Elizabeth Billington was an English singer. She was born in 1768 at London and died in 1818. She was the most distinguished female singer of her day in England. Her mother was an English vocalist, her father a Saxon musician named Weichsel. She appeared as a singer at the age of fourteen, and at sixteen married a Mr. Billington, a double-bass player. She made her debut as an operatic singer in Dublin, and afterwards appeared at Covent Garden. She visited France and Italy, and Bianchi composed the opera of Inez de Castro expressly for her performance at Naples. Between 1802 and 1811 she sang in Italian opera in London, and having amassed a handsome fortune she retired from the stage in 1811. Her private character was the cause of much scandal. Research Elizabeth Billington
The double-bass or violone is the largest instrument of the bass-viol kind, having three or four strings tuned an octave below those of the violoncello, and traditionally played with a bow. The double-bass was probably invented by Gaspar di Salo in 1580, and was a particular feature of certain 1950s Rock and Roll bands, who plucked it rather than played it with a bow. Research Double-Bass
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