Isabella Colbran was a Spanish opera singer, who was known in her native country as Isabel Colbrandt. Many sources note her as a dramatic

Dramatic

Dramatic may refer to:* Drama, a literary form involving parts for actors* Dramatic, a voice type classification in European classical music, describing a specific vocal weight and range at the lower end of a given voice part...

 coloratura

Coloratura

Coloratura has several meanings. The word is originally from Italian, literally meaning "coloring", and derives from the Latin word colorare . When used in English, the term specifically refers to elaborate melody, particularly in vocal music and especially in operatic singing of the 18th and...

 soprano

Soprano

A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...

 but, some believe that she was a mezzo-soprano

Mezzo-soprano

A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...

 with a high extension, a soprano sfogato

Soprano sfogato

In the art of singing, the term "soprano sfogato" designates a singer capable of by sheer industry or natural talent to extend her upper range and be able to encompass the coloratura soprano tessitura...

. In addition to singing, she also composed four collections of songs throughout her lifetime. Each group of songs was dedicated to either the Empress of Russia; her teacher, Crescenti; the Queen of Spain; and Prince Eugènie de Beauharnais.

Colbran in Naples

In the early years of the 19th century the prestigious Teatro San Carlo in Naples

Naples

Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...

 considered itself to be the finest opera house in Italy. Hence, they engaged not only the best singers of the day but the greatest composers as well. The prima donna of the company was Isabella Colbran, admired not only by the Neapolitan public, but was also by the King of Naples. In addition, she proved to be the darling of the theater's impresario Domenico Barbaia

Domenico Barbaia

Domenico Barbaia was an Italian impresario.An energetic man, Barbaia, who was born in Milan, began his career by running a coffee shop...

 with whom she had an affair. To complement Colbran's talents Barbaia engaged Gioachino Rossini, to compose a series of operas for the company. Consequently, in 1815 when Isabella was at the peak of her popularity, Rossini composed the title role of Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra

Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra

Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra, is a dramma per musica or opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Giovanni Schmidt, from the play The Page of Leicester by Carlo Federici...

("Elizabeth, Queen of England") especially for her upon his arrival in Naples.

Rossini's next Neapolitan opera was Otello, ossia il Moro di Venezia

Otello (Rossini)

Otello is an opera in three acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Berio di Salsi, based on Shakespeare's play Othello....

in which Isabella sang the role of Desdemona. The opera proved to be immensely popular and Isabella was indeed at the height of her powers. However, shortly thereafter, her voice began to change and showed signs of strain. Even so, she continued confidently with her career, and created the roles of Armida (Armida

Armida (Rossini)

Armida is an opera in three acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Schmidt, based on scenes from Gerusalemme liberata by Torquato Tasso.-Performance history:...

), Elcia (Mosè in Egitto

Mosè in Egitto

Mosè in Egitto is a three-act opera written by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, which was based on a play by Francesco Ringhieri, L'Osiride, of 1760....

), Zoraide (Ricciardo e Zoraide

Ricciardo e Zoraide

Ricciardo e Zoraide is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Francesco Berio de Salsa...

), Ermione (Ermione

Ermione

Ermione is a tragic opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, based on the play Andromaque by Jean Racine.- Performance history :...

), Elena (La donna del lago

La donna del lago

La donna del lago is an opera by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola, based on The Lady of the Lake, a poem by Sir Walter Scott.This opera was the first to be based on Scott's romantic works...

), Anna (Maometto II

Maometto II

Maometto II is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini, to an Italian libretto by Cesare della Valle, set in the 1470s during the time of the war between the Turks and Venetians. Della Valle based his libretto on his earlier play Anna Erizo...

), and Zelmira (Zelmira

Zelmira

Zelmira is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola. Based on the French play, Zelmire by de Belloy, it was the last of the composer's Neapolitan operas...

), all written by Rossini for Naples.

Colbran and Rossini

Eventually Isabella left Barbaia and became increasingly involved with Rossini. The two were married in 1822. The couple visited Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

 and later Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

, where Rossini composed Semiramide

Semiramide

Semiramide is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini.The libretto by Gaetano Rossi is based on Voltaire's tragedy Semiramis, which in turn was based on the legend of Semiramis of Babylon...

. Isabella created the title role, and even though the opera itself proved to be tremendously successful and was specifically designed to disguise her waning talents, she nonetheless disappointed the public. On a subsequent visit to London, her vocal problems became increasingly pronounced which contributed to her decision to retire from the stage. Rossini wrote additional operas before he himself retired from operatic composition in 1829 (including Il viaggio a Reims

Il viaggio a Reims

Il viaggio a Reims, ossia L'albergo del giglio d'oro is an operatic dramma giocoso, originally performed in three acts, by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Balocchi, based in part on Corinne, ou L'Italie by Mme de Staël.Rossini's last opera in the Italian language Il viaggio a...

, Le comte Ory

Le comte Ory

Le comte Ory is an opéra written by Gioachino Rossini in 1828. Some of the music originates from his opera Il viaggio a Reims written three years earlier for the coronation of Charles X...

, and William Tell

William Tell (opera)

Guillaume Tell is an opera in four acts by Gioachino Rossini to a French libretto by Etienne de Jouy and Hippolyte Bis, based on Friedrich Schiller's play Wilhelm Tell. Based on the legend of William Tell, this opera was Rossini's last, even though the composer lived for nearly forty more years...

), but none for Isabella.

Colbran and Rossini ultimately separated in 1837, but Rossini made sure she was properly taken care of up until the time of her death in 1845. To Colbran's credit, Rossini always considered her to be the greatest interpreters of his works
.

Voice

Her timbre was "sweet, mellow" and she had a rich middle register.

Rossini's music that was written for her indicates she had a perfect mastery of trills, half-trills, staccato, legato, ascending and descending scales, and octave leaps.

Her vocal range extended from F-sharp below the staff to E above. On good days, she was able to hit a high F.

Sources

• The Oxford Dictionary of Opera, by John Warrack and Ewan West (1992), 782 pages, ISBN 0-19-869164-5
• Women Composers: A Heritage of Song, p. 50, ed. Carol Kimball (2004), Hal Leonard.