Anecdotes and character of Farinelli (from ''The Westminster Magazine'' 1777)

MUSICAL BIOGRAPHY ANECDOTES and CHARACTER of SENESINO and FARINELLI (Embellished with Elegant Engravings)

FARINELLI

Carlo Broschi Farinelli was born at Naples in the year 1705, and derived great advantage from the instructions of Porpora. He had sung at Rome and at Bologna, at the latter of which cities he had heard Bernacchi; and also at Venice; when the fame of his great talents reaching England, he was engaged to sing in the opera at London, and in the year 1734 came over hither. His arrival in this country was in the newspapers, announced to the public as an event worthy of notoriety: As soon as he was enough recovered from the fatigue of his journey, he was introduced to the King at St. James's, and had the honour to sing to him, the Princess Royal, afterwards Princess of Orange, accompanying him on the harpsichord. At the same time with Farinelli arrived in England Porpora, who had been his instructor, and was the companion of his fortunes; and Giacomo Amiconi the painter Amiconi found employment here as a portrait, and also as a history painter. In the former capacity it was the fashion among the friends of the opera and the musical connoisseurs to sit to him; in the latter he exercised his talent in the painting of halls and stair-cases; and this, notwithstanding that Kent, who, because he was a bad painter himself, had, as an architect, in his construction of stair-cases driven that kind of painting out of the kingdom, Amiconi painted the stair-case of Powis house in Ormond-street with the story of Judith and Holofernes, in three compartments; and the hall in the house at More-park in Hertfordshire, with that of Jupiter and Io. Of this house the following is a brief history: In 1617 it was granted by the Crown to the Earl of Bedford, and he by a deed, declaring the uses of a fine, limited the inheritance thereof to himself for life, remainder to Lucy his wife and her heirs. See Chauncy's Historical Antiquities of Hertfordshire, page 479. This Lucy was the famous Countess of Bedford, celebrated by Sir Toby Matthews, Dr. Donne, and other writers of those times; and she, it is said, laid out the gardens in such a manner, as induced Sir William Temple. In his ‘’Essay on Gardening’’, to say it was the perfectest figure of a garden he ever saw. Many years after the decease of the Countess of Bedford, the Duke of Ormond became the owner of More-Park; and, after his attainder, Mr. Stiles; who employed Amiconi to paint the hall: the succeeding proprietor of this mansion was Lord Anson, and the present, Sir Laurence Dundas. The fondness of Sir William Temple for this place, induced him to give the name of it to his feat near Farnham in Surry (sic!). Hence has arisen a mistaken notion that the More-park, mentioned in his Essay on Gardening, was in Surry. .

These three persons seem to have been united together in the bonds of a strict friendship and a communion of interests & at the same time that the nobility under the new subscription engaged with Farinelli, they also agreed with Porpora as a composer for the opera, and with Amiconi to paint the scenes. The operas in which Farinelli sung were Ariadne and Polifemo set by Porpora, and Artaxerxes by Hasse, who had acquired some reputation in Germany by his compositions for the Theatre. He sung also in the oratorio of David, composed by Porpora, and in an opera entitled Demetrius by Pescetti, both performed at the Haymarket.

The world had never seen two such singers upon the same stage as Senefino and Farinelli; the former was a just and graceful actor, and in the opinion of very good judges had the superiority of Farinelli in respect of the tone of his voice j but the latter had so much the advantage in other respects, that few hesitated to pronounce him the greatest singer in the world. This opinion was grounded on the amazing compass of his voice, exceeding that of women, or any of his own class; his stake was just, and sweet beyond expression; and in the management of his voice, and the clear articulation of divisions and quick passages, he passed all description. Such perfections as these were enough for one singer to possess; and indeed they were so evident, and their effects so forcible on the minds of his hearers, that few were disposed to reflect that his person was tall and slender to excess, and by consequence his mien and action ungraceful.

Upon what terms Farinelli was engaged to sing here, is not known to a degree of certainty; his salary, however, be it what it might, bore but a small proportion to the annual amount of his profits, which, by a benefit, and rich presents of various kinds, were estimated at 5000 l a year. The excessive fondness which the nobility discovered for, this person, the caresses they bestowed on, and the presents they made him, indicated little less than infatuation ; their bounty was prodigality, and their applause adoration.

That unmanly propensity in persons of high rank to promote and encourage this last refinement of modern luxury, which they manifested in these and various other instances was loudly complained of as derogating from the national character: it was urged, that the reputation of this country abroad was founded on the disposition of the people to arms, and their love of letters; and that we were adopting the manners of a people who have long since ccafeJ to be distinguished for either. Indeed it was ridiculous to see a whole people in such a state of fascination as they were in at this time ; many pretended to be charmed with the singing of Farinelli, who had not the least ear for music; and who could not, if they had been left to themselves, have distinguished between him and an inferior finger. However, the experiment of a few years was sufficient to convince the world of this truth, at least, that two operas at a time were more than this metropolis could support. Farinelli, during the interval of a few winters, had accumulated great wealth, but it arose chiefly from presents, and crowded houses at his benefits; and as he had experienced what it was to sing to an audience of thirty-five pounds, he began to suspect that his harvest in this country, which, as Mattheson terms it, was a golden one, was pretty well over, and begin to think of trying his success in another: he had visited France in the year 1736, and finding at his return to London but little encouragement to engage at the opera, he finally quitted England the following summer, and on the ninth of July, 1737, appeared at Versailles, hopingto derive great advantages from the solemnities which were expected to attend the approaching birth of the Duke of Anjou; but in this he was disappointed.

It happened about this time that the King of Spain laboured under a melancholy disorder, for which no relief could be suggested but music 5 his Queen contrived toentertain him with frequent concerts: to make these as delightful to him as possible, she sent for Farinelli, and upon his arrival at Madrid attached him to the service of that Court by a pension of 1400 piastres, or 3150 l per ann. and a coach and equipage maintained at the King’s expense. Over and above his salary, considerable presents were made him; the King gave him his picture set with diamonds, valued at 5000 dollars: the Queen presented him with a gold snuffbox, with two large diamonds on the lid; and the Prince of Asturias gave him a diamond button and loop of great value. Upon the death of Philip V. Farinelli was continued in his station by his successor Ferdinand VI, and in 1750 was honoured with the Cross of Calatrava, the badge of an order of knighthood in Spain of great antiquity. He continued, with the assistance of the best composers and singers, and of Metastafio and Amiconi the painter, which latter had followed him into Spain, to conduct the opera till about the year 1761, when he took a resolution to return to Italy; accordingly he went thither, and had an audience of Benedict XIV. to whom, upon his recounting the riches and honours that had been showered down upon him here and in Spain, the Pope made this remark: In other words you mean to say, that you found abroad what you left here.

His pension from the Court of Spain being still continued to him, Farinelli chose the neighbourhood of Bologna for his residence; and in a bouse of his own building, near that city he is now living in ease and great affluence.

Source
Text originally published in Chapter 191 (CXCI) of John Hawkins: A general history of the science and practice of music of 1776 - see its reprint in [https://archive.org/stream/ageneralhistory01hawkgoog#page/n396/mode/2up/search/Parthenope John Hawkins: A general history of the science and practice of music. Novello, Ever & Co., London 1875. Vol 2, pp. 876]

The same text was literally republished, without indicating the author, but upgraded with the engravings presented here, in The Westminster Magazine: or, The Pantheon of Taste, vol. 5 (1777), pp. 396-397