Giuseppina Vitali facts for kids

Giuseppina Vitali Augusti was a talented Italian woman who lived a long time ago. She was a famous singer (a soprano), wrote music, and was also a writer! She was born on March 1, 1845, and passed away on February 15, 1915.

Early Life and Family

Giuseppina was born in a city called Odessa. Her parents, Raphael and Claudia, were both singers. They even started their own singing school in Bologna, where Giuseppina learned to sing. Her uncle, Raffaele Ferlotti, who was also a singer and performed at the famous La Scala opera house, helped teach her too.

In 1871, Giuseppina married Augusto Paoletti. He was also a singer, known as Paolo Augusti on stage. They had three daughters named Claudina, Ida, and Augusta. When Giuseppina performed, she used the name "Giuseppina Vitali-Augusti." But when she published her songs and poems, she used "Giuseppina Vitali."

A Star on Stage

Giuseppina started her singing career very young. At just 17 years old, she performed for the first time in Modena. She played the role of Gilda in Giuseppe Verdi's famous opera, Rigoletto.

She became very popular and sang important roles in theaters all over Europe. She even performed in Egypt! Giuseppina was also very kind. In Prague, she gave the money from some of her performances to help different charities. These included helping build Prague's National Theater and supporting other groups.

A Special Role

A very famous composer named Gioachino Rossini thought Giuseppina was amazing. In 1866, he actually changed a part in his opera, The Thieving Magpie, just for her to sing! This shows how talented she was.

Later Life and Legacy

Giuseppina stopped performing on stage in 1894. This happened after a theater in Barcelona, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, had to close for repairs because of a bomb explosion.

After leaving the stage, she moved to Rome. There, she focused on writing poems and songs. She also taught singing to others. One of her students, Elisa Petri, became a famous soprano too. Giuseppina's music was published by a well-known company called Casa Ricordi. She even translated one of Gaetano Donizetti's songs from French into Italian.

Giuseppina Vitali Augusti's talent is still remembered today. In 2017, a special award for opera singers was created in her name. It's called the Giuseppina Vitali Prize, and it was also given out in 2019.