Farinelli

Biography

Single case in the history of the Castrato S, from which the majority came poor families, the Carlo young person was the son of a gentleman resulting from the noblesse de robe. Salvatore Broschi, his/her father, was at this impassioned point of music which it decided that its two sons would make their profession of it; the elder one, Riccardo, as type-setter, and the junior, Carlo, as singer. One can thus think that it is him which made the decision to make undergo towards the age of nine or ten years with its young person sons the castration which was to enable him to preserve its soprano voice, which was already exceptional.

Carlo consequently followed to Naples a training given by Nicola Porpora, which developed at its pupil an extraordinary voice of Soprano. Early and virtuoso, the young artist began at the fifteen years age, in 1720, at the time of one evening given to Naples in the honor of the emperor of Austria, during which he interpreted one of the titles roles of the cantata of Porpora Angelica E Medoro . He obtained sharpest success there, and became acquainted there with Pietro Metastasio, author initial seven years his elder, and who was going to become one of largest librettists of the opera seriated as well as the official poet of the court of Vienna. He occurred thereafter in Rome, Vienna, in 1724, in Venice, in Naples, in Milan, in 1726, in Rome, in Bologna, where he competed with the large Bernacchi castrato, whose councils were very advantageous for him, at one time when the vocal technique was the jealously kept secrecy object. The emperor of Germany Charles VI, itself musician, was to also advise the young singer come to occur in Vienna, encouraging it with more simplicity.

In the first part of its career, Carlo Broschi was indeed especially famous for the extent extraordinary of its voice (it covered the registers of viola and soprano) like for its technique virtuoso, learned from Porpora and been useful by an exceptional breath. He sang to surprise, which sometimes led it to misuse all virtuosities of execution specific to the song of the time, sacrificing by-there same the emotion.

Far from taking shade of the remarks of the emperor, Farinelli went back to the work and consequently developed the expressivity which was to contribute to make of him a myth. He excelled as well in the light register as in the pathetic register, which compensated for its stage business little developed. Its song had an unquestionable influence on the style of made up works in this time. With its artistic qualities, Farinelli united human qualities. Gracious and modest in spite of its fame and its talent, of a perfect education, it could gain the affection of the public and the sympathy of large.

In 1734, Carlo Broschi went to London and sang with the theater of Lincolns Inn Field, which Porpora directed. Its vogue was immense, its income during the three years that it remained in England exceeded 5000 pounds sterling. These years, which mark the ridge of its glory as an artist of scene, were also years of competition baited between the two troops of opera residing at London, on the one hand that of Haendel, supported by the king George II, and on the other hand that of Porpora, supported by the Prince of Wales and the nobility.

In 1737, undoubtedly wearied ceaseless quarrels which opposed the two troops, Farinelli accepted the invitation which had just made him Elisabeth Farnèse, wife of Philippe V of Spain. The king, reached depression and of melancholy, had indeed given up any public life, ignoring the businesses of the State and threatening to sink in the madness. The Isabelle queen thus invited Farinelli to occur in front of her husband, in the hope which its extraordinary voice would manage to draw it from its apathy. The episode remained celebrates, and contributed to increase a little more the legend surrounding the singer. The voice of Farinelli made such an effect on the melancholic person Philippe V, that this last did not want to separate any more from the singer. It made him promise to remain at the court of Spain, with the help of a treatment of 2000 Ducats, with for only request not singing more in public.

Become criado familiar of kings d' Espagne, the singer saw his importance growing with the advent of Ferdinand VI of Spain, which named it knight of Calatrava, the highest dignity, up to that point reserved to the gentlemen having been able to prove the nobility and the seniority of their families. Broschi-Farinelli, favorite of the monarch, exerted then on the court, and even on the policy, a great influence, without never separating its modesty or misusing its privileged position. One owes him the first drainage works of banks of Tage, and it ensured the direction of the opera of Madrid, as well as royal spectacles. Cherished by all, filled gifts, flattered by the diplomats adversaries of the France, and by the French diplomats who would have wished to see Spain signing the Pact of Family, it preserved this high situation until the advent of Charles III in 1759.

It was withdrawn then with Bologna, city of which it had chosen to become citizen, and where it finished his existence in the sumptuous villa which it had made build for its retirement. In spite of the many visits that it accepted there (of which those of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart then adolescent, and of Joseph II of Austria), Farinelli suffered until its death from loneliness and melancholy. It died out the September 16th 1782, a few months after his friend Pietro Metastasio, leaving a collection of art and musical instruments which was unfortunately dispersed by its heirs. It remains of him some beautiful portraits painted by Amigoni and Giaquinto, of the letters which it had sent to his friends. But in spite of its legend, he remains a relatively mysterious character, insofar as he entrusted little. His friends who requested it to write his Memories, he had answered: “What good is it? It is enough for me that it is known that I carried damage to nobody. That one adds to it also my regret not to have been able to do all it although I would have wished. ”

Created with Bologna in 1998, the Center of Farinelli Studies has the role of making known the figure of the famous castrato who passed his life and died in Bologna. Among the initiatives organized by the Center of Studies, one announces the restoration of the tomb of Farinelli to Chartreuse of Bologna (2000), the documentary exposure Farinelli always to Bologna (2001 and 2005), the inauguration of the park of the city dedicated to Farinelli, near the place in which rose the villa of the famous singer (2002), the organization of the International symposium of Studies Farinelli and the singers castrati at the time of the 300ème birthday of the birth of Farinelli (2005), official publication the Phantom of Farinelli (2005), the exhumation of Farinelli to Chartreuse of Bologna (2006). The project of exhumation was supported by antique dealer Florentin Alberto Bruschi. Made green Luigi, as a secretary of the Center of Farinelli Studies, was the person in charge and general coordinator of the project. The analysis of the skins was carried out under the responsibility of the scientists Maria Giovanni Belcastro, anthropologist at the University of Bologna, Gino Fornaciari, paleontologist and anthropologist at the University of Pisa and David Howard, engineer at the University of York. The exhumation took place the July 12th 2006 and had a strong media repercussion in the whole world.

Cinema

A film entitled Farinelli (film) (HTTP: /www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWMOmBohlTE) was carried out in 1994 by Gerard Corbiau. To reconstitute the voice of the castrato interpreted by Stefano Dionisi, one called upon sophisticated techniques developed with IRCAM to associate the voice of a Contreténor (Derek Lee Ragin) and of a soprano Colorature (Ewa Małas-Godlewska). The recording of the music of film was carried out by the leader Christophe Rousset with the unit Talens Lyriques. The recording was carried out with the Arsenal of Metz in July 1993.

It should be noted that the facts of this film concern mainly the fiction. Particularly, the meetings and relationship between the Broschi brothers and Haendel do not concern the biography. The intrigue binding the two brothers, their behavior, are also fictitious.

Internal bonds

Corrado Giaquinto

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