Memorabilia -> Opera Memorabilia
Maria Callas may be the best known female opera singer of our time. While Pavarotti is an internationally recognized name, Callas was the soprano whom most people had heard of. She was an American-born singer of Greek descent who came to be called La Divina by the opera-going community.
She was born in New York in 1923 but the family soon moved to Greece, where she received her musical education. Then she moved to Italy and established herself as a singer of note. Early in her career she was a full-figured woman, as many successful operatic singers are, but mid-career she shed 80 pounds and was often hailed as one of the most beautiful women to ever grace opera’s stage. Maria Callas also had extreme myopia, requiring thick glasses which of course couldn’t be worn on the opera stage, so she was essentially blind throughout many of her early performances.
Maria Callas often had to endure gossip in the press that sometimes seemed to overshadow the achievements of her career, including tales of her rivalry with singer Renata Tebaldi and her affair with Aristotle Onassis. When her voice began to decline, the press was not kind to her, but many fans and critics still hail her as the original diva, and the voice that defined opera.
Her official debut on the professional stage was in 1942, and very quickly critics began to take note of her voice. Even those who critically panned her could not deny that if nothing else, her voice was instantly recognizable. She was a mezzo-soprano with a range of three full octaves. Her tendency to start with the lower registers and sing them richly was often blamed for the later decline of her voice, with her having difficulty hitting the highest notes and maintaining them. Maria Callas was only 53 when she died in 1977 of a heart attack.
For those interested in Maria Callas collectibles, her recordings, particularly those on large record albums, are good items to collect, though if you’re looking for items of hers purely for listening enjoyment the remastered CDs of her performances will be the items you’ll want to purchase.
You can find books about Maria Callas, as well as recordings and other items in most online bookstores and in the larger chain bookstores. Other popular items like ticket stubs from her performances and even signed photographs can be found by looking in places like shops that deal in autographs, and online auctions like those at eBay.com
The biggest drawback to looking for Maria Callas items, particularly signed ones, at places like eBay is that you can’t be sure if the autograph is genuine. Be sure to investigate by finding known examples of her autograph online in several places, then examine the autograph on the item you’re wanting to purchase carefully to see if it’s close enough to have been written by her, without looking too perfectly exact. If it’s exact, it’s just as likely to be a fake as if it looks wildly different.
Originally posted 2008-12-10 14:00:33. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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