Born: 6 March 1826, Italy
Died: 23 June 1894
Country most active: International
Also known as: Maria Anna Marzia Alboni
From Famous Women: An Outline of Feminine Achievement Through the Ages With Life Stories of Five Hundred Noted Women. Written by Joseph Adelman, published 1926 by Ellis M Lonow Company:
Marietta Alboni, an Italian contralto singer. Her musical education was completed under Rossini, in Bologna, and she made her début at the Scala Theatre in Milan. During her successful career she appeared in Vienna, St. Petersburg, London and Paris and in 1852 she visited the United States.
Her voice was a true contralto of the sweetest and most sonorous quality, extending from F in the bass to C in alt of the soprano, a compass of two and one-half octaves. Her favorite parts were in Rossini’s operas, the florid music which she executed with marvellous ease.