Benedetta Rosmunda Pisaroni

Benedetta Rosmunda Pisaroni (Piacenza, 1793 – Piacenza, 1872) was an Italian singer who occupied a prominent place in opera during the first half of the nineteenth century. She began her career as a soprano and ended it as a contralto, a notable change in her vocal range.

She trained in Milan and made her debut in Bergamo in 1811 in Mayr's La rosa bianca e la rosa rossa. After appearing in Padua, Bologna and Venice, she took part in the premiere of Meyerbeer's Romilda e Costanza in Padua in 1817. Her time in Naples proved decisive: she created leading roles in three operas by Rossini, including Zomira in Ricciardo e Zoraide and Malcolm in La donna del lago. She then sang in Rome, at La Scala and in Paris, where she made her debut at the Théâtre Italien in 1827, and in London at the King's Theatre. Her last appearance at La Scala was in 1831, after which she retired.

Apparently, a serious illness in 1813 caused her to lose her high notes, so she cultivated the lower register, which gained considerable volume. Her vocal range, of almost three octaves, makes her a figure of real importance for understanding the Rossini repertoire of her time.