Abstract
The Restoration and the Monarchy of July were marked by an intense musical life, with the multiplication of concerts, like those given in the Pleyel salons or the concerts of the Academy of Paris. Democratization of music was underlined by the appearance of divas that were not satisfied anymore by the shine provided by the only prestige of their voices, but were also attentive to the musical quality of their interpretation. Whereas the long reign of the castrati on the opera was ending, the incipient romanticism created a new myth: that of the diva, sublime on the scene, generous in her private life, and a source of adulation everywhere she passed. Maria Malibran is undoubtedly the first diva in history, incarnating a legend which one will not find before Callas. Why did Maria Malibran become so famous, not only during her life but also after her death? What makes her a prototype of the new divas and more generally of the women of the time?
