Giulia Frasi

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Giulia Frasi. The lyrics in her hand are titled Voi amante che vedete

Giulia Frasi (* before 1730 in Milan , † 1772 in Calais ) was an Italian opera and oratorio singer ( soprano ) who was involved in many world premieres of works by Georg Friedrich Handel in London .

Life

Little is known about their origins. She had a brother named Giovanni, who died in London in 1795 and was a tailor.

Giulia Frasi was a student of Giuseppe Ferdinando Brivio in Milan and came to London at the end of 1742, probably in Brivio's entourage (her first appearance was in the Pasticcio Gianguir by Brivio and others in November 1742) and with her friend, singer Caterina Galli . She initially appeared primarily in the King's Theater in the Haymarket, initially in supporting roles. In 1746 she sang the giant Briareus in the world premiere of La caduta de 'giganti by Christoph Willibald Gluck in London, a trouser role, and in 1748 a larger role in the pasticcio Lucio Vero and in operas by Johann Adolph Hasse and in comic operas established by Croza in London . Like Caterina Galli, she then became a student of Handel and sang in his oratorios (first in 1749, but she appeared in a supporting role in a Handel opera as early as 1743) and operas, so she sang the title roles in the world premiere of the oratorios Susanna (1749) , Theodora (1750) and Jephtha (1752) and was the prima donna of Handel until his death in 1759. In addition to her technical qualities, he also appreciated her expressiveness. She also sang the Iole in Hercules (February 24, 1749), in Solomon (March 17, 1749) and in the London premiere of the Messiah (March 23, 1749) and its subsequent regular performances in the Erratic Hospital . In 1750 she appeared in La serva padrona by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi . In 1751 she sang in Belshazzar and Esther and in the Ode for St. Cecilia's Day in 1755, Israel in Egypt in 1756 and Judas Maccabaeus in 1759. She sang Handel operas and oratorios not only in London, but also in other English cities. In 1755 she stepped in for the indisposed star soprano Regina Mingotti in Andromaca by Niccolò Jommelli (as she had done twice in Riccimero in the previous season), and enjoyed success in The fairies , an opera based on Shakespeare's Midsummer Night 's Dream (libretto David Garrick ) by John Christopher Smith (Johann Christoph Schmidt, 1712–1795), a Handel confidante like this from Germany. Her career continued thereafter, but from 1764 her appearances became less frequent. In 1767 she appeared in Covent Garden in Esther and later that year in the Messiah. She last appeared in 1769 at the King's Theater in Judas Maccabaeus and in Artaxerxes by Thomas Arne . In 1770 she appeared again in a benefit concert by Judas Maccabaeus . In recent years she was impoverished (after having lived very extravagantly and lavishly) and was forced to avoid creditors in Calais, where she died.

From 1745 to 1752 she lived in London on Great Pultney Street and then on Gerard Street. In 1743 she had a daughter of Charles Churchill (around 1720 to 1812), a member of parliament who married the daughter of Robert Walpole .

In England she was also a student of Charles Burney , after whom she was "young and interesting in person" and had a "sweet, clear voice and a smooth and chaste style of singing that, although cold and devoid of passion, was pleasing to natural hearing and escaped the attacks of the critics ”(“ She was young and interesting in person, with a sweet, clear voice, and a smooth and chaste style of singing, which, though cold and unimpassioned, pleased natural ears, and escaped the censure of critics "). As a singer, she had an impeccable, precise command of English. She also sang in many benefit concerts.

She was not known for patience and an inclination to practice; and when she Handel announced she would now basso continuo study, this said after Burney ironically his surprise ( "Oh vaat (what) we may not expect!").

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Julian Marshall, Giulia Frasi in: George Grove, A dictionary of music and musicians, 1900
  2. ^ Julian Marshall in Grove's Dictionary 1900
personal data
SURNAME Frasi, Giulia
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian opera and oratorio singer (soprano)
DATE OF BIRTH before 1730
PLACE OF BIRTH Milan
DATE OF DEATH 1772
Place of death Calais