 1832, Grisi made her debut in Paris as Semiramide in Rossini's opera and achieved enormous success. In 1834, she made her London debut in the role of Ninetta in "La gazza ladra," and a year later, in Paris again, she became the first to perform the role of Elvira in Bellini's "I puritani." In 1842, Donizetti wrote the parts of Norina and Ernesto in "Don Pasquale" for Grisi and Giovanni Matteo De Candia, a tenor known by the stage name Mario. They fell in love and got married.

Career and Personal Life

Grisi's career spanned over 30 years. Her voice was described as a dramatic soprano, which music critics especially valued for its incredible purity, evenness, and flexibility. In addition to her impeccable vocals, she was an outstanding actress and combined vocal mastery with acting skills to create unforgettable characters on the opera stage. In London, she regularly performed with exceptional singers such as the powerful bass of his time, Luigi Lablache, the tenor Giovanni Rubini, and the baritone Antonio Tamburini, not to mention Mario.

In 1854, Grisi and Mario undertook a highly profitable concert tour in the United States, where they were treated as top-tier celebrities. She retired from the stage in 1861. In 1836, Grisi married Count Gérard de Melcy, who refused to grant her a divorce. Finally, in London, Giulia was able to marry Mario when circumstances changed. They had five daughters and a son. They had homes in Paris and London, and they spent summers at Mario's family palace in Sardinia. After their wedding, they returned to Italy and lived in Fiesole in a villa that Mario purchased in 1849. Grisi mentioned in her diary that they enjoyed their time there, hosting many guests, including Italian and British aristocrats and her distant relatives from the Greek royal family.

Later Life and Death

During a trip to St. Petersburg, while traveling with Mario by train, they were involved in an accident in Germany. Grisi, who fell ill from the shock and the cold, was taken to a Berlin hotel, where she spent her final days under the care of a doctor. She died on November 29, 1869. Her husband took her body to Paris and buried her at the Père Lachaise Cemetery.