Porporino

Porporino , actually Antonio Uberti or Anton Hubert (* 1719 in Verona , † January 20, 1783 in Berlin ) was a famous German-Italian castrato . He should not be confused with the castrato soprano Giovanni Bindi, who is also known as “Porporino” .

Life

Porporino was born in 1719 to a German soldier named Daniel Huber and an Italian woman.

At the age of 13, Antonio Uberti was castrated and is said to have caught the attention of a priest who worked as a church conductor with his “good voice”, who then took the boy to the Conservatorio Sant'Onofrio ( Naples ) to the composer and singing teacher Nicola Porpora .

Like many of his colleagues, especially the famous Farinelli , Porporino received a solid vocal training from Porpora at the Sant'Onofrio. According to a widespread practice at the time, Antonio Uberti's stage name “Porporino” is derived from the name of his singing teacher. After his training, Porporino first sang in Rome , Messina , Palermo and other places until Frederick the Great took him into service at his court in 1740. Louis Schneider characterized Porporino there with the words:

"He had a beautiful, full voice, sang very correctly, and his main strength lay in the noble performance of the Adagio, which was also accompanied by a talent of performance that was unusual at the time, which made him stand out from his other colleagues."

- Louis Schneider: History of the Opera and the Royal Opera House in Berlin , p. 89

Antonio Uberti alias "Porporino" died on January 20, 1783 in Berlin .

literature

Louis Schneider: History of the Opera and the Royal Opera House in Berlin. Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1852, pp. 88–89 (digitized version )

Web links

Historical short biography at the Trier University Library

Notes and individual references

↑ Louis Schneider reports on his father in his history of the opera and the royal opera house in Berlin , p. 88: “His father was Daniel Huber, a German by birth who fought against the Turks under a cavalry regiment in Imperial service and that Had misfortune to be caught and led into slavery. He stayed there for three years, and after having endured a lot because of a forced change of faith, he found the opportunity to flee and to an Austrian border fortress, from which he went to Verona, and in the Venetian service the charge of a guard at the Cavalry clad. His outward appearance and his diverse knowledge, especially in the military sciences, suggested that he was of no low parentage, which was reinforced by the fact that the noblest nobility of Verona treated him. In the 50th year he married a Veronese woman of 13 years with whom he fathered 12 children, of whom Anton was the youngest. "

↑ Castration was forbidden, despite the fact that even the Vatican needed castrated singers for the high voices. It was actually only allowed due to illness or an accident. It is in this light that the description by Louis Schneider in his History of the Opera and the Royal Opera House in Berlin , p. 88, about Porporino's alleged accident can be read: “In the 13th year of his age he played with several children, and especially practiced on stakes to jump. One jump was unfortunate and gave him a dangerous bruise. Out of fear he kept it from his parents, which made help impossible; he had to be operated on and castrated. "

personal data
SURNAME	Porporino
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Uberti, Antonio (real name); Hubert, Anton
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German-Italian castrato
DATE OF BIRTH	1719
PLACE OF BIRTH	Verona
DATE OF DEATH	January 20, 1783
Place of death	Berlin

[1] Louis Schneider reports on his father in his history of the opera and the royal opera house in Berlin , p. 88: “His father was Daniel Huber, a German by birth who fought against the Turks under a cavalry regiment in Imperial service and that Had misfortune to be caught and led into slavery. He stayed there for three years, and after having endured a lot because of a forced change of faith, he found the opportunity to flee and to an Austrian border fortress, from which he went to Verona, and in the Venetian service the charge of a guard at the Cavalry clad. His outward appearance and his diverse knowledge, especially in the military sciences, suggested that he was of no low parentage, which was reinforced by the fact that the noblest nobility of Verona treated him. In the 50th year he married a Veronese woman of 13 years with whom he fathered 12 children, of whom Anton was the youngest. "

[2] Castration was forbidden, despite the fact that even the Vatican needed castrated singers for the high voices. It was actually only allowed due to illness or an accident. It is in this light that the description by Louis Schneider in his History of the Opera and the Royal Opera House in Berlin , p. 88, about Porporino's alleged accident can be read: “In the 13th year of his age he played with several children, and especially practiced on stakes to jump. One jump was unfortunate and gave him a dangerous bruise. Out of fear he kept it from his parents, which made help impossible; he had to be operated on and castrated. "