Matilde Pretel

Matilde Pretel (1874 - 26 November 1965) was a Spanish singer. A soprano from Valencia, she is remembered for her performances in opera and zarzuela.

Biography

Pretel studied at the , Valencia. She debuted at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid in 1890 in the role of Robert (commonly played by a woman) in Ruperto Chapí's La tempestad. Her musical qualities as well as her showmanship and her physical beauty made her a favorite of the public and composers. Chapi wrote Mujer y reina (1895) and El estreno (1899) for Pretel. She was worked for various companies, including the Teatre Príncipe Alfonso, Teatre Circo de Price, Teatre de la Comèdia and finally the Teatro Apolo during the 1899-1900 season. She performed in works by Cristóbal Oudrid, Francisco Asenjo Barbieri, Emilio Arrieta, and Joaquín Gaztambide y Garbayo, among others. In 1900, Pretel left the Teatro Apolo and performed in various parts of Spain. She had her own zarzuela company with businessman Bonifacio Pinedo, but in 1909, she retired from performing, without stating her reasons, and settled permanently in Madrid. She was the first woman in Madrid, in the era of big hair buns, to cut her hair short.