Colbran, Isabella (Isabel Angela)

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Colbran, Isabella (Isabel Angela)

Colbran, Isabella (Isabel Angela), famous Spanish soprano; b. Madrid, Feb. 2, 1785; d. Bologna, Oct. 7, 1845. She studied with Pareja in Madrid, then with Mannelli and Crescentini in Naples. She made her debut in a concert in Paris in 1801. After her successful appearances in Bologna (1807) and La Scala in Milan (1808), the impresario Barbaja engaged her for Naples in 1811; she became his mistress, only to desert him for Rossini, whom she married on March 16, 1822 (they were legally separated in 1837). She created the leading soprano roles in several of Rossini’s operas, beginning with Elisabetta, Regina d’Inghilterra (1815) and concluding with Semiramide (1823). With her voice in decline, she retired from the stage in 1824. During the early years of the 19th century she was acclaimed as the leading dramatic coloratura soprano.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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