Emma Albertazzi

Emma Albertazzi (née Howson; 1 May 1815 – 25 September 1847) was an English operatic contralto. She began her opera career in Italy, France and Spain, making her British debut in 1837. Critics praised the beauty of her voice but found her acting too "ladylike" and lacking energy. She also sang prolifically on the concert stage. After giving birth to her fifth child, she returned briefly to singing, but died only months later at the age of 32.

Early life and career Albertazzi was born in Streatham, London, the daughter of Francis Howson (died 1863), an English music professor, and his wife Sarah, née Tanner (died 1839). She had three brothers and a sister, several of whom became performers and some of whom established the Howson family musical dynasty in Australia; her niece was Emma Howson.

During this time, her old singing teacher, Andrea Costa, sued her for 50% of her operatic earnings, based on the contracts that her parents and husband had signed. In Paris, in November 1839, she gave birth to her second daughter, Marianna Emma Clotilde Lucrecia Albertazzi. She soon returned for a summer concert tour of Europe and Britain. At the end of 1840, she rejoined the Théâtre des Italiens and followed the season with touring in Europe, avoiding London where the Costa case continued in the courts and the press. In 1841–1842, along with her operatic roles, Albertazzi continued to sing in may concerts, including in the première of Rossini's Stabat Mater. However, his near contemporary, dramatic author, Edward Fitzball took a different view: "As Ninetta in La Gazza Ladra, a more beautiful representative ... never presented itself to the tearful eye, or tender heart. ... Her voice was unsurpassable. ... Her singing of 'Di Piacer' is not to be described. [Her] … voice and execution have seldom been surpassed by a foreigner.