Tebaldi, Renata (rānä`tä tābäl`dē), 1922–2004, Italian lyric soprano. She received early musical training at home and at the Boito Conservatory, Parma. In 1944 she made her professional debut and in 1946 sang at the reopening of La Scala in Milan. She was one of the most acclaimed members of the Metropolitan Opera company from 1955 to 1973, and retired from singing in 1976. Legendary for her superb musicianship and lustrously beautiful voice, Tebaldi sang and recorded in many countries and was particularly admired for her interpretations of the title roles in Tosca, Aïda, and Madama Butterfly.

Bibliography

See biographies by V. I. Seroff (1970), K. Harris (1975), and C. Casanova (1995).

Tebaldi, Renata

(born Feb. 1, 1922, Pesaro, Italy—died Dec. 19, 2004, San Marino) Italian soprano. After her debut in Mefistofele in 1944, she established herself at La Scala, performing with the conductor Arturo Toscanini for the 1946 reopening concert and over the next decade. Her debuts at Covent Garden (1950) and the Metropolitan Opera (1955) were both in the role of Desdemona, and she sang at the Met for 17 years in roles such as Tosca, Manon Lescaut, Mimi, and Violetta. She retired in 1976.