Giulia Grisi

Giulia Grisi was a famous singer.

She came from a musical family. Her aunt was also a great singer. Giulia had a very beautiful voice. People said it was smooth and even.

She sang in many big shows. She traveled to many far lands. She even went to the United States. She was a big star there. She married a singer named Mario. They had six daughters together. She is buried in a place called Paris.

Giulia Grisi was a famous Italian opera singer.

She was born in Milan. Her family loved music. Her aunt was a great singer too. Giulia had a voice called a dramatic soprano. People loved how smooth and beautiful it sounded. She performed in many places. She sang in Europe and South America. She even traveled to the United States. There, she was a huge star.

She worked with many great artists. She married a singer named Mario. He was a famous tenor. They had six daughters together. They also adopted her first son. They lived in London and Paris. They sometimes stayed at a villa in Italy. Giulia died in Berlin after a train accident. Her husband buried her in Paris. Her grave is at the Père Lachaise Cemetery. He gave money to help new singers. This money created scholarships at the Paris Opera. Her daughter wrote a book about her life.

Giulia Grisi was a famous Italian opera singer during the 1800s.

She was a dramatic soprano, which is a type of singer with a powerful voice. Music critics loved her voice for being smooth and beautiful. She was a major star in many different countries. She performed all across Europe and in South America. She even went on a big tour of the United States. People there treated her like a huge international celebrity. Her singing career lasted for thirty years in total.

Performing opera requires a lot of skill and practice. Giulia had to learn many different roles for the stage. She made her first big debut in Bologna in 1828. Later, she played the lead role in the opera Semiramide in Paris. In 1835, she helped create a new role called Elvira. This was for the first time the opera I puritani was performed. She also sang the part of Adalgisa in the opera Norma. Each role allowed her to show off her special voice.

Music was a big part of Giulia's family life from the start. She was born in Milan to parents named Giovanna and Gaetano Grisi. Her father was an officer for Napoleon in Italy. Her family was very talented with music. Her aunt, Giuseppina Grassini, was a famous singer in London. Giulia's older sister, Giuditta, was also a singer. Even her cousin Carlotta was a performer in ballet. Growing up around these artists helped Giulia prepare for her own career.

Giulia's life included many important people and places.

She married a famous tenor named Giovanni Matteo de Candia. Most people knew him by his stage name, Mario. They married in London in 1844 at Hannover Square. Together, they had a family with six daughters. They also adopted Giulia's son, George Frederick, into their family. The couple lived in both London and Paris. They also spent time at a villa in Florence, Italy.

Giulia's legacy lives on through music and books today. After she died in Berlin in 1869, Mario buried her in Paris. Her grave is at the Père Lachaise Cemetery. It is marked with a simple white stone. Mario gave a large amount of money to the Paris Opera. This money created scholarships to help new soprano singers. One of her daughters, Cecilia Maria de Candia, became a writer. In 1910, Cecilia published a book about her mother and Mario.

Giulia Grisi was a celebrated Italian opera singer of the 19th century.

She was a dramatic soprano, a voice type known for its power and intensity. Critics of her time praised her voice for its exceptional beauty, smoothness, and evenness. Her career was highly influential, spanning a total of 30 years. She performed widely across Europe, South America, and the United States. In America, she and her husband were treated as major international celebrities. Her talent helped establish Italian opera as a vital part of the London music scene.

Performing opera requires immense skill and the ability to master complex new roles. Grisi made her stage debut in 1828 in Bologna, playing the role of Emma in Rossini's *Zelmira*. She later achieved great success in Paris in 1832 as the title character in *Semiramide*. In 1835, she created the role of Elvira for the premiere of Bellini's final opera, *I puritani*. She was also the first singer to perform the role of Adalgisa in Bellini's *Norma* in Milan. In 1842, composer Donizetti wrote the roles of Norina and Ernesto specifically for Grisi and her partner, the tenor Mario.

Music was a fundamental part of Grisi's family heritage. She was born in Milan to Gaetano Grisi, an officer for Napoleon, and Giovanna. Her maternal aunt, Giuseppina Grassini, was a famous opera singer in London and across the continent. Grisi's musical talent was shared by her relatives. Her older sister, Giuditta, was a singer who created the breeches role of Romeo in Bellini's *I Capuleti e i Montecchi*. Her cousin Carlotta was also a performing artist, working as a ballet dancer.

Grisi's personal life was marked by significant transitions and complex relationships. She first married the French nobleman Count Gérard de Melcy in 1836. This marriage was unhappy, and it involved a legal struggle because the Count refused to grant a divorce. During this time, Grisi had a relationship with Frederick Stewart, the 4th Marquess of Londonderry. They had a son named George Frederick Ormsby, born in London in 1839. While George was not legally recognized as a Stewart, his father supported his education at an English boarding school.

In 1844, Grisi married Giovanni Matteo de Candia, a famous tenor known by his stage name, Mario. Mario was a member of a noble family from the Kingdom of Sardinia. The couple lived in both London and Paris, and they also maintained a home at the Villa Salviati in Florence. They had a family of six daughters: Giulia, Rita, Maria Angelina, Cecilia Maria, Clelia, and Bella Maria. They also legally adopted Grisi's son, George Frederick, giving him the name Fredo de Candia for inheritance purposes. The family often enjoyed private vacations at a cottage in Bordighera, where Grisi felt most at home.

Grasi's life came to an end following an accident during a train trip. While traveling to Saint Petersburg, Russia, she crossed into Germany and became ill. She spent her final days in a hotel in Berlin under the care of a Dr. Isabell. She died on November 29, 1869, at the age of 58. Her husband, Mario, brought her body to Paris for burial. She is interred at the Père Lachaise Cemetery, where her grave is marked by a plain white stone inscribed "Juliette de Candia."

The legacy of Giulia Grisi continues through both musical and literary channels. After her death, Mario donated a substantial sum of money to the Paris Opera. This donation funded scholarships for sopranos, helping to support the next generation of singers. Her daughter, Cecilia Maria de Candia, became a recognized writer. In 1910, Cecilia published *The Romance of a Great Singer – A Memoir of Mario*. This book provides historical details about both her mother and her father, preserving their story for future readers.