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Article MEMOIRS OF THE CELEBRATED FARINELLI. ← Page 2 of 3 →
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Memoirs Of The Celebrated Farinelli.
In the year 1734 , he came into England , where every one knows who heard , or has heard of him , what an effect his surprizing talents had upon the audience : it was extacy ! rapture ! enchantment!— _ In the famous air , Son quid Nave , which was composed by his brother , the first note he sung was taken with such delicacy , swelled by minute degrees to such an amazing volumeand afterwards
, diminished in the same manner , that it was applauded for a great length of time . He afterwards set off with such brilliancy and rapTdity of execution , that it was generally very difficult for the violins to keep pace with him ; sometimes indeed they were thrown entirely out , being left at a very great distance behind himIn shorthe was to all other singers as superior as the famous
. , horse Childers was to all other running horses ; but it was not only in speed , for he had now the excellence of every great singer united . In his voice , strength , sweetness and compass ; in his stile ¦ the tender , the graceful , and the rapid . He possessed such power ' s as never met before , or since in any one human being ; powers that were irrisistible and which must subdue every hearer ; the
, learned and the ignorant , the friend and the foe . — With these talents he went into Spain in the year 1737 , with a full design to return into England , having entered into articles with the nobility , who had then the management of the opera , to perform the ensuing season . In his way thither , he sung to the King of France at Pariswhereaccordingto Riccobonihe enchanted even
, , , the French themselves , who at that time universally abhorred Italian music ; but the first day he performed before the King and Queen of Spain , it was determined that he should be taken into the service of the court , to which he . was ever after wholly appropriated , not being once suffered to sing in public . A pension was then settled on him of upwards of 2 , oooZ . sterling a year . ,
He told me that for the first ten years of his residence at the court of Spain , during the life of Philip V . he sung every nig ht to that monarch the same four airs , of which two were composed by Hasse . Palido ilsole , and Per questo dolce Amplesso . I forget the others , but one was a minuet , which he used to vary at his pleasure . After the death of Phili p V . his favour continued underhis successor Ferdinand the VIby ' whom he was dignified with the order of
Ca-. lat . rava in 1750 : but there , his duty became less constant and fatio-uino-, as he persuaded this Prince to have operas , which was a great relief to him : he was appointed sole director of those spectacles ; and had from Italy the best composers and singers of the time , and Metastasio to write . He shewed me in his house four of the principal scenesin Didone and Netettepainted by Amiconi , who
, accompanied him first into England , and then into Spain , where he died . When the late King of Spain ascended the throne , he was obliged to quit that kingdom , but his pension was continued and he was allowed to bring away all his effects . The furniture of his house was very rich , as it was aimost . entirely composed of the presents he re-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Memoirs Of The Celebrated Farinelli.
In the year 1734 , he came into England , where every one knows who heard , or has heard of him , what an effect his surprizing talents had upon the audience : it was extacy ! rapture ! enchantment!— _ In the famous air , Son quid Nave , which was composed by his brother , the first note he sung was taken with such delicacy , swelled by minute degrees to such an amazing volumeand afterwards
, diminished in the same manner , that it was applauded for a great length of time . He afterwards set off with such brilliancy and rapTdity of execution , that it was generally very difficult for the violins to keep pace with him ; sometimes indeed they were thrown entirely out , being left at a very great distance behind himIn shorthe was to all other singers as superior as the famous
. , horse Childers was to all other running horses ; but it was not only in speed , for he had now the excellence of every great singer united . In his voice , strength , sweetness and compass ; in his stile ¦ the tender , the graceful , and the rapid . He possessed such power ' s as never met before , or since in any one human being ; powers that were irrisistible and which must subdue every hearer ; the
, learned and the ignorant , the friend and the foe . — With these talents he went into Spain in the year 1737 , with a full design to return into England , having entered into articles with the nobility , who had then the management of the opera , to perform the ensuing season . In his way thither , he sung to the King of France at Pariswhereaccordingto Riccobonihe enchanted even
, , , the French themselves , who at that time universally abhorred Italian music ; but the first day he performed before the King and Queen of Spain , it was determined that he should be taken into the service of the court , to which he . was ever after wholly appropriated , not being once suffered to sing in public . A pension was then settled on him of upwards of 2 , oooZ . sterling a year . ,
He told me that for the first ten years of his residence at the court of Spain , during the life of Philip V . he sung every nig ht to that monarch the same four airs , of which two were composed by Hasse . Palido ilsole , and Per questo dolce Amplesso . I forget the others , but one was a minuet , which he used to vary at his pleasure . After the death of Phili p V . his favour continued underhis successor Ferdinand the VIby ' whom he was dignified with the order of
Ca-. lat . rava in 1750 : but there , his duty became less constant and fatio-uino-, as he persuaded this Prince to have operas , which was a great relief to him : he was appointed sole director of those spectacles ; and had from Italy the best composers and singers of the time , and Metastasio to write . He shewed me in his house four of the principal scenesin Didone and Netettepainted by Amiconi , who
, accompanied him first into England , and then into Spain , where he died . When the late King of Spain ascended the throne , he was obliged to quit that kingdom , but his pension was continued and he was allowed to bring away all his effects . The furniture of his house was very rich , as it was aimost . entirely composed of the presents he re-