Catalani [ka~] Angelica, *10 May 1780 Senigallia, †12 June 1849 Paris, Italian singer (soprano). She made her debut in 1795 in Venice in J.S. Mayr’s opera Lodoïska and for 30 years was the greatest attraction of the great European stages and opera houses (some even called this period the “Catalani era”), impressing especially with her phenomenal coloratura technique. She was a student of the famous castrato G. Crescentini and was the first to break the monopoly of castrati in the Italian ecclesiastical state to sing the main soprano parts in operas. She was adored especially in London and Paris (including for her masterly role as Iphigenia), where she ran the Théâtre des Italiens from 1814–1817. In 1818, she left the operatic stage but continued to perform with great success in concerts. In 1819-20, she visited Warsaw, Lviv, Krzemieniec, Vilnius and Kraków; a gold watch given by her to the ten-year-old Chopin in recognition of his talent has been preserved. In 1828, she continued to perform in London, impressing with her excellent vocal form. However, soon she retired completely from active concert life. In her villa in Florence, she established a tuition-free singing school for talented but indigent youth.
