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Farinelli
(1705-1782), a.k.a. Carlo Broschi, is
one of the most famous castrati in the history of opera. Castrati
were virtuoso musicians, exceptionally talented and trained, and only
a select few chunks of their repertoire is still performed today and most
of it is beyond that of modern countertenors (castration was banned in the
19th century, and the western world's last castrato, Alessandro Moreschi,
died in 1922). Castrati were particularly known for their
unique timbre: due to the castration that had been performed on them
at an early age, their voice did not change with puberty and upon
adulthood, they wound up having the pure beauty of an unchanged male
voice, but with the full lung capacity and breath support of an adult
male. Farinelli was believed to have had a range of over 3.5
octaves, and he enjoyed a near-mythic status, even in his own
life-time, his androgynous beauty clearly contributing to this factor. A
highly skilled performer, he was often praised for the aesthetic
quality of his sound, the great scope of his range, his vocal agility
and breath control, and the purity of his intonation. According to
legend, he could produce 250 notes in a single breath and sustain a note
for longer than an entire minute and, despite his unusual gifts, he
decided to steer clear of compositions which merely served as a showcase
for his vocal range early in his career. Farinelli first achieved
fame in Italy, making his name in Naples first, then Rome and Bologna, and
his first performance in Venice was in 1728 at the fashionable San
Giovanni Grisotomo Theatre at the age of twenty three. He received a
rapturous reception and then proceeded to tour Europe, earning the
title "Singer of Kings." He performed at all the main
courts of Europe, was requested to sing for King Louis XV of France
at the Queen's apartments (he received a portrait of the King embossed
with diamonds, and a fee of 500 livres), and when Farinelli performed
at Popora's Theatre he was regarded as extremely important by the English
theatre going public. Already a huge singing sensation and
celebrity at the age of thirty two, and despite his many successes in
England, it is believed that an enormous rivalry between the Handel's
Covent Garden Opera House and the Nobles Theatre put him under much
pressure, and Farinelli chose to retire from the limelight at the height
of his success in order to exclusively sing for Spain's King Philip V.
The King had been suffering from a great depression for many years, and
after hearing him sing, Philip was so moved that he began to caress
Farinelli and compliment him, asking him how he could reward such a
talent. Farinelli convinced His Majesty to allow his attendants to
shave him and dress him, to receive medical attention, and to return to
court. The King did so, and "the Divine Farinelli" was
considered responsible for curing him. It is also rumored that
during Farinelli's travels with his brother Riccardo, they shared their
female "conquests," meaning that Farinelli would first seduce
the women, and then Riccardo took over to "plant the seed."
(This was all, apparently, "according to a brotherly pact which they
established as young men," according to the website for the film Farinelli.) |
