One of the legendary voices of the twentieth century, Leontyne Price is noted above all for her Verdi performances. She had a voice capable of reaching the highest notes at any dynamic with equal beauty, whilst the lower register was what is commonly referred to as 'dusky'. As time went on it was perhaps a little too dusky - it eventually became rather breathy-sounding, something which bothers some people more than others. I find it pretty distracting in her later recordings, but other people still rave about them.

Price's own favourite role was Aïda, the role she sang at her final operatic performance, but she sang all the heavier Verdi heroines. She also sang Butterfly, Poppea, Donnas Anna and Elvira, Fiordiligi, Tatyana and Ariadne. She created Barber's Cleopatra.