PICCOLOMINI, Marietta [PICCOLOMINI CLEMENTINI, Maria Teresa Violante] (b Siena, 5 March 1834; d Poggio Imperiale, nr Florence, 11 December 1899)

This chapter presents a biography of mid- to late-19th-century Victorian vocalist Marietta Piccolomini. Piccolomini was first heard in public when she sang at the funeral of a Sienese notable (17 February 1851), and it was then that the Cardinal began making huffing noises. For Fiera of 1853, she was engaged by the brothers Marzi for the Teatro di Reggio, alongside the same tenor, Malvezzi, and the baritone Bencich. For the summer season 1854, Marietta was engaged at Udine with the tenor Carlo Baucarde, the creator of Manrico in Il trovatore, and Francesco Cresci. Then, Marietta moved on to Bologna's Teatro Comunale as prima donna to Carlo Negrini's tenor and the baritone of Giovanni Corsi. The opening opera of the Bologna season was no Trovatore but an Italian version of Balfe's The Bohemian Girl (La zingara) was.