Adelina Patti
The 19th century's highest-paid singer, her crystalline soprano and bel canto mastery defined operatic glamour for the Gilded Age.
1843–1919 (age 76)·Italian opera singer·Birthday: February 10
Biography
Adelina Patti was not just a singer; she was a phenomenon. Born into a musical family, she was a prodigy, performing publicly by age eight and astonishing audiences with the maturity and purity of her coloratura soprano. By her teens, she was an international star, commanding fees that dwarfed those of her contemporaries and performing for royalty and rapturous crowds from Covent Garden to the Metropolitan Opera. Patti’s voice, described as like a flawless silver thread, was perfectly suited to the bel canto roles of Bellini and Donizetti, and she wielded it with a technical command that seemed effortless. Her career spanned an astonishing six decades, a testament to her careful management and enduring vocal health. Living like royalty in her Welsh castle, Craig-y-Nos, Patti became the archetype of the diva, a self-made businesswoman whose art and persona captured the extravagant spirit of her age.
#1 When Adelina Was Born
The biggest hits of 1843
Adelina's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1843Born
1848Started school
1856Became a teenager
1859Could drive
1861Could vote
President: Abraham Lincoln
1864Turned 21
President: Abraham Lincoln
1873Turned 30
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1883Turned 40
President: Chester A. Arthur
1893Turned 50
World's Columbian Exposition dazzles Chicago
President: Grover Cleveland
1903Turned 60
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1913Turned 70
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1919Died at 76
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
Key Achievements
- One of the highest-paid performers of the 19th century, earning $5000 per night at the height of her career.
- Maintained a leading international opera career for over 40 years, from the 1860s into the early 20th century.
- Was a definitive interpreter of bel canto roles such as Rosina in *The Barber of Seville* and Violetta in *La Traviata*.
- Made celebrated recordings in 1905 and 1906, preserving her voice despite being in her sixties.
Did You Know?
She was so adored that the phrase "to swear by the divine Patti" became a common expression in Italy.
She purchased and extensively renovated Craig-y-Nos Castle in Wales, where she built a private theatre.
Composer Giuseppe Verdi wrote that she possessed "perhaps the most beautiful voice ever heard."
Her third and final husband was the Swedish nobleman Baron Rolf Cederström, who was many years her junior.
“I have lost my voice, but I have found my happiness.”
