Soprano Renata Tebaldi (who died last weekend) was a major influence on opera. “Tebaldi’s use of tone as a primary expressive device dictated much of what opera singing is about today. While Callas’ voice was the messenger of her character (often with a dark message, indeed), Tebaldi’s rich, sumptuous soprano was an end in itself. Kiri Te Kanawa and Kathleen Battle are her descendants, as are, to a lesser extent, Jessye Norman and Renée Fleming.”