#senesino

[zisurru]

✨il gran senesino✨

by lin doyle @ cygni tattoo

original art by anton maria zanetti (~1725)

[fantomusique]

It is indeed funny (and expected), although partly disheartening, that an account like this—which has been created to gather all things Farinelli and share less talked about or non translated resources such as photos of Alessandro Moreschi and of Villa Farinello, with some history of it—is only able to obtain traction via drama (???).

This is a good time to state that Farinelli never has been one to feed into gossip: every time someone has had to portray him in some fictional product (Voce Regina, Porporino) his life and/or manners have been turned upside down to justify, well, drama. His letters do show that he was bothered by it and he sometimes answered to it as well: most notably, by calling Senesino and Cuzzoni marmotte, by priding himself in not drinking/gambling/wasting money or by generally using Neapolitan swear words only to immediately censor himself.

Don't get too hurt about it :)

[reinekes-fox]

Since yesterday my shipment from the National Portrait Gallery arrived, and I am in love, why not spread a little history knowledge? Most of this is straight from wikipedia, but I checked it with my various books to make sure the information is as correct as it can be. The text in brackets are additions that aren’t from wikipedia, but my own books. By some things where my sources contradicted each other I changed the text.

Angelo Maria Monticelli

Angelo Maria Monticelli, was born at Milan about 1710, he first appeared in opera at Rome in 1730. 'He was,' says Burney, 'a chaste performer, and … a good actor.' In 1731 and 32 he appeared at Venice with Carestini, Bernacchi, and Faustina. He came to London in the autumn of 1741, and made his début here in the pasticcio 'Alessandro in Persia.' In the beginning of 1742, after other attempts, another opera was brought out by Pergolese, called 'Meraspe, o L'Olimpiade,' the first air of which, 'Tremende, oscuri, atroci,' in Monticelli's part, was sung for ten years after the end of the run of this opera; and 'the whole scene, in which "Se ceroa se dice" occurs, was rendered so interesting by the manner in which it was acted as well as sung by Monticelli that the union of poetry and music, expression and gesture, have seldom had a more powerful effect on an English audience' (Burney)

He continued to perform in London through 1743; and in 1744 he sang, in 'Alfonso,' songs of more bravura execution than he had previously attempted. During 1745 and 1746 Monticelli still belonged to our Opera; and in the latter year he sang in Gluck's 'Caduta de' Giganti,' and described one of his songs as an 'aria Tedesca' from the richness of the accompaniment. The 'Antigono' of Galuppi (produced May 13) was the first opera in which Monticelli appeared on our stage. He sang at Naples with la Mingotti in the same year, and afterwards at Vienna. In 1756 Hasse engaged him for the Dresden Theatre; and in that city he died in 1764.

I found some pictures of him during the years in Dresden, all here:

Senesino, Francesco Bernardi

He was born in Siena 31 October 1686 and died 27 November 1758, his tutor was Antonio Bernacchi in Bolonga.  He joined the cathedral choir there in 1695 and was castrated at the comparatively late age of thirteen. His debut was at Venice in 1707, and during the next decade he acquired a European reputation and, by the time he sang in Lotti's Giove in Argo in 1717 at Dresden, a commensurately enormous salary.  

 The impresario Count Francesco Zambeccari wrote of his performance in Naples in 1715: "Senesino continues to comport himself badly enough; he stands like a statue, and when occasionally he does make a gesture, he makes one directly the opposite of what is wanted." Of the singer's vocal abilities, however, there was no doubt. In 1719, the composer Quantz heard him in Lotti's Teofane at Dresden, and stated: "He had a powerful, clear, equal and sweet contralto voice, with a perfect intonation and an excellent shake. His manner of singing was masterly and his elocution unrivalled. … he sang allegros with great fire, and marked rapid divisions, from the chest, in an articulate and pleasing manner. His countenance was well adapted to the stage, and his action was natural and noble. To these qualities he joined a majestic figure; but his aspect and deportment were more suited to the part of a hero than of a lover." (Which was normal: castrato always sung the hero parts.)

Following a dispute with the court composer Heinichen in 1720, over an aria in the opera Flavio Crispo, which led to his dismissal, Senesino was engaged by Handel as primo uomo (lead male singer) in his company, the Royal Academy of Music. He made his first appearance in a revival of Radamisto on 28 December, and his salary was variously reported as between £2000 and 3000 guineas: both vast sums. Senesino remained in London for much of the succeeding sixteen years. He became a friend and associate of many in the highest levels of society. He became friendly with, among others, the Duke of Chandos, Lord Burlington and the landscape designer William Kent, while amassing a fine collection of paintings, rare books, scientific instruments, and other treasures, including a service of silver made by the famous Paul de Lamerie.

Though creating seventeen leading roles for Handel (including Giulio Cesare, Orlando, and Bertarido in Rodelinda), his relationship with the composer was frequently stormy: "The one was perfectly refractory; the other was equally outrageous," according to the contemporary historian Mainwaring. After the break-up of Handel's Royal Academy in 1728, Senesino sang in Paris (1728) and Venice (1729), but was re-engaged by Handel in 1730, singing in four more new operas and in the oratorios Esther, Deborah, and, in its 1732 bilingual version, Acis and Galatea. His antipathy to Handel eventually became so great that, in 1733, Senesino joined the rival Opera of the Nobility. Thus he came to sing alongside the great soprano castrato Farinelli, and their meeting on stage (in the pasticcio Artaserse) led to a famous anecdote of Senesino breaking character, as reported by the music historian Charles Burney.

Senesino had the part of a furious tyrant, and Farinelli that of an unfortunate hero in chains; but in the course of the first air, the captive so softened the heart of the tyrant, that Senesino, forgetting his stage-character, ran to Farinelli and embraced him in his own.

Both Senesino and Farinelli also appeared in Nicola Porpora's opera Polifemo in 1735. 

Senesino left England in 1736 (after switching to the Opera of the Nobility in 1734), and appeared in a few more productions in Italy: he sang at Florence from 1737 to 1739 (his fame started to fade back then because his style of singing was seen as outdated, he gave the young Maria Theresia singing lessons), and then in Naples until 1740, making his final appearance in Porpora's Il trionfo di Camilla at the Teatro San Carlo. By this time his singing style was regarded by the public as rather old-fashioned. 

He retired to the city of his birth, building a fine town-house there, filled with English furniture and effects - he enjoyed tea (he ran, or at least tried to run his whole household on English lines), and kept a black servant, a pet monkey and a parrot. A somewhat eccentric and difficult personality, the latter years of his life were plagued by disputes with members of his family, particularly his nephew and heir, Giuseppe.

Gizziello, Gioacchino Conti

He was born  28 February 1714 (in Arpino by Neapel) 25 October 1761. After studying in Naples with Domenico Gizzi, after whom he would later be nicknamed, he made his debut in Rome at an early age, around 1730. According to some modern encyclopedic sources, it took place in Leonardo Vinci's Artaserse, which premiered on 4 February at the Teatro delle Dame.[2] However, his name does not appear in the cast of the original libretto,[3] and his theatrical debut ought probably to be dated instead in 1731, in revivals of Didone abbandonata and of the same Artaserse, both by Vinci.[4] A colourful anecdote relates how another overweening castrato star, Caffarelli, rode post-haste to Rome from Naples just to attend incognito his debut; and full of enthusiasm eventually yelled at him: "Bravo, bravissimo Gizziello, it’s Caffariello who's telling you!"[5] Whatever the case, at the beginning of 1732 he was urgently called upon to replace the castrato Nicolò Grimaldi (Nicolini), who suddenly died on 1 January during the rehearsals of Pergolesi's first opera La Salustia at the Teatro San Bartolomeo in Naples.[6] Having become a member of the theatre's company, later that year he performed in new operas by Johann Adolf Hasse, Leonardo Leo and Francesco Mancini,[7] and in revivals of Vinci's Catone in Utica and Artaserse.[8]His subsequent career led him throughout Italy, as well as abroad. In 1736–37 he was in London, where he had been engaged by George Frideric Handel, with whom he would build a profitable collaboration. Conti performed in many of his works, such as Atalanta, Giustino, Berenice and Arminio, as well as in a revival of Ariodante.He sang at many premieres for the best and most famous musicians of his time, including Niccolò Jommelli (Manlio, 1746), Baldassare Galuppi (Artaserse, 1751) and Johann Adolf Hasse (Demetrio, 1747).

(The earthquake from 1755 scared him so bad that he ended his career after it, and already had to take a break from one year because he got sick.)

/A few years after that), Conti left the stage and settled in Rome, where he spent the last years of his life.

Being a very sharp soprano for his time (Handel got him repeatedly to reach up to C6), Conti was not quite well disposed towards abuse of coloratura and he chose rather to turn to better account his fluent and smooth style of rendering and expression: he has thus remained famous as a sentimental and gentle singer, but he also always kept a condition of absolute excellence at vocal virtuosity, even though not so acrobatic as, for instance, that of his contemporary (and friend) Farinelli.

Farinelli, Carlo Broschi

Carlo Maria Michelangelo Nicola Broschi was born 24 January 1705 in Andria, Apulien and died 16 September 1782 in Bologna. 

If I copy all thet crazy stuff that happened in his life this post would get even longer, so here is the link. He truly was one of a kind.

[classicarte]

Rodelinda, acte 1: « Dove sei, amato bene? » (Bertarido) – Georg Friedrich Händel

« Dove sei, amato bene? Vieni, l'alma a consolar. Sono oppresso da’ tormenti ed i crudeli miei lamenti sol con te posso bear. »

Sur le Rivage (On the Seashore) George Elgar Hicks, 1879

[fuckyeahfarinelli]

Il teatro alla moda - a TV series set in the first half of the 18 century following the lives of artists from the musical period known as opera seria.

Act III

London, 1722, the German composer Georg Friedrich Händel sends his troublesome assistant – harpsichordist Pietro Giuseppe Sandoni on a mission to Venice. Sandoni – a gambler and a ladies’ man must convince a young soprano – Francesca Cuzzoni to sing for Händel’s opera company in London. When the musician arrives to Italy he finds himself in the middle of the rivalry between Faustina Bordoni and the sought-after Cuzzoni. The first one is as charming and beautiful, as the latter nasty and homely. However, Francesca’s voice convinces Sandoni of the singer’s merit, but the young soprano still refuses Händel’s offer. The composer is determined to have her, so Sandoni decides to seduce the singer, despite his hidden antipathy towards the girl. The temperamental, yet naïve Cuzzoni craves for male’s admiration, so she very quickly submits to Sandoni’s gallant advances. Under the harpsichordist’s influence she agrees finally to go to London. Faustina is furious – not only her biggest rival has signed the very profitable contract abroad, but also succeeded in her private life, despite being less attractive than her.

When Cuzzoni arrives to England she clashes almost immediately with Händel, refusing to sing an aria written for another, less talented singer. The composer is a matching rival for an insolent soprano – he threatens the diva with throwing her out of the window. Only when the older man really lifts Cuzzoni up and tries to push her outside, she surrenders. Her London debut is splendid though, and the singer is overwhelmed with her reception. That does not stop her from disliking Händel. She allies with her co-star – an extravagant castrato Senesino – the London’s ladies heartthrob, who hates the composer as much as she does. They both became insanely popular and well-paid pair of singers. The trio – Francesca, Sandoni and Senesino goes to Bath where they are seen together spending money on gambling, drinking or buying new clothes. Newspapers start gossip about Francesca and her lover living openly together without the holy sacraments. Cuzzoni wants Sandoni to marry her, but he still avoids the topic, because he does not love the singer and prefers life without obligations. Only when Francesca reveals that she’s pregnant he proposes to her, realizing that this marriage is his only chance to grasp Francesca’s incomings, since after becoming a mother she may lose her stage appeal very quickly...

“To the Mothers of Female Singers – When the Girls have an audition with the Impresario, they (the mothers) will move the mouth with them, will prompt them the usual Ornaments and Trills and, asked about the age of the Virtuosa, will cut down at least ten years”. Benedetto Marcello, Il teatro alla moda (The Fashionable Theater)

End of season one.

[petite-fille-de-la-melancolie]

Ritratto di Francesco Bernardi, detto il Senesino.

Il Senesino fu uno dei più famosi cantori evirati del XVIII secolo. Dotato di una splendida voce di contralto, anche se poco potente, coprì quasi sempre ruoli primari nelle opere di Georg Friedrich Händel, finché non avvenne la rottura della loro collaborazione artistica (nessuno dei due, infatti, era dotato di un carattere facile). I suoi maggiori trionfi li riscontrò interpretando Cesare nel Giulio Cesare e Bertarido in Rodelinda, regina dei Longobardi.

Il ritratto è oggi conservato nella casa di Händel, a Londra.

[classicarte]

Une caricature d'une performance de « Flavio, re di Longobardi » de Handel avec Senesino (Francesco Bernardi), Francesca Cuzzoni et Gaetano Berenstadt par John Vanderbank (XVIIIe  siècle).

A caricature of a perfomance of Handel’s “Flávio, re di Longobardi” with Senesino (Franceso Bernardi), Francesca Cuzzoni and Gaetano Berenstadt by John Vanderbank (18th century).

[fuckyeahfarinelli]

The brief history of Castrati - part three (part one, part two)

Serious opera in the first two-thirds or so of the 18th century was dominated by a succession of famous castratos, of whom Nicolo Grimaldi (’Nicolini’), Antonio Maria Bernacchi, Francesco Bernardi (’Senesino’), Carlo Broschi (’Farinelli’), Giovanni Carestini, Gaetano Majorano (’Caffarelli’) and Gaetano Guadagni are only the best known. Such artists could command engagements in one European capital after another at unprecedented fees - in Turin the primo uomo’s fee for the carnival season was sometimes equal to the annual salary of the prime minister - while they also kept, as insurance, permanent appointments in a monarch’s chapel choir or a cathedral, and some of them performed there regularly.

Their achievements are now difficult to gauge. Their command of vocal agility -  of trills, runs and ornamentation, especially in the da capo section of an aria   was clearly central to their success. So, at least for some, was a phenomenally wide range: Farinelli is said to have commanded more than three octaves (from c to d'''), others more than two, though, like some modern sopranos and tenors, they were apt to lose the upper part of their range as their careers wore on. It would, however, be a mistake to regard leading castratos as vocal acrobats and no more. Command of pathetic singing - soft, laden with emotion, powered by controlled devices such as messa di voce - was highly regarded: it was, for instance, central to the reputation of Gasparo Pacchiarotti. Nor was acting ability ignored: Guadagni’s performance as Gluck’s original Orpheus was thought deeply affecting. The issue is clouded by the habit of commentators through most of the 18th century of bemoaning the supposed decadence of opera through an excessive cult of vocalism and ornamentation. This was in part a literary convention. The cult flourished, and was in practice forwarded by some of those who decried it.

Another contemporary habit that needs to be guarded against is that of mocking the castratos as grotesque, extravagant, inordinately vain near-monsters. This was in part a nervous reaction against a phenomenon experienced as sexually threatening twice over: the fact of castration was disconcerting in itself, yet according to legend (held by most modern medical opinion to be baseless, though perpetuated, along with much traditional obfuscation, in the 1995 film Farinelli) castratos could perform sexually all the better for the loss of generative power. In part the mockery visited upon castratos was roused by highly paid star singers in general, among whom they were the most prominent. Because of their musical education they often did well as teachers; some who had also had a general education acted in retirement, or even during their singing careers, as antiquarian, booksellers, diplomats, or officials in royal households.