But during her mature prime in the 1870s and '80s, Patti had been a more enterprising singer, proving to be an effective actress in those lyric roles that required the summoning forth of deep emotions, such as Gilda in "Rigoletto", Leonora in "Il trovatore", the title part in "Semiramide", Zerlina in "Don Giovanni" and Violetta in "La traviata". She also had been prepared to tackle quite dramatic parts in operas like "L'Africaine", "Les Huguenots" and even "Aida". She never attempted to sing any verismo parts, however, because these became popular only in the twilight of her career, during the final decade of the 19th century.