Adelina Patti was a Spanish-Italian opera singer who was born as Adela Juana Maria Patti in Madrid, Spain, in 1843. She achieved early professional recognition in 1851 after performing publicly as a child and is famous for the beauty of her lyrical voice and her bel canto technique. Patti made her professional operatic debut in 1859 in the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor at the Academy of Music in New York. In 1861, she performed the role of Amina in La sonnambula at Covent Garden, leading to a career in European capitals including Paris and Vienna. Her repertoire included roles such as Gilda in Rigoletto, Violetta in La traviata, and the title part in Aida. During an 1862 tour, she performed the song “Home! Sweet Home!” for President Abraham Lincoln. Her discography includes more than 30 recordings of operatic arias and songs produced between 1905 and 1906, featuring works from Don Giovanni and Martha. Patti gave her final public performance at a Red Cross concert in 1914. She died in 1919.
