Autographs of Emma Albani
Dame Emma Albani, DBE (born Marie-Louise-Emma-Cécile Lajeunesse; 1 November 1847 – 3 April 1930) was a Canadian-British operatic coloratura soprano, later spinto soprano and dramatic soprano of the 19th and early 20th century, the first Canadian singer to become an international star. Her repertoire focused on the operas of Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini and Wagner. She performed across Europe and North America.
Albani was born Marie-Louise-Emma-Cécile Lajeunesse in Chambly, Quebec, to the professional musician Joseph Lajeunesse and his wife, Mélina Mignault. Her parents were French-Canadians. Her date of birth is usually given as 1 November 1847, but other authors have placed her birth in 1848 or 1850, The Biographical Dictionary of America puts her birth on 18 September 1851, Who's Who in America says 1 November 1851, and Albani's memoir says 1852. She began her musical studies with her mother, and at age five her father took over her musical lessons. Her father was a proficient musician who was skilled with the violin, harp, piano and organ. He kept her on a strong practice regimen, with as much as four hours a day of lessons on the harp and piano.
The family moved to Plattsburgh, New York, in 1852. In 1856 after the death of her mother, she continued her education in a Montreal convent-school, run by the Dames du Sacré-Coeur where her father had obtained the position of Music Master. This afforded her a better education than she might otherwise receive, and additional musical instruction. On 24 August 1860 she and Adelina Patti were soloists in the world premiere of Charles Wugk Sabatier's Cantata in Montreal which was performed in honour of the visit of the Prince of Wales. She was also awarded a gold medal for musical composition from that convent. However, she was ultimately unable to finance a musical education in Quebec, where singing and acting were considered unsavoury careers for a woman, and her family moved to Albany, New York in 1865. Her father was unable to give her the training which her very fine voice deserved, but she obtained a place in the cathedral choir, where her singing attracted much attention, as it did in concerts, in which she not only sang but played on both the piano and harp. There she became a popular singer, an organist and teacher of singing and saved enough money to continue her studies.
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Current items with a signature of Emma Albani
These are the most current items with a signature of Emma Albani that were listed on eBay and on other online stores - click here for more items.
| Picture | Item Title | Price | Store |
 | Emma Albani, Operatic Soprano, SIGNED cabinet card photograph, 1876 | £54.50 |  |
Traded items with a signature of Emma Albani
The most expensive item with a signature of Emma Albani (Dame Emma Albani vintage cabinet postcard signed Soprano) was sold in June 2013 for £208.56 while the cheapest item (DAME EMMA ALBANI (1847-1930), SOPRANO, SIGNED CARD + ORIGINAL VINTAGE POSTCARD) found a new owner for £1.99 in November 2015. The month with the most items sold (2) was January 2015 with an average selling price of £14.99 for an autographed item of Emma Albani. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in June 2013 with £208.56 and the month that saw the lowest prices with £1.99 was November 2015. In average, an autographed item from Emma Albani is worth £11.95.
Most recently, these items with a signature of Emma Albani were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
| Picture | Item Title | Price | Store |
 | 15 SIGNED pieces, Opera Singers, Emma Albani, Blanche Marchesi, Ben Davis AMQS | £30.00 |  |
| 1909 Emma Albani SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH signature autograph opera simnger | £14.00 | |
| Autograph letter signed by the Canadian soprano, Emma Albani, 1908 | £25.99 | |
| AUTOGRAPH OF OPERA SINGER Dame Emma Albani soprano on her embossed paper | £9.99 | |
| AUTOGRAPHED PHOTO OF OPERA SINGER Dame Emma Albani soprano | £30.00 | |
| Dame Emma Albani [1847-1930] - opera singer - original autograph sentence | £10.99 | |
| DAME EMMA ALBANI GYE ; CANADIAN SOPRANO HAND SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH CARD | £75.00 | |
| Emma Albani (1847-1930), opera singer - autograph | £4.25 | |
| Emma Albani Gye 19th Century Opera Singer Genuine Signed Piece 1890 + Letter | £24.99 | |
| Emma Albani – Canadian Soprano – Opera – Authentic Signature | £4.99 | |
| Emma Albani, Canadian Soprano, SIGNED visiting card, 1875 | £25.00 | |
| Emma Albani, Soprano, ALS, SIGNED letter, 1904 | £9.99 | |
| Original Hand Signed Autograph - Emma Albani Gye - Canadian Opera Singer - 1896 | £4.95 | |
| Original Hand Signed Autograph - Emma Albani Gye - Opera Soprano | £11.95 | |
| SIGNED POSTCARD PHOTOGRAPH FROM EMMA ALBANI CANADIAN BORN SOPRANO 1847-1930 | £27.00 | |
