Clara Anastasia Novello (1818-1908)

Media credit University of Leeds

Clara Anastasia Novello was born on 10 June 1818 at 240 Oxford Street in London, to Mary Sabilla and Vincent Novello. Her musical training began at a young age, first with John Robinson of York, with whom her brother (Joseph) Alfred Novello was an apprentice.  She continued her studies in Paris at the Institution Royale de Musique Classique et Religieuse under Alexandre Choron.

She met the Italian composer Rossini, who recognised her vocal ability and she continued to perform his work at his request. Clara returned to London in 1830 and began to sing in public regularly, first across Britain and then Europe. She sang for Mendelssohn when the Novellos hosted the composer above their shop on 9 July 1833 and this connection resulted in further performance opportunities. Around this time there was some public criticism that Clara was being promoted excessively by her parents and made to appear older than she was.

She studied opera in Milan in 1838 and began to perform in Italy. She met Conte Giovanni Battista Gigliucci in Fermo and they married on on 22 November 1843 in London. They settled in Italy and Clara retired from public performance to raise their four children: Giovanni (1844-1906), Porzia (1845-1938), Mario (1847-1937) and Valeria (1849-1945). The family left Fermo when their property was confiscated by the French after their Siege of Rome in 1849 and travelled around Europe until settling back in Italy following unification in 1861. During this time the family were supported by income from Clara’s performances. She retired for the final time in 1860. They lived between Fermo and Rome and she died in Rome on 12 March 1908.