The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Malibran, Maria Felicità
(mär´ä flstä´ mälbräN´) (KEY) , 1808–36, French-Spanish contralto. Malibran was the daughter of the tenor Manuel García and the sister of the mezzo Pauline Viardot. She made her opera debut in 1825 as Rosina in the The Barber of Seville in London. Celebrated especially for her dramatic and passionate interpretations of roles in Rossini’s and Bellini’s operas, Malibran’s voice was of unusual color and great range, extending into the soprano register.
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