Maria Callas,
Commendatore OMRI (; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977), was a
Greek-American soprano, and one of the most renowned and influential
opera singers of the 20th century. Some critics praised her
bel canto technique, wide-ranging voice and dramatic interpretations, while others found her voice displeasing and considered that a defective technique was responsible for her premature decline. Her repertoire ranged from classical
opera seria to the bel canto operas of
Donizetti,
Bellini and
Rossini and further, to the works of
Verdi and
Puccini; and, in her early career, to the music dramas of
Wagner. The press dubbed her
La Divina.