Gaetano Guadagni

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Gaetano Guadagni (* 16th February 1728 in Lodi , † October 11 or November 1792 in Padua ) was an Italian opera singer ( Alt - castrato ) and composer. He is particularly identified with the title role of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice and also worked with Georg Friedrich Handel .

Life

His place and date of birth were not known for a long time, only at the beginning of the 21st century was his baptismal record found, which shows that he was born in Lodi on the morning of February 16, 1728. Gaetano belonged to a family of musicians, his parents were Sebastiano Guadagni and Caterina Maura. His brother Giuseppe Guadagni was a well-known tenor and his three sisters Anna, Angiola and Lavinia were opera singers; Gaetano had a particularly close relationship with Angiola.

Nothing is known about his education, he probably received his first music lessons as a choirboy in Lodi. After stays in Cremona and Mantua , Gaetano went to Padua in 1746 and took a position as alto in the chapel of the Basilica di Sant 'Antonio , where he was a student of Francesco Antonio Vallotti . However, he was soon released for breach of contract. In the same year he had his first opera appearances at the Teatro San Moisè in Venice in small roles in Girolamo Michielis Zenobia and in a Cesare in Egitto by an unknown composer.

Two years later he traveled to England with the GFCrosa troupe, who specialize in buffa operas , and made his debut at the Haymarket Theater in the role of Celindo in Rinaldo di Capua's La commedia in commedia .

georg Friedrich Handel

He met Georg Friedrich Handel and Charles Burney through the soprano Giulia Frasi . Handel had Guadagni sang the roles originally composed for Susannah Cibber in his oratorios Messiah and Samson and composed the role of Didymus in Theodora (1750) for him . Burney, who Guadagni during this time when rehearsing his roles helped (probably mainly with the English language), later wrote that this at first been a "wild and careless singer" is ( " a wild and careless singer ") but with a good Voice, which he described as a " full and well-toned countertenor ", although strangely enough he was referring to the English vocal subject of falsettists . With the aria of Micah " Return, oh God of hosts " from Samson , Guadagni had particular success with the English audience.

He also appeared in the Italian opera seria, a. a. in Vincenzo Ciampi s Adriano in Siria (1750). Guadagnis first stay in the English capital lasted until 1753, apart from a successful tour to Dublin 1751-52.

In 1753 he had an engagement in Lisbon , where he took singing lessons from his famous colleague Gioacchino Conti, called Gizziello . Burney said that Guadagni probably only became the great singer as a result of which he was then admired. The following year he sang in Paris in the concert spirituel and in front of the royal court in Versailles , after which he appeared in a dramma giocoso Don Calascione in Brussels .

Back in London, Guadagni appeared at the Drury Lane Theater in John Christopher Smith's The Fairies in 1755 , in the role of Lysander. He met the famous actor David Garrick , who trained Guadagni's acting skills.

Contemporaries agreed that Gaetano Guadagni was a handsome man: in a letter from a colleague in 1748, he was described as a “beautiful young soprano” (“ un soprano bello, giovane ”); also later he was praised for his "beautiful figure" (" bella figura "); and for the English tenor Michael Kelly Guadagni was “the best-looking man of his kind I have ever seen”, and “without those physical defects that are usually seen in castrati” (“ ... senza que 'difetti nel corpo che ne 'castrati ordinariamente si vedono. ”). This probably means that he was neither gigantic nor obese.

The Teatro San Benedetto in Venice (1782), where Guadagni performed more often in his life

In the Carnival of 1757 the now famous Guadagni was back in Italy, with performances in the Teatro San Benedetto in Venice, a. a. in Ciampis Catone in Utica . In the same year he also sang in Reggio Emilia in Tommaso Traetta's La Nitteti and in Lucca in Artaserse by Baldassare Galuppi .

Between 1756 and 1760 his career took him to opera houses in Parma , Venice, Verona , Lucca, Turin and Naples . He is said to have given the soprano Caterina Gabrielli advice in order to develop her taste, although she almost sang it “on the wall” with her brilliant singing; it is also said that she was in love with him.

During the celebrations for the wedding of Archduke Joseph of Austria with Isabella von Bourbon in Parma, Guadagni sang Lefest d'Imeneo (September 1760) and Enea e Lavinia (spring 1761) in Traetta's operas .

After appearances in Turin in Piccinnis Tigrane and in Artaserse by Johann Christian Bach, in 1761 he went to the Württemberg court in Ludwigsburg and Stuttgart and then to imperial Vienna .

Christoph Willibald Gluck

There he made his debut in 1762 as Orazio in Johann Adolph Hasse's opera Il trionfo di Clelia . On October 5th of the same year the decisive performance of his life followed, when he played Orfeo in the world premiere of Christoph Willibald Gluck's first reform opera Orfeo ed Euridice . The success of this opera was attributed exclusively to Gaetano Guadagni by the librettist Calzabigi , who later sang Orfeo in Italy, London and Munich and was so identified with this role that he also appeared in several other settings of the material and in the last decade of his career sang only a few other roles.

Until 1765 Guadagni worked in Vienna as primo uomo in various works by Gluck, Traetta, Hasse and Florian Leopold Gassmann , in particular in 1764 for the coronation of Joseph II as Roman King in Hasse's festa teatrale Egeria , and in 1765 for the wedding of Joseph with his second wife Maria Josepha from Bavaria in Gassmann's Il trionfo d'Amore . He then sang in Innsbruck at the wedding of Archduke Leopold of Austria with Maria Ludovica de Borbon in Hasse's opera Romolo ed Ersilia .

From 1765 to 1769 he had engagements at the Venetian theaters of San Benedetto and San Salvatore, as well as in Padua, where he was resumed as a soloist in 1768 in the Basilica di Sant'Antonio (which had previously dismissed him) annual salary of 400 ducats , for which he only had to sing at the four main festivals. He now also chose his place of residence in Padua.
In the Carnival of 1768 in Rome he sang at the Teatro Argentina in Antonio Sacchini's Artaserse and in Piccini's setting of L'olimpiade ; in Carnival in 1769 he was back in Venice, with appearances in Galuppi's Arianna e Teseo and in Demofoonte by Joseph Mysliveček . During these years he also sang in operas by Ferdinando Bertoni , Giovanni Battista Borghi and Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi .

The Haymarket Theater in London (1783)

From 1769 to 1771 Guadagni was again in London, with appearances in Guglielmi's opera Ezio and a pasticcio Olimpiade with music by Piccinni and Johann Christian Bach , as well as in an oratorio of the latter. In April 1770 Guadagni sang his role of Orfeo in a pasticcio with music by Gluck, Joh. Chr. Bach and Guglielmi, in which he also performed a self-composed aria "Men tiranne, ah, voi sareste", which was included in the collection after these performances The favorite songs in the opera Orfeo was published (London 1770).

"[...] his attitudes, action, and impassioned and exquisite manner of singing the simple and ballad-like air" Che farò ", acquired him very great and just applause; [...] ”

“[...] his demeanor, his playing, and the passionate and exquisite way of singing the simple, ballad-like aria“ Che farò senza Euridice ”earned him very big and just applause; [...] "

- Charles Burney

But Guadagni seems to have identified himself so completely with the character he was portraying that he refused to interrupt a performance by Orfeo , to bow after an aria, or to give encores in the middle of the opera - which was by no means customary corresponded to the time and was sometimes badly interpreted by the English public (according to Charles Burney). This, combined with an argument between the singer and a Mr. Hobart, who had insulted his sister Lavinia Guadagni (who was in London at the same time as the singer of Opera Buffa), resulted in Gaetano being whistled on each of his subsequent appearances in London.
He also seems to have fallen out with his old friend Burney at this time, because he admired the singer and found that Guadagni "is at the top of his profession in terms of taste, expression, shape and action", wrote but later sometimes very negative about him.

After his return to Italy, Guadagni was appointed Cavaliere di San Marco (Knight of St. Mark) in Venice in 1772 . In June of that year in Padua he took part in the celebrations in honor of Maria Antonia Walpurgis of Bavaria , widow of the Elector of Saxony Friedrich Christian . He sang in the serenata Il trionfo della fedeltà , the text and music of which the Electress herself had written. Guadagni also took these with him to Munich , where he stayed until 1775 and performed several times as Orfeo, both in the London pasticcio (Carnival 1773) and in a setting by Antonio Tozzi (1775). During these years the singer also served as an intermediary between Padua and the Bavarian court.

In the Carnival of 1776 he played Orfeo again in Bertoni's Orfeo ed Euridice at San Benedetto in Venice , and sang in Borghi's Artaserse . In the same year he also sang in front of Friedrich the Elder. Great in Potsdam .

The Basilica di Sant'Antonio in Padua (watercolor by Rudolf von Alt, 1838)

From then on he lived in Padua for good, worked there with the composer Giovanni Ferrandini and often let his voice be heard in church and festival music. In 1778 he sang a canzone in praise of his new hometown at a masked ball organized by himself, and at the feast of St. Caecilia that same year he was heard together with his famous colleague Gasparo Pacchiarotti in the Servite Church. In Padua in 1782 Guadagni gave a concert for the Grand Ducal couple of Russia (who called themselves “Conti del Nord” on their trip), and sang before Pope Pius VI. in front of the Basilica di Sant'Antonio the antiphon " O lingua benedicta ". He also appeared repeatedly as Orfeo, including on May 7, 1784 in a performance in honor of the King of Sweden. Especially during the last phase of his life in Padua, Guadagni was also known for his generosity, among other things he financed the construction of a bridge on Prato della Valle .

In 1785 he lost his ability to speak due to a stroke .

Gaetano Guadagni died in Padua on October 11, 1792.

Unfortunately, there is no real portrait of Guadagni, only a medallion by Antonio Fedi from 1790 and a caricature .

Appreciation

Gaetano Guadagni is one of the most famous castrati of the 18th century. He was admired for his singing as well as for his acting and embodied the new (?) Type of singer-actor.

Burney wrote of Guadagni's appearances in London from 1769 to 1771:

“[...] he seems to have had nothing of his own on the stages of Europe: his figure was unusually elegant and noble; his countenance full of beauty, intelligence and dignity; and his demeanor and gestures were so full of grace and adequacy that they would have made excellent studies for a statue. But, although his way of singing was perfectly delicate, fine and cultured, his voice seemed at first to disappoint every listener. Those who had heard him before in England found her comparatively thin and weak. "

Burney attributed this to the fact that between 1755 and 1769 Guadagni expanded the range of his voice, especially upwards into the soprano range, and was probably also used accordingly by the composers - which corresponded to the general taste for very high voices in musical classical music . The fact that he also rose to the soprano position towards the end of his career is proven by the high grade of the aria " Pensa a serbarmi, o cara " for Guadagni in Bertonis Ezio (Bologna, Civico Museo bibliografico musicale).

Although he was quite capable of virtuoso singing, after his collaboration with Gluck and his success as Orfeo, he cultivated a relatively simple style of singing that was in line with the ideals of contemporary classicism and primarily focused on expression. However, he still achieved special effects with the method of messa di voce , which was already popular in the Baroque era , a slow rise and fall of the voice, which requires perfect breath control. According to Burney, Guadagni is said to have mostly used it in such a way that he started a note very loudly and then almost let it die away, so that one had the feeling that the voice was far away. His expressive performance of recitatives is said to have been particularly impressive .

Repertoire (selection)

In the following list only roles are given that were composed for Gaetano Guadagni, i.e. either had their world premiere with him or (rarely) a revised second version. The list is not complete. Unless otherwise stated, it is an opera seria (and the information comes from the literature used for the article).

Honors

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b According to the baptism entry in the parish archives of Lodi. Patricia Howard: "The Modern Castrato: Gaetano Guadagni and the coming of a new operational age", Oxford University Press, New York, 2014, pp. 16-17, online as a Google Book (accessed August 3, 2020)
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Gerhard Croll, Irene Brandenburg:  Gaetano Guadagni. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
  3. ↑ a b c d The MGG incorrectly gives December 11, 1725 as the date of birth. Irene Brandenburg:  Guadagni, (Cosimo) Gaetano. In: Ludwig Finscher (Hrsg.): The music in past and present . Second edition, personal section, volume 8 (Gribenski - Hilverding). Bärenreiter / Metzler, Kassel et al. 2002, ISBN 3-7618-1118-7  ( online edition , subscription required for full access).
  4. ↑ Patricia Howard: "The Modern Castrato: Gaetano Guadagni and the coming of a new operative age", Oxford University Press, New York, 2014, pp. 19-20, online as a Google Book (accessed on August 3, 2020)
  5. ↑ a b c Patricia Howard: "The Modern Castrato: Gaetano Guadagni and the coming of a new operational age", Oxford University Press, New York, 2014, p. 4, online as a Google Book (accessed on August 3, 2020)
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad Andrea Pini: Guadagni, Gaetano , in: Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani , Volume 60, 2003, online at [1] (Italian; accessed on August 4, 2020)
  7. ^ Charles Burney: "A general history of music, from the earliest ages to the present period (1789)", Vol. II. New edition by Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York, 1935, p. 875. Online in the archive (access on August 5, 2020)
  8. ^ Charles Burney: "A general history of music, from the earliest ages to the present period (1789)", Vol. II. New edition by Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York, 1935, pp. 875-876. Online in the archive (accessed on August 5, 2020)
  9. ↑ a b c d Patricia Howard: "The Modern Castrato: Gaetano Guadagni and the coming of a new operational age", Oxford University Press, New York, 2014, p. 3 footnote 4), online as a Google Book (accessed on 3 August 2020)
  10. ^ François-Joseph Fétis : "Gabrielli (Catherine)", in: Biographie universelle des musiciens , Vol. 4, 2nd edition, Paris 1860–1868, pp. 230–232. Online at: gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliothèque nationale de France (French; accessed August 29, 2019)
  11. ↑ a b Patricia Howard: "The Modern Castrato: Gaetano Guadagni and the coming of a new operational age", Oxford University Press, New York, 2014, p. 2, online as a Google Book (accessed on August 3, 2020)
  12. ^ Charles Burney: Diary of a musical journey, Vol. 1 (translated by CD Ebeling), Hamburg, 1772. Facsimile edition by Bärenreiter, Kassel et al., 2003, column 94
  13. ^ Charles Burney: "A general history of music, from the earliest ages to the present period (1789)", Vol. II. New edition by Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York, 1935, pp. 876 and 877. Online in the Internet - Archive (accessed August 5, 2020)
  14. ^ A b c Charles Burney: "A general history of music, from the earliest ages to the present period (1789)", Vol. II. New edition by Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York, 1935, p. 877. Online im Internet archive (accessed on August 5, 2020)
  15. ↑ Patricia Howard: "The Modern Castrato: Gaetano Guadagni and the coming of a new operational age", Oxford University Press, New York, 2014, p. 8, online as a Google Book (accessed on August 3, 2020)
  16. ^ Charles Burney: Diary of a musical journey, Vol. 1 (translated by CD Ebeling), Hamburg, 1772. Facsimile edition by Bärenreiter, Kassel et al., 2003, column 94
  17. ↑ Patricia Howard: "The Modern Castrato: Gaetano Guadagni and the coming of a new operative age", Oxford University Press, New York, 2014, pp. 8–9, online as a Google Book (accessed on August 3, 2020)
  18. ↑ "... he seems to have had no equal on any stage in Europe: his figure was uncommonly elegant and noble; his countenance replete with beauty, intelligence and dignity; and his attitudes and gestures were so full of grace and propriety, that they would have been excellent studies for a statuary. But though his manner of singing was perfectly delicate, polished and refined, his voice seemed at first, to disappoint every hearer. Those who remembered it, when he was in England before, found it comparatively thin and feeble. ... ". Charles Burney: "A general history of music, from the earliest ages to the present period (1789)", Vol. II. New edition by Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York, 1935, p. 876. Online in the Internet archive ( Accessed August 5, 2020)
  19. ^ A b Charles Burney: "A general history of music, from the earliest ages to the present period (1789)", Vol. II. New edition by Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York, 1935, p. 876. Online in the Internet - Archive (accessed August 5, 2020)
  20. ^ Zenobia (Girolamo Michelli) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  21. ^ Il trionfo di Camilla (Vincenzo Ciampi) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  22. ^ Catone in Utica (Vincenzo Ciampi) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  23. ^ La Nitteti (Tommaso Traetta) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  24. ↑ Ricimero, re de 'Goti (Antonio Ferrandini) in Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  25. ^ Olimpiade (Tommaso Traetta) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  26. ^ Astrea placata (Gian Francesco de Majo) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  27. ^ Enea e Lavinia (Tommaso Traetta) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  28. ^ Tigrane (Niccolò Piccinni) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  29. ^ Artaserse (Johann Christian Bach) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  30. ^ Semiramide (Niccolò Jommelli) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  31. ^ Ezio (Ferdinando Bertoni) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  32. ^ Artaserse (Antonio Sacchini) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  33. ^ L 'olimpiade (Niccolò Piccinni) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  34. ^ Alessandro in Armenia (Giovanni Battista Borghi) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  35. ^ Arianna e Teseo (Baldassare Galuppi) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  36. ^ Demofoonte (Josef Myslivecek) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  37. ^ Ruggiero (Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  38. ^ Ezio (Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  39. ^ Gioas, re di Giuda (Johann Christian Bach) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
  40. ^ Artaserse (Giovanni Battista Borghi) in the Corago information system of the University of Bologna .
personal data
SURNAME Guadagni, Gaetano
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian opera singer (soprano castrato)
DATE OF BIRTH February 16, 1728
PLACE OF BIRTH Lodi
DATE OF DEATH December 11, 1792
Place of death Padua