In 1853 she wed a nobleman, Count Carlo Pepoli, of the Papal States, but she kept her maiden name for the stage. In 1863 she had to retire the first time on account of her husband's serious mental illness. He died in 1867. A year later, in 1868, Alboni would take part in the funeral of her beloved master and friend, Rossini, in the Église de la Sainte-Trinité. There she sang, alongside Adelina Patti, the leading soprano of the time, a stanza of "Dies irae", "Liber scriptum", adjusted to the music of the duet "Quis est Homo" from Rossini's own "Stabat Mater". Out of deference to her master, she also accepted to resume her singing career mainly in order to tour the orchestral version of the "Petite messe solennelle" around Europe. Rossini had once expressed his hope that she would take upon herself to perform it when he was dead. He had said that he had composed it, and especially the new section "O salutaris", just having her voice in mind.