CATALANI, ANGELICA (MO 1549). A celebrated Italian soprano, born at Sinigaglia. She was educated in the Convent of Santa Lucia, Cubbio, where, in her seventh year, she displayed such wonderful vocal powers that grangers flocked from all quarters to hear her. After two years of study with 11oselli, she made her first appearance in Venice in her sixteenth year, and the furore she created was extraor dinary even for Italy. Managers were outbid ding one another for her services, composers were vieing for the honor of having her sing in their operas. She swept through the chief cities of Italy like a meteor, arousing enthusiasm at the Scala in Zingarelli's rhitennestra and Nic eolini's Itareanali di Boma (1S01). She sang in Lisbon, with Crescentini and Gaffroni, from 1801 to 1S011 ; Married Captain Vallabrilme, then attachi. in the French Embassy, and reaped a golden harvest in Madrid and Paris. Her suc cess in London (18061 eclipsed all her previous ef forts. and she stayed there from 1807 to 1514, worshiped by her audiences. She was then in the zenith of her vocal powers and fame. Na poleon's exile permitted her to go to Paris, where she was made directress of the Italian opera. Der husband was an incapable busi ness man, and the venture absorbed the sums of money she had made. In 1517 the lease and subvention was withdrawn, and Catalani found herself compelled again to turn to the operatic: stage for a living. For ten years she traveled
all over Europe, her performances evoking ever increasing enthusiasm. In 1S27 she retired from the stage, lived for some time in Paris, and then (1S30) settled at her villa near Florence, where she established a free singing school for talented girls. Thereafter she only occasionally appeared in public, at charitable affairs. She died of cholera in Paris. Catalani was one of those rare cases in which Nature seems to lavish upon one individual all the gifts in her posses sion. She was a woman of exceptional beauty, and, though large of frame, of infinite grace and majestic appearance. With her personal charm she united great vivacity, and dramatic power worthy of a queen of tragedy. But her greatest gift was her voice—a soprano of nearly three octaves in range. Its unexampled power and soulfulness made her delivery of sacred music sublime, while its sweetness, flexibility, and rapidity of execution carried her audiences by storm. Consult: Edwards, The Prima Donna, Vol. I. (London, 1SSS1 ; Ferris, Great Singers (New York. 1893) ; Needham, Querns of .Song (London, 1SG3).