Great Singers, First Series / Faustina Bordoni To Henrietta Sontag

A collection of concise biographical sketches profiles celebrated operatic singers, tracing career milestones, signature roles, public rivalries, critical reception, and private anecdotes. The compiler synthesizes contemporary reviews, memoirs, and musical histories to convey each artist's vocal qualities, interpretive style, and notable performances, while paying attention to verified dates and facts. Individual chapters move through debuts, triumphs, declines, and retirements, and describe interactions with composers, colleagues, and audiences, offering a compact, source-based panorama of operatic life and taste as reflected in the lives of these leading vocalists.