| LC control no. | sh2006006347 |
|---|---|
| Topical heading | Prima donnas (Singers) |
| Variant(s) | Prime donne (Singers) |
| See also | Women singers |
| Found in | Work cat.: Rutherford, S. The prima donna and opera, 1815-1930, 2006: p. 1-2 (prime donne, a group of working artists; female singers; focus of the book is on the singer who aspired to become a prima donna) Web. 3 (Prima donna (plural: prima donnas). The leading or a principal female singer in an opera or concert organization) OED online, Aug. 22, 2006 (Prima donna (plural: prime donne, (prima donnas)). The first or principal female singer in an opera) New Grove online, Aug. 28, 2006 ((It.: 'first lady'). The leading female role in an opera, often though not always a soprano; by extension, the leading female singer on the roster of an opera company (although a prima donna role could be played by a castrato); later, a vain, capricious person. The term seems to derive from Italian commedia dell'arte; the establishment of the term 'prima donna' in opera came largely with the rise of opera seria, in which a smaller cast of more regular constitution generally included two women, both with substantial parts but one as a rule more prominent) |
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