Farinelli

Singer

• Born: January 24, 1705
• Birthplace: Andria, Italy
• Died: September 1, 1782
• Place of death: Bologna, Italy

Also known as: Carlo Maria Michelangelo Nicola Broschi, Il Ragazzo

Significance: Farinelli was an eighteenth century Italian castrato opera singer. He began his voice training as an adolescent, learning to sing the soprano vocal range. Like many other young singers during this time, Farinelli was castrated to preserve this vocal range. He received universal acclaim for his abilities, which included exquisite musicianship and improvisation skills. Many consider Farinelli one of the greatest opera singers in music history.

Background

Farinelli was born Carlo Maria Michelangelo Nicola Broschi on January 24, 1705, in Andria, Apulia, Italy. He was one of two sons born to the composer and music teacher Salvatore Borschi. His father also served as governor of two nearby towns during Farinelli's youth. His brother, Riccardo, became a composer later in life.

Farinelli received a musical education from his father before studying under Baroque composer Nicola Porpora in Naples. Farinelli underwent many years of strict voice training in Naples, reportedly spending three years alone perfecting the interval between the same two musical notes. He then spent a year working on his trill of this interval.

Before he reached puberty, Farinelli was castrated to preserve his vocal range. At this time, the practice was common among male opera singers, and together this group became known as the castrati. The procedure enabled Farinelli to sing and sustain the highest notes that a soprano could reach and allowed him to master three whole octaves of this range by adulthood.

Farinelli studied poetry, composition, and the harpsichord in Italy. His instructor also made him practice relaxing his facial expressions. At age fifteen, he was given the name Il Ragazzo—the boy—and by this time, he was famous across Italy for his singing. He then received his stage name, Farinelli, reportedly after a Neapolitan magistrate named Farina, who was a patron of the young singer. He continued his studies with Porpora until he was seventeen. By then, he had mastered the full soprano vocal range.

In the years that followed, Farinelli and Porpora collaborated on several performances. Farinelli made his official debut in Naples in 1720 in Porpora's narrative musical piece Angelica e Medoro. He then traveled to Rome with Porpora in 1722 to sing his teacher's Flavio Anicio Olibrio. Two years later, Farinelli parted ways with Porpora and left Rome for Vienna, Austria. He traveled to Venice in 1725 and performed in Didone abbandonata. He then began a tour of Italy, starting in Naples and traveling to Milan and Bologna. During the tour, he met Italian singer Antonio Bernacchi, whose technique influenced Farinelli's singing style. Near the end of the 1720s, Farinelli toured Europe and sang with some of the era's best singers, including Nicolo Grimaldi, Faustina Bordoni, and Francesca Cuzzoni. His fame continued to grow, and he received much praise and acclaim for his voice.

Life's Work

Farinelli continued to tour Europe throughout the 1730s. During his travels, he met Austrian Emperor Charles VI, who encouraged Farinelli to add more emotion to his singing. In 1734, Farinelli arrived in London, England, to sing for the Opera of the Nobility, directed by Porpora. His time in London coincided with the presence of some of the finest singers in Europe, including Faustino, Cuzzoni, and Francesco Bernardi, better known by his stage name Senesino. Farinelli's performances during this period were considered some of the best of his career, and his audiences regularly included a range of viewers from royal figures to news reporters. His voice remained in demand throughout the rest of the decade, and he acquired a large, enthusiastic fan base. He performed in numerous popular operas of the time and was paid well for his work.

Following his time in London, Farinelli traveled to France and met King Louis XV. Louis had a portrait of the singer painted and set in diamonds, and he presented it to Farinelli upon his arrival. Farinelli traveled to Spain in 1737 to the court of King Philip V. He was offered a prestigious position in the Spanish court. Although he planned to return to England, he remained in Spain for the next twenty-five years. Farinelli was also tasked with singing to the king when he was feeling depressed. He became very close to the king and provided counseling to both him and his heir, Ferdinand VI.

When Phillip died in 1746, Ferdinand named Farinelli artistic director of Madrid's court theaters. He mounted several large-scale productions over the next decade, sometimes including live horses and large ships on stage. He routinely collaborated with Italian poet and music writer Pietro Metastasio.

Following the death of Ferdinand, Farinelli was expelled from Spain. He returned to Italy and retired at his country estate in Bologna, where he amassed a large collection of paintings and musical instruments. The last few years of his life were filled with visits from leading musical and political figures of Europe. He died in Bologna in September of 1782.

Impact

The legend of Farinelli's talents lived on for generations after his death. Fictionalized accounts of his life appeared throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and he was the subject of many operas, novels, and films. As a member of the Italian castrati, Farinelli was one of the most influential voices of the Baroque opera period. Many regard him as the greatest figure among the castrato singers.

Bibliography

Balthazar, Scott L. Historical Dictionary of Opera. Scarecrow Press, 2013.

Eberstadt, Fernanda. "Who Can Resist a Man Who Sings Like a Woman?" New York Times Magazine, 19 Nov. 2010, www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/magazine/21soprano-t.html?pagewanted=all&mcubz=1. Accessed 26 Sept. 2017.

The Grove Book of Opera Singers. Edited by Laura Macy, Oxford UP, 2008.

Highfill, Philip H., et al. A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers, and Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660–1800: Eagan to Garrett. Southern Illinois UP, 1978.

Killgrove, Kristina. "Castration Affected Skeleton of Famous Opera Singer Farinelli, Archaeologists Say." Forbes, 1 June 2015, www.forbes.com/sites/kristinakillgrove/2015/06/01/castration-affected-skeleton-famous-opera-singer-farinelli/#49f633392db4. Accessed 26 Sept. 2017.

Libbey, Theodore. The NPR Listener's Encyclopedia of Classical Music. Workman Publishing, 2006.