Strepponi, Giuseppina (1815–1897)

Italian soprano. Born Giuseppina Clelia Maria Josepha Strepponi on September 8, 1815, in Lodi; died at Sant'Agata on November 14, 1897; trained at the Milan Conservatory; became second wife of Giuseppe Verdi (the Italian composer), in 1859; children: (illegitimate) two.

Giuseppina Strepponi was trained at the Milan Conservatory and made her operatic debut in 1834. She was known for her smooth voice and spirited performances, a reputation which contributed to that of Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi when she promoted his first opera Oberto. Strepponi was Verdi's mistress from around 1847 until she married him in 1859. Her devotion to Verdi was such that her love for him endured through the troubled times of his relationship with Teresa Stolz .

Among Strepponi's greatest successes were the roles of Amina in La Sonnambula and Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor. After overwork led to an early decline, Strepponi retired in 1846 and turned to teaching. She died on November 14, 1897. Her last will and testament left instructions for a letter she had received from Verdi 51 years before to be rested on her heart and buried with her. By the time the envelope was discovered, however, her coffin had already been sealed.

sources:

Morehead, Philip D. The New International Dictionary of Music. Meridian, 1991.

Warrack, John, and Ewan West. The Oxford Dictionary of Opera. NY: Oxford University Press, 1992.

Helga P. McCue , freelance writer, Waterford, Connecticut