{"id":29438,"date":"2023-06-27T14:30:31","date_gmt":"2023-06-27T12:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/?p=185754"},"modified":"2023-06-27T15:40:01","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T13:40:01","slug":"10-best-singers-of-all-time-are-these-the-greatest","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/10-best-singers-of-all-time-are-these-the-greatest\/","title":{"rendered":"10 best singers of all time: are these the greatest?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"rssexcerpt\"> Our round up of the best singers of all time <\/p><p class=\"rssauthor\">By Hannah Nepilova\n                \t\t<\/p><p class=\"rssbyline\">Published: Tuesday, 27 June 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p><hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/><?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\" standalone=\"yes\"?>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body> <p><strong>What makes a star singer? Other than a good voice, of course. The last few hundred years have produced more good singers that we can even begin to count. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s that particular alchemy of personal gifts \u2013 and I say \u2018personal\u2019 because personality is fundamental to the whole package \u2013 that makes for a once in a generation phenomenon. Not that everyone will be unanimous on who that happens to be.<\/p>\n<p>Here is our list of ten best singers, and feel free to disagree with our choices!<\/p>\n<h2>Best singers ever<\/h2>\n<h3><b>1.<\/b><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/luciano-pavarotti\/&quot;\"><b>Luciano Pavarotti<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">Is this the first name that came to your mind? It\u2019s the first that came to mine. A man of many sides \u2013 charming, boyish, unreliable, demanding, jovial, philandering, and many other adjectives besides \u2013 Luciano Pavarotti wasn\u2019t everyone\u2019s favourite human being: he was famously banned for life from the Lyric Opera of Chicago after cancelling 26 out of 41 scheduled appearances over an eight year period.<\/p>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">But the fact remains: whether you put it down to the stadium-filling vocal power, the honeyed tone or the colossal charisma, the talent of this Italian tenor towered over that of almost all other singers, and continues to do so 15 years after his death. We named him one of the<strong><a class=\"&quot;standard-card-new__article-title&quot;\" href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/20-greatest-tenors-all-time\/&quot;\"> greatest tenors of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<iframe title=\"&quot;Luciano\" pavarotti=\"\" sings=\"\" dorma=\"\" from=\"\" turandot=\"\" three=\"\" tenors=\"\" in=\"\" concert=\"\" width=\"&quot;200&quot;\" height=\"&quot;150&quot;\" src=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cWc7vYjgnTs?feature=oembed&quot;\" frameborder=\"&quot;0&quot;\" allow=\"&quot;accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3><b>2.Maria Callas<\/b><\/h3>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">Born in New York to Greek immigrant parents, <strong><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/maria-callas\/&quot;\">Maria Callas<\/a><\/strong> grew up in an unstable household \u2013 her mother eventually left her father, taking their young daughters with her to Athens.<\/p>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">Later on she herself became known for the turbulence of her personal life. As for her voice \u2013 it divided critics, with one stating that its timbre \u2018considered purely as sound, was essentially ugly: \u2026a thick sound, which gave the impression of dryness, or aridity.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">Yet it was an unforgettable voice \u2013 penetrating,<span class=\"&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;\">\u00a0 <\/span>and full of communicative power \u2013 especially when allied to her considerable dramatic talent. It was for this reason that she was widely hailed as <i>La Divina <\/i>(\u2018the Divine one\u2019), while <strong><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/reviews\/historical\/leonard-bernstein-2\/&quot;\">Leonard Bernstein<\/a><\/strong> called her \u2018the Bible of opera\u2019, which pretty much tells you what you need to know.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\"&quot;Maria\" callas=\"\" sings=\"\" diva=\"\" norma=\"\" act=\"\" width=\"&quot;200&quot;\" height=\"&quot;150&quot;\" src=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/s-TwMfgaDC8?feature=oembed&quot;\" frameborder=\"&quot;0&quot;\" allow=\"&quot;accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3><b>3. Renata Tebaldi<\/b><\/h3>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">The supposed rival of Maria Callas, <strong><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/renata-tebaldi\/&quot;\">Renata Tebaldi<\/a> <\/strong>might not have had quite the former\u2019s expressive dynamism. But she had one thing that Callas did not: a classically beautiful sound. In fact Callas herself once said in an interview: \u2018Sometimes, I actually wish I had [Tebaldi\u2019s] voice\u2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">Rich and even, with perfectly produced tones, and a poignant, but never over sentimental quality, that voice served her well in the role of many a tragic heroine \u2013 most notably Mimi, Violetta and <strong><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/when-and-why-did-verdi-write-aida\/&quot;\">Aida<\/a><\/strong>. Was there a sad quality to Tebaldi herself? The singer, who never married, once told <i>The Times <\/i>that she had no regrets about her single life: \u2018I was in love many times. This is very good for a woman. [But] how could I have been a wife, a mother and a singer? Who takes care of the piccolini when you go around the world? Your children would not call you Mama, but Renata.\u2019<\/p>\n<iframe title=\"&quot;Renata\" tebaldi=\"\" o=\"\" mio=\"\" babbino=\"\" caro=\"\" width=\"&quot;200&quot;\" height=\"&quot;150&quot;\" src=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zFypui1xKlk?feature=oembed&quot;\" frameborder=\"&quot;0&quot;\" allow=\"&quot;accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<section class=\"&quot;highlight\"> <div class=\"&quot;highlight__content\" editor-content=\"\"> \n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/best-jazz-singers-ever\/&quot;\"><b>15 best jazz singers ever<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/best-blues-singers\/&quot;\"><b>Best blues singers: are these the greatest ever blues singers?<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/why-do-opera-singers-use-so-much-vibrato\/&quot;\"><b>Why do opera singers use so much vibrato?<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> <\/p><\/div> <\/section> <h3><b>4. Pl\u00e1cido Domingo<\/b><\/h3>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">One of \u2018The Three Tenors\u2019, the operatic supergroup of the 1990s which also included Pavarotti and Jos\u00e9 Carreras, this tenor-turned-baritone is that rare thing: a superstar singer with a gorgeous voice, whose fame has not come at the expense of warmth,<span class=\"&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;\">\u00a0 <\/span>commitment, good taste or sensitivity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">Born to musician parents, <a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/placido-domingo\/&quot;\"><strong>Pl\u00e1cido<\/strong> <strong>Domingo<\/strong><\/a> started his singing career in his twenties, and has since sung an enormous number of roles, many of them taken from the world of Italian opera, but also French, Russian and, in latter years, German opera \u2013 especially Wagner. A self-confessed workaholic, he also conducts opera, is in charge of the Washington National Opera and the Los Angeles Opera, and has recorded Christmas albums and discs of popular Italian and Spanish songs.<span class=\"&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<iframe title=\"&quot;Pl\u00e1cido\" domingo=\"\" sings=\"\" agust=\"\" lara:=\"\" granada=\"\" the=\"\" three=\"\" tenors=\"\" in=\"\" concert=\"\" width=\"&quot;200&quot;\" height=\"&quot;113&quot;\" src=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nR6CIYgEJbE?feature=oembed&quot;\" frameborder=\"&quot;0&quot;\" allow=\"&quot;accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/best-recordings-soprano-kiri-te-kanawa\/&quot;\"><b>5.\u00a0 Kiri Te Kanawa<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">She grew up in a remote corner of New Zealand, and ended up one of the world\u2019s most famous opera divas. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa\u2019s career was not the most conventional, particularly given that she started out as a pop star and entertainer at clubs in New Zealand.<\/p>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">But it was inexorable. That\u2019s because Te Kanawa, who is of Maori and European heritage, had the kind of voice \u2013 mellow, warm, rich and completely unforced- that only comes around once in a blue moon. She enrolled without an audition, and without an operatic singing technique, at the London Opera Centre in 1966; three years later she was singing the role of the Countess in <i\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\"><i>The Marriage of Figaro<\/i> under conductor Colin Davis, who famously said of her audition: \u2018I couldn\u2019t believe my ears. I\u2019ve taken thousands of auditions, but it was such a fantastically beautiful voice.\u2019 She went on to perform a huge number of roles, specialising in the music of<strong><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/mozart\/&quot;\"> Mozart<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/richard-strauss\/&quot;\">Strauss<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/giuseppe-verdi\/&quot;\">Verdi<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/george-frideric-handel\/&quot;\">Handel<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/giacomo-puccini\/&quot;\">Puccini<\/a><\/strong>, and won a number of accolades, including the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. She announced her retirement in 2017.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\"&quot;Kiri\" te=\"\" kanawa=\"\" o=\"\" mio=\"\" babbino=\"\" caro=\"\" width=\"&quot;200&quot;\" height=\"&quot;113&quot;\" src=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1TQFYxrcz_Q?feature=oembed&quot;\" frameborder=\"&quot;0&quot;\" allow=\"&quot;accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3><b>6.<\/b><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/listen\/podcast\/first-listen-cecilia-bartoli-st-petersburg\/&quot;\"><b> Cecilia Bartoli<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">Born in Rome , where her singer parents were members of the Rome Opera Chorus, Bartoli has often joked that when she was a child, her babysitters were the likes of <strong><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/gioachino-rossini\/&quot;\">Rossini<\/a><\/strong> and Verdi. Her vocal coach, however, was her mother, Silvana Bazzoni, who inculcated in her daughter a sense of intense discipline and helped her to find her unique voice. And what a voice it was: quicksilver in its agility, enormous in range.<\/p>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">Glyndebourne famously failed to recognise its potential, telling her that they were looking for a more \u2018Mozartian singer\u2019, even though Bartoli sold 200,000 copies of her recording of Mozart arias shortly afterwards. \u2018These things can happen,\u2019 <strong><a href=\"&quot;http:\/\/theguardian.com\/books\/2001\/oct\/13\/books.guardianreview5&quot;\">Bartoli was quoted as saying in The Guardian:<\/a><\/strong> \u2018When Verdi did his audition at the conservatory they turned him down and said that he wasn\u2019t musical.<\/p>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">That is worse than me being turned down by Glyndebourne.\u2019<span class=\"&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;\">\u00a0 <\/span>Later on, Bartoli specialised in some relatively obscure corners of the repertoire, including lesser known fare by <strong><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/christoph-willibald-gluck\/&quot;\">Gluck<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/antonio-vivaldi\/&quot;\">Vivaldi<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 but her popularity did not dwindle. She remains widely acknowledged as one of the finest coloratura mezzo-sopranos in the world.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\"&quot;OPERA\" planet=\"\" cecilia=\"\" bartoli=\"\" da=\"\" due=\"\" venti=\"\" vivaldi=\"\" ultra=\"\" hd=\"\" width=\"&quot;200&quot;\" height=\"&quot;113&quot;\" src=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2O9OfxS0r08?feature=oembed&quot;\" frameborder=\"&quot;0&quot;\" allow=\"&quot;accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<section class=\"&quot;highlight\"> <div class=\"&quot;highlight__content\" editor-content=\"\"> \n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/famous-opera-songs\/&quot;\"><b>10 of the most famous opera songs<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/famous-opera-houses\/&quot;\"><b>10 of the most famous opera houses<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/20-greatest-operas-all-time\/&quot;\"><b>The 20 greatest operas of all time<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> <\/p><\/div> <\/section> <h3><b>7.<\/b><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/enrico-caruso\/&quot;\"><b> Enrico Caruso<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">Enrico Caruso is one of the earliest great singers whose voice is still available to us from his recordings. Born in Naples, the third of seven children, to a poor but not destitute family (his father was a mechanic and foundry worker), Caruso was encouraged in his early musical ambitions by his mother.<\/p>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">He initially found work as a street singer in Naples, making his professional stage debut at the Theatre Nuovo in Naples in the now-forgotten opera <i>L\u2019Amico Francesco<span class=\"&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/i> by Mario Morelli. He went on to gain a huge following, known as much for his natural sense of showmanship as he was for his powerful and seemingly effortless voice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">Notorious, too, was his charm and cheek: he was arrested for indecent assault at the New York Zoo, outside the monkey house, and found guilty of pinching a lady\u2019s bottom, but claimed that a monkey had done it. Distinctive as a man and as a musician, he is still considered by many to be the most famous opera star of all time, with many singers continuing to draw influence from his vocal mannerisms.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\"&quot;Una\" furtiva=\"\" lagrima=\"\" enrico=\"\" caruso=\"\" remastered.=\"\" width=\"&quot;200&quot;\" height=\"&quot;150&quot;\" src=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/t936rzOt3Zc?feature=oembed&quot;\" frameborder=\"&quot;0&quot;\" allow=\"&quot;accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3><strong>8. <\/strong><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/joan-sutherland\/&quot;\"><strong>Joan Sutherland<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">With a <strong>career<\/strong> that lasted almost four decades, Joan Sutherland had perhaps the most compelling soprano voice of her age:\u00a0warm, enormous in range, seemingly effortless and versatile enough to wrap itself around pretty much any repertoire.<\/p>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\"><span class=\"&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;\">Born in Sydney, Australia, to Scottish parents, she was 18 when she began seriously studying the voice. She trained to be a Wagnerian dramatic soprano, but under the advice of her husband, the conductor Richard Bonynge, ventured elsewhere, eventually specialising in the bel canto repertoire.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\"><span class=\"&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;\"> Critics showered her with superlatives, while fans often referred to her as \u2018The Voice of the Century,\u2019 and yet, even at the end of her career, Sutherland retained a shyness and a modesty that set her apart from many an opera diva.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>We named Sutherland one of the<a class=\"&quot;standard-card-new__article-title&quot;\" href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/20-greatest-sopranos-all-time\/&quot;\"> greatest sopranos of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul><li><strong><a class=\"&quot;standard-card-new__article-title&quot;\" href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/dame-joan-sutherlands-best-operatic-roles\/&quot;\">Dame Joan Sutherland\u2019s best operatic roles<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<iframe title=\"&quot;Joan\" sutherland=\"\" non=\"\" giunge=\"\" high=\"\" eb=\"\" staccato=\"\" width=\"&quot;200&quot;\" height=\"&quot;113&quot;\" src=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KQ7IT5T9ef0?feature=oembed&quot;\" frameborder=\"&quot;0&quot;\" allow=\"&quot;accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3><b>9.<\/b><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/news\/jonas-kaufmann-crowned-best-male-singer-opera-awards\/&quot;\"><b> Jonas Kaufmann<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">Some call him \u2018the hottest tenor in the world\u2019. I couldn\u2019t possibly comment. One Australian critic called him \u2018the sort of man your mother warned you about.\u2019 I couldn\u2019t comment about that either.<\/p>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">But Kaufmann is undeniably one of the most bankable operatic tenors in the world. Gifted with superb acting skills and a a remarkable voice \u2013 as bewitching at both ends of its expansive range, he has a huge repertoire, encompassing opera, <strong>lieder<\/strong>, operetta, cabaret, <strong><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/christmas-carols\/&quot;\">carols<\/a><\/strong> and more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">But many know him best as the preeminent Wagnerian of today. Born in Munich to a musical, if not <i>musician<\/i> family \u2013 his father worked for an insurance company; his mother was a kindergarten teacher \u2013 Kaufmann grew up studying the piano and singing in school choirs. He was all set to study mathematics at university, then changed his mind, and, in the summer of 1989, began his vocal training at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich. Now, at 53, he presides over a kind of mass hysteria, with legions of fans scrambling for tickets to his every performance.<span class=\"&quot;Apple-converted-space&quot;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<iframe title=\"&quot;Jonas\" kaufmann=\"\" parla=\"\" pi=\"\" piano=\"\" live=\"\" width=\"&quot;200&quot;\" height=\"&quot;113&quot;\" src=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nvkVakdV4z8?feature=oembed&quot;\" frameborder=\"&quot;0&quot;\" allow=\"&quot;accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<section class=\"&quot;highlight\"> <div class=\"&quot;highlight__content\" editor-content=\"\"> \n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-operas-for-beginners\/&quot;\"><b>best operas for beginners: 5 operas newbies can\u2019t help being enthralled by<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-christmas-operas\/&quot;\"><b>The best Christmas operas of all time<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/the-scariest-operas-how-the-supernatural-world-has-inspired-opera-composers\/&quot;\"><b>The scariest operas: how the supernatural world has inspired opera composers<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> <\/p><\/div> <\/section> <h3><b>10.<\/b><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/leontyne-price\/&quot;\"><b> Leontyne Price<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">Not only was Leontyne Price \u2013 now 96 \u2013 one of the best Verdi sopranos of her time, but she was instrumental in breaking down musical barriers, becoming the first African American woman to sing a leading role at <strong><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/when-was-milans-la-scala-built\/&quot;\">La Scala in Milan<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">Born in Mississippi, US, to a carpenter and a midwife, she displayed her musical talent from an early age, beginning piano lessons with a local pianist when she was three and a half. As a black woman in a highly segregated state, she initially embarked on the only available musical career path open to her: music education, studying at Central State University, a historically black school in Wilberforce, Ohio.<\/p>\n<p class=\"&quot;p1&quot;\">While there she participated in a masterclass with the renowned bass Paul Robeson, who, impressed by her voice, helped to help raise money that would allow her to study at the <strong><a href=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/the-juilliard-school-history-and-famous-alumni\/&quot;\">Juilliard.<\/a><\/strong> She went on to have a long and prolific career, widely praised for her warm and luscious voice, as well as her apparently effortless capacity to fill an opera house.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\"&quot;Leontyne\" price=\"\" sings=\"\" aida=\"\" patria=\"\" mia=\"\" width=\"&quot;200&quot;\" height=\"&quot;150&quot;\" src=\"&quot;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IaV6sqFUTQ4?feature=oembed&quot;\" frameborder=\"&quot;0&quot;\" allow=\"&quot;accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> Our round up of the best singers of all time <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":29439,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"9"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/06\/10-best-singers-of-all-time-are-these-the-greatest.jpg",634,564,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/06\/10-best-singers-of-all-time-are-these-the-greatest-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/06\/10-best-singers-of-all-time-are-these-the-greatest-300x267.jpg",300,267,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/06\/10-best-singers-of-all-time-are-these-the-greatest.jpg",634,564,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/06\/10-best-singers-of-all-time-are-these-the-greatest.jpg",634,564,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/06\/10-best-singers-of-all-time-are-these-the-greatest.jpg",634,564,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/06\/10-best-singers-of-all-time-are-these-the-greatest.jpg",634,564,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Our round up of the best singers of all time","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/29438"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}