Luisa Todi

Luísa Todi was a popular and successful Portuguese mezzo-soprano opera singer. She began her career as an actress in Molière's play Tartuffe, and then married an Italian violinist and composer, Francesco Saverio Todi, who encouraged her to study singing with David Perez, a renowned Italian composer and music master of the Portuguese royal chapel. She debuted as a singer in 1770, and soon gained recognition for her talent and versatility. She performed in various European countries, such as England, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Russia, where she was admired by the public and the critics, as well as by the royalty and the nobility. She sang in different languages and styles, from opera seria to opera buffa, from sacred music to popular songs. She was praised for her expressive and powerful voice, her dramatic skills, and her musical taste. She was considered one of the best singers of her time, and was compared to other famous singers such as Gertrud Elisabeth Mara and Luigi Marchesi. She had a long and fruitful career, spanning over five decades, and retired in 1811. She died in Lisbon in 1833, at the age of 80. She left a legacy of admiration and respect for her art and her personality.