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The life of Adelina Patti could almost be the plot of an opera in itself. A child star from a musical family almost literally born on an opera stage, she rocketed to celebrity with her earliest performances to earn a fame that spanned continents and made her an extraordinary fortune. Thrice married, her personal life was tinged with scandal before...

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Today, as memory of past opera greats fades a bit, especially that of singers and impresarios who largely predated the age of recording, it is impressive that one of the first truly worldwide celebrities was a daughter of the Two Sicilies who studied and came of age in New York. Adelina Patti and her parents, siblings, and extended family toured th...

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