Farfallino

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" Farfallino Perugino, bravissimo soprano , who sang in the opera of the Red Priest at the Teatro di Aliberti in 1723 ...", caricature by Pier Leone Ghezzi (Rome 1728, today: Biblioteca Vaticana )

Giacinto Fontana ( February 3, 1692 in Perugia - June 11, 1739 ) was an Italian opera singer ( soprano - castrato ) of the late Baroque . He was known by the pointed or stage name Farfallino (little butterfly), which could refer to both his unusually graceful, graceful appearance and vocal qualities, such as a particularly light, agile, coloratura voice.

career

Giacinto Fontana received his musical education in his native city of Perugia in the Filippiner -Pater Giacomo Bacci and sang with 18 years in the Cathedral of Perugia.

In 1710, at the age of 17 or 18, he appeared in Foligno in Caldara's pastoral opera La costanza in amor vince L'inganno in the role of Silvia. His further career extended almost exclusively between 1712 and 1735 in Rome , where he was at times one of the singers of the papal chapel . Since women were banned from the opera stage due to a papal decree, Farfallino was predestined for and specialized in female roles due to his special personal qualities and was so successful - not least musically - that he almost only got the prima donna roles .

He sang at all the major Roman opera houses, including the opening or reopening of the Capranica, Alibert (or delle dame ), Argentina and Tordinona theaters. Many important composers have written roles for Farfallino, including Francesco Gasparini , Alessandro Scarlatti , Giovanni Bononcini , Antonio Vivaldi , Domenico Natale Sarro , Nicola Porpora , Francesco Feo and especially Leonardo Vinci . His roles included markedly melancholy or tragic female characters, such as A. Scarlatti's Griselda (1721) or Dido in Vinci's Didone abbandonata (1726).

When Farfallino sang Emira in Porpora's opera Siroe, re di Persia at the Teatro delle dame in 1727 , the famous singer La Romanina (Marianna Benti Bulgarelli) - a friend of the librettist Metastasio , who was famous for her acting qualities - gave him tips for his interpretation (possibly a year earlier for Vinci's Didone abbandonata ). Metastasio himself valued Giacinto Fontana's art very much and described him in a letter to the Romanina as "incomparable":

“ … Da tutte le parti sono assicurato dalla premura ed esatezza de 'rappresentanti; rendetene, vi priego, loro grazie a mio nome, e particolarmente agl 'incomparabili Scalzi e Fontana, che riverisco ed abbraccio. "

“... I am assured from all sides of the care and accuracy of the executors; please give them your compliments on my behalf, and especially to the incomparable Scalzi and Fontana, to whom I recommend myself and whom I embrace. "

- Metastasio : in a letter dated July 7, 1731 from Vienna, regarding a performance of the Artaserse by Leonardo Vinci in the Teatro Alibert in Rome

Apart from his graceful and feminine stage persona, the singer knew how to defend himself against attacks: it is reported that during a performance of Vinci's Didone abbandonata (1726) there was a duel between him and another musician backstage .

Farfallino's appearance is not really known, there is only one caricature by Pier Leone Ghezzi , which captures a lovable and likeable being, but due to the typically bizarrely exaggerated facial features in this art genre does not allow a realistic impression. Ghezzi described the singer in the text accompanying this drawing as “ bravissimo soprano ” (“excellent soprano”).

Repertoire (selection)

This is followed by a selection of operatic roles that were expressly composed for Giacinto Fontana called Farfallino; a more detailed list of his operatic repertoire can be found on Corago.

  • Silvia in La costanza in amor vince L'inganno by Antonio Caldara , 1710 in Foligno
  • Despina in Ataulfo, re de 'Goti, ovvero la Forza della virtù by Giuseppe Maria Orlandini ; Carnival 1712 in Rome, Teatro Capranica
  • Elenia in Il Pirro by Francesco Gasparini ; World premiere on January 23, 1717 in Rome, Teatro Capranica
  • Ermione in Astianatte by Francesco Gasparini; Carnival 1718–19 in Rome, Teatro Alibert
  • Lucilla in Lucio Vero by Francesco Gasparini; Premiere in January 1719 in Rome, Teatro Alibert
  • Olimpia in Crispo by Giovanni Bononcini ; Premiere on January 28, 1721 in Rome, Teatro Capranica; u. a. with Antonio Bernacchi as Crispo and the young Giovanni Carestini as Fausta
  • Title role in Griselda by Alessandro Scarlatti ; 1721 Carnival in Rome, Teatro Capranica
  • Semiramide in Nino by Giuseppe Maria Orlandini; World premiere on January 7, 1722 in Rome, Teatro Capranica
  • Ersinda in Arminio ( revised version) by Alessandro Scarlatti; Premiere in February 1722 in Rome, Teatro Capranica
  • Ippolita in Ercole sul Termodonte by Antonio Vivaldi ; Premiere on January 23, 1723 in Rome, Teatro Capranica
  • Arianna in Giustino by Antonio Vivaldi; Carnival 1723–24 in Rome, Teatro Capranica
  • Title role in the favola pastorale La Tigrena by Francesco Gasparini; Premiere on January 2, 1724 in Rome, Palazzo Cesarini ... De Mello de Castro; u. a. with Carlo Broschi gen. Farinelli as Titiro!
  • Dido in Didone abbandonata by Leonardo Vinci ; 1726 in Rome, Teatro delle Dame
  • Gerilda in Il Valdemaro by Domenico Natale Sarro ; Premiere on February 6, 1726 in Rome, Teatro delle Dame; u. a. with the young Caffarelli as Alvida (supporting role)
  • Emira in Siroe, re di Persia by Nicola Porpora ; Premiere on February 11, 1727 in Rome, Teatro delle Dame
  • Cunegonda in Gismondo re di Polonia by Leonardo Vinci, UA on January 11, 1727 in Rome, Teatro delle Dame
  • Title role in Ipermestra by Francesco Feo; Premiere on December 28, 1727 in Rome, Teatro delle Dame; u. a. with Giovanni Carestini as Linceo
  • Marzia in Catone in Utica by Leonardo Vinci; Premiere on January 19, 1728 in Rome, Teatro delle Dame; u. a. with Giovanni Carestini as Cesare
  • Semiramide in Semiramide riconosciuta by Leonardo Vinci; Premiere on February 6, 1729 in Rome, Teatro delle Dame
  • Cleofide in Alessandro nell'Indie by Leonardo Vinci; Premiere on January 2nd, 1730 in Rome, Teatro delle Dame; u. a. with Giovanni Carestini as Poro
  • Mandane in Artaserse by Leonardo Vinci; Premiere on February 4, 1730 in Rome, Teatro delle Dame; u. a. with Giovanni Carestini as Arbace
  • Title role in Berenice by Domenico Natale Sarro; Premiere on January 13, 1732 in Rome, Teatro Argentina ; u. a. with the tenor Annibale Pio Fabbri as Artaserse
  • Eurene in Rosbale by Geminiano Giacomelli ; Premiere on February 10, 1732 in Rome, Teatro Argentina; u. a. with Annibale Pio Fabbri as Sirbace
  • Oronta in Nerone by Egidio Romualdo Duni ; World premiere on May 21, 1735 in Rome, Teatro Tordinona ; u. a. with Caffarelli as Nerone

literature

  • Brumana Biancamaria: Il cantante Giacinto Fontana detto Farfallino e la sua carriera nei teatri di Roma . In: Università degli Studi Roma Tre - CROMA (ed.): Roma Moderna E Contemporanea - Il melodramma a Roma tra Sei e Settecento . No. 1 , 1996, ISSN  1122-0244 , pp. 75–112 (Italian, excerpt [accessed October 26, 2019]).
  • Kurt Sven Markström: The Operas of Leonardo Vinci, Napoletano , Pendragon Press, 2007, excerpts online as "Google Book" (English; viewed October 19, 2019)
  • Juliane Riepe: Singer in the Church, On Practice in Italian Music Centers of the 18th Century , Online at Academia (accessed January 1, 2020)

CD recordings

Complete recordings of some operas are available (see below), through which one can get a certain impression of Farfallino's vocal and interpretative possibilities, even if the casting of his roles with such completely different sopranos as Dorothea Röschmann and Dominique Labelle , the mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato or the Countertenor Max Emanuel Cenčić paint a very mixed picture. Only the singers of Farfallino's roles are mentioned.

Individual notes

  1. ↑ German: "Farfallino from Perugia, excellent soprano ..."
  2. ↑ il prete rosso was the nickname of Antonio Vivaldi
  3. ↑ Translation of the original inscription by Ghezzi, here after: Kurt Sven Markström: The Operas of Leonardo Vinci, Napoletano , Pendragon Press, 2007, pp. 136-140, here: 139 (excerpts online as "Google Book" , viewed on 19. October 2019)
  4. ↑ a b c d e Brumana Biancamaria: Il cantante Giacinto Fontana detto Farfallino e la sua carriera nei teatri di Roma . In: Università degli Studi Roma Tre - CROMA (ed.): Roma Moderna E Contemporanea - Il melodramma a Roma tra Sei e Settecento . No. 1 , 1996, ISSN  1122-0244 , pp. 75–112 (Italian, excerpt [accessed October 26, 2019]).
  5. ↑ This was rather unusual for an adult castrated because of the lack of sex hormones often a eunuchoid tallness originated; those affected then became unusually large and noticeable. Also, obesity was fairly common in adult castrated.
  6. ^ Juliane Riepe: Singer in the Church, On Practice in Italian Music Centers of the 18th Century , p. 62. Online on Academia , p. 62
  7. ^ La costanza in amor vince L'inganno (Antonio Caldara) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  8. ↑ Juliane Riepe: Singer in the Church, On Practice in Italian Music Centers of the 18th Century , Online on Academia , p. 67.
  9. ↑ a b Kurt Sven Markstrom: The Operas of Leonardo Vinci, Napoletano , Pendragon Press, 2007, p. 146
  10. ^ Siroe, re di Persia (Nicola Porpora) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  11. ↑ It is well known that the castrati on the other side of the opera stage are often treated with contempt, ridicule, etc. were faced. According to another interpretation, this is supposed to be an example of a possibly "dangerous" temperament of the singer, but such negative interpretations are in view of the historical reality in which the castrati and especially a petite female actor like Farfallino (who may also expect "stupid turn-ons") had to) lived, to be enjoyed with caution.
  12. ↑ Valesio: "Diario di Roma: Libro settimo e libro ottavo", p. 632; here after: Kurt Sven Markström: The Operas of Leonardo Vinci, Napoletano , Pendragon Press, 2007, pp. 136–140, here: 138 (& footnote 41) (online as "Google Book" , viewed October 19, 2019)
  13. ^ La costanza in amor vince L'inganno (Antonio Caldara) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  14. ↑ Ataulfo, re de 'Goti, ovvero la Forza della virtù (Giuseppe Maria Orlandini) in Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  15. ^ Il Pirro (Francesco Gasparini) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  16. ^ Astianatte (Francesco Gasparini) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  17. ↑ Lucio Vero (Francesco Gasparini) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  18. ^ Crispo (Giovanni Bononcini) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  19. ^ Griselda (Alessandro Scarlatti) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  20. ^ Nino (Giuseppe Maria Orlandini) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  21. ^ Arminio (Alessandro Scarlatti) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  22. ^ Ercole sul Termodonte (Antonio Vivaldi) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  23. ^ Giustino (Antonio Vivaldi) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  24. ↑ La Tigrena (Francesco Gasparini) in Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  25. ↑ Kurt Sven Markstrom: The Operas of Leonardo Vinci, Napoletano , Pendragon Press, 2007, pp. 136–140, here: 136
  26. ^ Il Valdemaro (Domenico Natale Sarro) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  27. ^ Siroe, Re di Persia (Nicola Porpora) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  28. ↑ Kurt Sven Markstrom: The Operas of Leonardo Vinci, Napoletano , Pendragon Press, 2007, pp. 188-200, here: 189
  29. ^ Ipermestra (Francesco Feo) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  30. ^ Catone in Utica (Leonardo Vinci) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  31. ^ Semiramide riconosciuta (Leonardo Vinci) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  32. ↑ Alessandro nell'Indie (Leonardo Vinci) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  33. ^ Artaserse (Leonardo Vinci) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  34. ^ Berenice (Domenico Natale Sarro) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  35. ↑ Rosbale (Geminiano Giacomelli) in Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  36. ^ Nerone (Egidio Romualdo Duni) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
personal data
SURNAME Farfallino
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Fontana, Giacinto
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian opera singer, soprano, female actor
DATE OF BIRTH February 3, 1692
PLACE OF BIRTH Perugia
DATE OF DEATH June 11, 1739