1. The Voice of the Century

In this chapter I sketch the figure of Luisa Tetrazzini, whom some contemporary commentators described as the voice of the century. In spite of all we know about her public image, professional life and career, not much can be gleaned about her inner thoughts and musical opinions. I put her figure in context and provide a description of those features that were considered typical of bel canto, a notion that needs further consideration. I touch on specific characteristics of her voice quality and technique, such as the voce bianca (white voice), vibrato and portamento.