Geltrude Righetti

Geltrude Righetti (1793–1862) was an Italian contralto closely associated with the operas of Gioachino Rossini. (Her name is also sometimes given as Giorgi-Righetti or Righetti-Giorgi, Giorgi being the name of her husband.)

Born in Bologna, she also studied and made her debut there in 1814. The following year she created the important role of Rosina in The Barber of Seville and in 1817 she was the first heroine of La Cenerentola, both in Rome. Her career was short and she retired from the stage in 1822. She died in Bologna in 1862.

Response to Stendhal

In 1823 she made a famous response to an article by Stendhal, entitled Cenni d'una donna già cantante sopra il Maestro Rossini..., which includes an account of the première of The Barber of Seville.

Sources

• Cagli, Bruno (1992), 'Righetti, Geltrude' in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7
• Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992), The Oxford Dictionary of Opera, 782 pages, ISBN 0-19-869164-5