Francilla Pixis

She was initially trained by the pianist and composer Johann Peter Pixis who adopted her when she was 15 but also studied with Henriette Sontag and Ferdinando Paer.

She subsequently sang in Vienna, Paris, London, and Italy both on the opera stage and in successful concert tours with her adoptive father.

In 1840 she created the title role in Giovanni Pacini's Saffo, which he wrote expressly for her voice.

Pixis married a Sicilian nobleman, Giovanni di Sant'Onofrio del Castillo, in 1843 and retired from the stage three years later.

Their son, Ugo di Sant'Onofrio del Castillo, served in the Italian Parliament, first in the Chamber of Deputies from 1888 until 1913 and later in the Senate.