CARADORI ALLAN [née DE MUNCK], (Maria Caterina [Catherine]) Rosalbina (b ‘Casa Palatina, near Milan’, c 1800; d Elm Lodge, Surbiton Hill, Surrey, 15 October 1865)

This chapter presents a biography of mid- to late-19th-century vocalist Rosalbina Caradori Allan. Madame Caradori Allan was one of the greatest of all Victorian vocalists. But, probably unfairly, one will not find her mentioned, today, in the same breath as such buzzword stars of the early Victorian years as Giuditta Pasta or Maria Garcia-Malibran. When Garcia-Malibran made her first appearances at the King's Theatre in 1829, the press, hailing an exciting newcomer, allowed that in her acting ability she approached the heights attained by Pasta, but noted: 'Her singing is not considered superior to that of Caradori Allan'. She also, apparently, made appearances in the private concerts of the Paris salons and of London as a singer and pianist, under her given name. During the operatic season, Rosalbina Caradori also found her way, swiftly and effectively, into the concert rooms of London.