"The first note he sang was taken with such delicacy, swelled by minute degrees to such an amazing volume, and afterwards diminished in the same manner to a mere point, that it was applauded for full five minutes. After this he set off with such brilliancy and rapidity of execution, that it was difficult for the violins of those days to keep pace with him." - music historian Charles Burney, as quoted in A Dictionary of Music and Musicians (1900)
Three hundred and fifteen years ago today, the greatest castrato singer of the Baroque era was born - Farinelli. So successful and acclaimed was he that audiences flocked to see him, women fainted in the audience at the beauty of his notes, he performed for the noble houses of Italy and Germany and for The Holy Roman Emperor and the French King Louis XV, none other than Handel enticed him to London to perform his works, and he ended up a favourite (musical and political) at the Imperial Court of Spain - and along the way earned a huge fortune that enabled him to retire in luxury back to his native Italy.
Read more in my previous tribute to the man, including a clip from the 1994 film of his life, from which these stills are taken.
Farinelli (born Carlo Maria Michelangelo Nicola Broschi, 24th January 1705 – 16th September 1782).
It is impossible to imagine the beauty of the sound of his voice.
ReplyDeleteIn the film
" Farinelli's singing voice was provided by the Polish soprano Ewa Malas-Godlewska and a countertenor, Derek Lee Ragin, who were recorded separately and then digitally merged to recreate the sound of a castrato."
- Wikipedia
Well, they weren't exactly going to castrate anyone just for the film. Jx
DeleteFarinelli ere come un divino angelo del canto. Castrato divino, favoriti di corte in altri modi, alcune erano anche tenute come concubine per il piacere di pochi ricchi. Erano molto desiderati per il loro ruol sottomesso. Nera Vedova
ReplyDeleteI somehow doubt Farinelli would have been anyone's submissive bitch. Jx
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