Giulia Grisi was the 19th century's most celebrated soprano and a true operatic icon.

Music · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Beyond her legendary voice, Giulia Grisi lived a life of high-stakes drama that rivaled the operas she performed. From dueling noblemen to secret affairs and a tumultuous divorce, this Italian prima donna captivated Europe and America, leaving an indelible mark on the history of the 19th-century stage.

Born in Milan in 1811, Giulia Grisi emerged from a musically gifted family to become one of the most prominent sopranos of her era. Her career, which spanned three decades, began with a stage debut in 1828 in Rossini's Zelmira. She quickly gained the attention of masters like Bellini and Rossini, eventually creating iconic roles such as Adalgisa in Norma and Elvira in I puritani. Critics of the time frequently praised her dramatic soprano voice for its exceptional beauty, smoothness, and evenness.

Grisi's personal life was as intense as her professional one. Her first marriage to the French nobleman Count Gérard de Melcy was deeply unhappy, leading to a public scandal when her husband discovered a letter from Lord Castlereagh, the 4th Marquess of Londonderry. The ensuing duel between the two men in 1838 resulted in the Count's separation from Grisi. She later found lasting happiness with the tenor Giovanni Matteo de Candia, known as Mario, with whom she had six daughters and shared a life between London, Paris, and Italy.

The partnership between Grisi and Mario was both romantic and professional. They were international celebrities, famously touring the United States in 1854. Together with colleagues like Luigi Lablache and Antonio Tamburini, they helped establish Italian opera as a cornerstone of the London music scene. Even after her death in Berlin in 1869, her legacy endured through her husband's charitable donations to the Paris Opera and the memoirs written by their daughter, Cecilia Maria de Candia, which offered a rare glimpse into the life of a great singer.

While her life was marked by success, it was also defined by the complexities of 19th-century social conventions. From the legal battles required to secure her divorce to the private family vacations she cherished in Bordighera, Grisi navigated a world of aristocracy and art. Today, she remains a figure of fascination, remembered not just for her vocal prowess, but for the resilience and passion she brought to every aspect of her extraordinary life.

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