A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Frezzolini, Erminia

FREZZOLINI, Erminia, was born at Orvieto in 1818; received her first lessons in singing from her father, a buffo cantante; and afterwards from Nuncini at Florence. She had further instruction from the elder Ronconi at Milan, and from Manuel Garcia; and completed her musical education under Tacchinardi at Florence. In this town she made her débuts in 1838, in 'Beatrice di Tenda' and in the 'Marco Visconti' of Vaccaj. She sang also in that year at Siena and Ferrara, and in 1839 at Pisa, Reggio, Perugia, and Bologna. She played 'Lucrezia Borgia' at Milan in 1840 with brilliant éclat, and then went to Vienna. Returning to Turin, she married the tenor, Poggi; but continued to be known on the stage as Frezzolini. In 1842 (not 1841, as stated by Fétis) she came with her husband to London, during Grisi's temporary absence, but did not succeed in seizing the popular sympathy. 'She was an elegant, tall woman, born with a lovely voice, and bred into great vocal skill (of a certain order); but she was the first who arrived of the "young Italians"—of those who fancy that driving the voice to its extremities can stand in the stead of passion. But she was, nevertheless, a real singer; and her art stood her in stead for some years after nature broke down. When she had left her scarce a note of her rich and real soprano voice to scream with, Madame Frezzolini was still charming' (Chorley). In London, however, she never took root. She returned to Italy, and in 1848 was engaged for St. Petersburg. But the climate drove her back to Italy in two years. In 1850 she reappeared in London at Her Majesty's Theatre, and in 1853 was at Madrid. In November of that year she made her first appearance in Paris, in the 'Puritani'; but notwithstanding her stage-beauty, and her nobility of style and action, she could not achieve any success; her voice had suffered too much from wear and tear, and showed signs of fatigue. She subsequently met with the usual enthusiastic reception in America; but her career was over, and she has not been heard again in Europe. [App. p.642 "she died in Paris, Nov 5, 1884."]

[ J. M. ]