Maria Caterina Rosalbina Caradori-Allan: Duel Winner and Composer for Women's Voices

Yes, you read that title correctly.

Maria Caradori-Allan challenged singer Maria Malibran to a duel at a concert in Manchester, England on September 14, 1836-the duel consisted of singing the quartet from Beethoven’s opera Fidelio and a duet called “Vanne se alberghi in petto” from composer Saverio Mercadante’s opera Andronica. Singing duels were common in those days and the two sopranos were both highly regarded at the time. Malibran was unwell, having survived a fall from a horse-drawn carriage a year prior, and a more recent fall from a horse while riding with friends. As a result of these injuries which may have been exacerbated by exhaustion and strain from the duel she sadly passed away just a week later.

We don’t know if Caradori-Allan knew of her rival’s ill health or not. Her own career had just reached new heights-she had created the role of Giulietta in Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi in Venice and performed the soprano in the British premiere of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. She would go on to sing in major festivals in the UK and be the soprano soloist for Mendelssohn’s Elijah. Her soprano repertoire is quite similar to mine in fact, and so I feel a singer’s inherent connection to the music she sang.

Her composing career was modest by comparison, but garnered the attention of the public as well. The Daily News of 12 July 1847 reviewed her compositions favourably:

...several new Italian airs and duets have appeared from the pen of Madame Caradori Allan, a lady long distinguished for her pure and graceful style in this species of composition. There are two duets, "Le Due Rose", and Il Canto del Trovadore", both for ladies’ voices [Good review follows, praising her harmonic competence]. But our favourite among these songs is "Il sospiro": it is quite a little gem, full of fanciful tenderness, and original and imaginative in every bar.

I have taken preliminary steps to locate her works through online searches, but only one is readily available in the public domain- Il Silfo. It is just the sort of song a coloratura soprano would sing, with runs up to high notes and leaps requiring vocal agility. Apparently, Maria Malibran wrote her own version of Il Silfo which I found through a quick Youtube search. I didn’t know their rivalry had extended to composition. I’ve been unable to find any recordings of Caradori-Allan’s Il Silfo, so it would be fun to include it on a future concert, recording session or album.

Through another interesting twist, Maria Malibran’s sister Pauline Viardot was a highly regarded singer and composer herself and her works are widely available to us today. She even has her own Spotify channel which you may enjoy.

If you’d like to help me perform Caradori-Allan’s music please consider a membership on Patreon. For as little as $5 a month you can help me fill more of my hours with practice, scholarship and educational opportunities to illuminate the voices of women composers like Caradori-Allan.