Opera Singer. A soprano, she was a prima diva of mid-19th Century Europe, called upon to create roughly 20 operatic roles. Raised in a well-off family, she showed early evidence of talent and was sent to Bologna for study with Giovanni Tadolini. In 1827, she married the somewhat older Tadolini, a good friend of the composer Rossini. Tadolini made her professional debut at Florence in 1828; not surprisingly, the works of Rossini were to be a major part of her early career. Besides Rosina in "The Barber of Seville", Tadolini took-on the roles of Amenaida in "Tancredi", and the title characters of "Bianca a Faliero" and "Riccardo e Zoraide". After appearing as Giovanna Seymour in Gaetano Donizetti's "Anna Bolena" at London in 1831, she was to be closely associated with that composer for the remainder of her career. During the early 1830s she lived with her husband in Paris, and was part of a distinguished company at the Theatre-Italien; her marriage, however, was on the rocks, and following her 1834 divorce she returned to her native Italy. There she established herself as a major star, appearing at La Scala Milano, Teatro San Carlo, Naples (her main base), and other venues. Tadolini sang several of Vincenzo Bellini's creations, including the roles of Alaide in "La Straniera", the title heroine of "Norma", Elvira in "I Puritani", and Amina in "La Sonnambula". Traveling to Vienna, she was the title character for an 1842 prduction of "Anna Bolena", and, also in 1842, gave the world premiere of "Linda di Chamounix", which Donizetti had written for her. She performed in several of Maestro Donizetti's other operas, both tragic and comic, including "La Favorita" (Ines), "Don Pasquale" (Norina), and "L'elisir d'amore", with the composer penning Adina a cabaletta especially for her. Tadolini was to sing the 1847 Naples "world premiere" of "Poliuto" (as Paolina), though the work had been given in Paris seven years previously, in French, and under a different title. She appeared in a number of Giuseppe Verdi's works, to include Elvira in "Ernani", and Griselda in "I Lombardi", and was given the part of Maria de Rohan for the 1845 world premiere of "Alzira". In 1847, Tadolini sang several of the first performances of "Macbeth", and though Maestro Verdi tried to have her blocked from the Naples run, considering her too pretty for the evil Lady Macbeth, the San Carlo management refused to slight its prima donna. (Similar criticism had been voiced ten years earlier over her portrayal of Alaide). Tadolini made her "official London debut" in 1848 as Linda di Chamounix, though she had actually sang there 17 years earlier, albiet in a secondary part. She retired in 1852, initally living in Naples, and later relocating to Paris, where she died of typhoid fever.