Famous 19th Century Opera Singers

Enrico Caruso was an operatic tenor who performed at prominent opera houses in the Americas and Europe. His commercially released recordings made him an international star in the early-1900s. Thanks to his illustrious career that spanned 25 years, Caruso became one of the most popular entertainers of his generation. In 1987, he was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Nellie Melba was an Australian singer. One of the most popular singers of the early 20th century, Melba was the first Australian classical musician to achieve international recognition. Also known for her charity work during the First World War, Nellie Melba was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1918.

Adelina Patti was an Italian opera singer who achieved immense poularity in the USA and Europe. One of the finest singers of her generation, Patti was also among the highest-paid at the peak of her career. Along with her near contemporaries Thérèse Tietjens and Jenny Lind, Adelina Patti is considered one of the most popular sopranos of all time.

American opera singer Grace Moore, also known as the Tennessee Nightingale, initially sang in New York nightclubs and then moved on to Broadway. She is remembered for her Academy Award-nominated role in the romantic musical One Night of Love. She died in a plane crash in Copenhagen after a performance.

Eva Mylott was an Australian opera singer. A protégé of Nellie Melba, Mylott moved to England with the former in 1902 in order to pursue her career as an opera singer outside Australia. In 1917, Eva Mylott married an American businessman named John Hutton Gibson and is best remembered as the paternal grandmother of American actor Mel Gibson.

The daughter of actor and soprano Joaquina Sitches and tenor Manuel García, Spanish mezzo-soprano Maria Malibran was 8 when she debuted on stage with her father. She gained immense fame as Rosina in The Barber of Seville. She died after falling from a horse soon after marriage to violinist Charles de Bériot.

Initially a stenographer, Romanian-born American opera singer Reba Fiersohn, better known as Alma Gluck, started her music career after her marriage and soon found success with her performances at the Metropolitan Opera. She scripted history by scoring the first million-selling phonograph record and also co-founded the American Woman's Association.

Spanish baritone singer and voice educator Manuel García was the son of legendary opera singer Manuel del Popolo Vicente García. He started his career with his father’s production of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. He invented the laryngoscope and penned the classic Complete Treatise on the Art of Singing.

A renowned Swedish operatic soprano from the 19th century, Christina Nilsson ruled the world opera scene for 20 years. She was often compared to fellow opera star Adelina Patti and finds a mention in Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. One of her most iconic roles was that of Marguerite in Charles Gounod's Faust.

Mary Garden was a Scottish-American operatic soprano who achieved popularity in France and America. She was also an exceptional actress who was praised for her nuanced performances. Noted for her beautiful lyric voice, Mary Garden became one of the most popular sopranos at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. She also achieved popularity at the Manhattan Opera House in New York.

Giuditta Pasta was an Italian opera singer. Such was her popularity that several roles were written specifically for her. Pasta is credited with originating iconic roles, such as Donizetti's Anna Bolena, Bellini's Amina in La sonnambula, and the title role in Norma. Giuditta Pasta also worked as a teacher and among her well-known pupils are Emma Albertazzi and Adelaide Kemble.

Austrian-American opera singer Ernestine Schumann-Heink was one of the major interpreters of the operas of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss from the pre-World War I period. Her best-known role was perhaps that of Erda in Wagner’s Siegfried. She also delivered charitable performances and appeared on radio shows too.

Matilda Sissieretta Jones was an American soprano and the highest-paid African-American performer of her generation. She is credited with founding the Black Patti Troubadours, an acrobatic and musical act comprising 40 comedians, dancers, jugglers, and a chorus of 40 singers. In 2013, Matilda Sissieretta Jones was made an inductee of the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame. 

Manuel del Popolo García was a Spanish impresario, opera singer, composer, and teacher. Apart from composing and performing many operas, García also taught music to several aspiring singers, including his own children Maria Felicia Malibran, Pauline Viardot, and Manuel Patricio Rodríguez García.

Legendary Italian opera singer Giulia Grisi was the opera world’s prima donna for over 3 decades. She was 17 when she made her debut with Zelmira. She later also soared to fame in Paris and London. She later married opera singer and Italian nobleman and knight Giovanni Matteo Mario.

Italian opera singer Luigi Lablache is remembered for his performance as Leporello in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Admired for his bass voice, he had a successful career in London and Paris, too, playing Geronimo in Il matrimonio segreto. He married fellow singer Teresa Pinotti, and many of his children too were singers.

German-born American opera singer Elisabeth Schumann who was known for her lieder performances. She performed at iconic venues such as the Hamburg Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, and Covent Garden. She is perhaps best remembered for her role of Sophie in Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier. She later taught at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute.

Lillian Nordica was an American opera singer and one of the most prominent dramatic sopranos of the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Lillian Nordica achieved immense popularity in Europe, performing a wide range of roles in the French, Italian, and German operatic repertoires.

Marcella Sembrich was a Polish singer remembered for her charm, precise intonation, vocal fluidity, portamento, and impressive range of two-and-a-half octaves. Sembrich, whose voice was described as flute-like, had an illustrious singing career at London's Royal Opera House and the New York Metropolitan Opera. Off stage, Marcella Sembrich was a philanthropist and dedicated teacher.

Elizabeth Greenfield was an American singer best remembered for her performances of music composed by Gaetano Donizetti, Vincenzo Bellini, and George Frideric Handel. Nicknamed The Black Swan, Elizabeth Greenfield is regarded as the most popular black concert artist of her generation. Among her pupils was Thomas Bowers, who went on to become a famous concert artist.

American soprano Emma Eames was the daughter of an international lawyer and began training in music as a child. After studying music in Boston and Paris, she gained fame with her role in Roméo et Juliette at the Paris Opera and never looked back. She was later chiefly associated with the Metropolitan Opera.

A significant figure of the golden age of the Hungarian folk play, Lujza Blaha earned the nickname of The Nation’s Nightingale. Born to traveling actors, she stepped into acting at age 15 and later gained fame with plays such as Madame Sans-Gêne. She was also in the news for her sexually liberal outlook.

Italian nobleman Giovanni Matteo Mario was a talented opera singer who had a flourishing career in London and Paris. He was the opera partner of popular soprano Giulia Grisi. Initially an officer in the Piedmontese Guard, he later left the army for his passion, opera. However, he suffered in poverty in his final days.

Italian tenor Giovanni Battista Rubini who was a major figure of the bel canto era romantic style of opera singing. He was only 12 when he worked as a musician at the Riccardi Theatre and later gained immense fame in Europe. Most of his performances were for Vincenzo Bellini’s operas.

Sibyl Sanderson was an American operatic soprano who started her career at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. She soon became a favorite of Jules Massenet and appeared in a number of his operas, including Manon, one of Massenet's most enduring operas. Sibyl Sanderson is credited with launching the career of another famous soprano, Mary Garden. 

Louise Homer was an American operatic contralto best remembered for her performances at opera houses and concert halls between 1895 and 1932. After starting her career as a vaudeville entertainer, Louise Homer went on to become an important member of the famous Metropolitan Opera, where she performed between 1900 and 1929. 

Ellen Beach Yaw was an American coloratura soprano. Best remembered for her extraordinary vocal range, Yaw is credited with originating the titular character in Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan's two-act comic opera, The Rose of Persia. Ellen Beach Yaw also achieved immense popularity as a recording artist.

Italian opera singer Marietta Alboni is remembered for her impeccable bel canto performances. After achieving considerable fame with her role in Rossini’s Le Siège de Corinthe at Milan’s La Scala, she toured Austria, Germany, Spain, Russia, and the US, and eventually retired due to her obesity issues.

Italian operatic baritone Antonio Tamburini was born to a bandmaster father and was trained in music since childhood. He was 18 when he made his debut with La contessa di colle erbose. After gaining fame with his performances in Italy and Britain, he spent the final years of his career in Russia.