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Maria
Malibran once sang with Giovanni Battista Velluti, the last of
the great castratos, and was the daughter of Manuel Garcia and sister to Pauline
Viardot. Her sister and she were said to live in constant fear
of their father, and an old tale has it that two men passing the Garcia
home heard terrible screams coming from inside. One turned to the
other and asked whether or not they should call the police, and the
response was, "Never fear, it's only old Garcia beating cadenzas into
his daughters." Once Malibran fainted prior to going on in Semiramide,
and a draught of vinegar was used to revive her, but it left some
unsightly blisters on her lips. When she came to, Malibran took a
pair of scissors and calmly sliced the blisters off before marching
onstage. |
