How to Impress the Public: Farinelli's Venetian Debut in 1728–1729

LEONARDO LEO’S CATONE IN UTICA

Leo's Catone in Utica underwent a very unusual procedure at its premiere. At a premiere, it was uncommon to alter an opera; Catone in Utica was not staged in its original form, but some arias were substituted. The reason was not merely time pressure. In fact, Farinelli had come to Venice at the beginning of December at the latest and had more than three weeks for rehearsals8. I believe that this procedure was adopted because the opera had to be a commercial success, at any cost. Thus, Leo's original music was cut (or moved) in favour of music by other composers.

What strategies can be detected? First of all, most aria substitutions concern the part sung by Farinelli, so we can assume that he did not feel comfortable with Leo's music, which did not allow him to present his vocal abilities as he wished. Although Leo knew Farinelli's voice well since he had composed specially for him the roles of Decio in Zenobia in Palmira (Naples 1725)9 and of Rodrigo in Il Cid (Rome 1727), the selection of music was altered by the singer himself. Other singers may have followed his example and substituted arias as well. In comparison with Metastasio's original libretto written for Rome 1728, the following arias were exchanged (they are marked in the libretto with an asterisk indicating that they are not by the same text/music author10 or they are printed as an appendix):

The table shows that nine out of 26, that is, one third of Metastasio's original aria texts were removed. Moreover, although Metastasio was involved in the production himself (he rewrote the end of the opera13) also the recitative texts were cut and altered, and the scene structure was changed. Since Domenico Lalli signed the dedication of the libretto, these alterations may have been his work. With respect to the arias, the substitution achieved specific aims. The procedure ensured in some cases a different profiling of the dramatis personae. Catone (Nicola Grimaldi), for example, was shown in the new aria texts as a more powerful and obstinate character, a trait also reflected in the new music and possibly in the singer's personality. Emilia's (Antonia Negri) role as a mourning widow, an element brought out by Metastasio in her first aria “O nel sen di qualche stella” (I,8), but not further developed, was underscored by a newly written scene (II,8, including the aria “Ombra cara, ombra adorata”). Only in one instance is a suitcase aria (aria di baule) found in the new score, certainly reflecting a previous success: Giuseppe Maria Boschi (Fulvio) inserted an aria he had sung earlier in London in George Frideric Handel's Radamisto (1721). For the Venetian performance it was rewritten, though14.

It is, however, not clear at which stage these substitutions and changes were made. If they were carried out before the text was set by Leo, then the music of the non-identified pieces may also have been composed by Leo. He may even have composed them later, during rehearsals, to meet the requirements of the singers or of other agents involved in the production15. That Leo seems to have played a role in staging the opera, in one way or another, is suggested by the following fact: In several sources, a second setting of “Confusa, smarrita”, Marzia's (Lucia Facchinelli) aria from Act III, Scene 2, has been preserved, which may either have been replaced in the final version in the score or may have replaced the earlier one during performances16 (Music Examples 1 and 2).

Music Example 1

Music Example 2

This could imply that Leo was present when the opera was rehearsed and performed or at least involved in the adaptation of the music for the singers. Still, given the relatively high amount of music by other composers – three out of the nine substituted pieces are definitely by other composers, plus two pieces inserted during the performance – Leo's presence and authorship, already questioned by Rosy Candiani in her Metastasio biography17, seems improbable. It seems more likely that the majority, if not all of the music of the substitute arias was written by other composers.

If we have a look at Farinelli's arias, we will be able to reconstruct his strategy of presenting himself to the Venetian public, which was meant to excite and, at the same time, to satisfy expectations. We are lucky to have both the Leo version and the version actually sung by Farinelli of his very first aria in Act I, Scene 3, which was, so to speak, his business card by which he introduced himself to the curious audience. The aria actually performed, “Mi lusinga il il cor d’affetto”, was taken from L’isola d’Alcina by his brother Riccardo Broschi, staged in Rome for the carnival of 1728 at the Capranica theatre with Farinelli as Ruggiero. Although it is marked “di Vinci” in the Catone score at the Royal Academy of Music in London, there is a concordant source bearing Broschi's name kept at the Casanatense library in Rome18. While the original aria, Leo's “Che legge spietata” (moved to I,13), poses no major vocal challenge, Farinelli's choice of his brother's aria reveals his wish to lay his entire vocal mastery at the feet of the Venetian audience.

Leo's aria (Music Example 3) is a fast one marked Allegro that contains syncopated rhythms as well as some chromaticisms, but none of the special characteristics for which Farinelli was renowned, such as messa di voce, fast coloraturas, and quick register changes19.

Music Example 3

In contrast, Broschi's aria in a slow tempo (score in GB-Lam: no tempo markings, the single aria in I-Rc: Largo, Music Example 4) is packed full of various vocal complexities: sophisticated short motifs (“Lombard” rhythms et al.), note repetitions, fast coloraturas, chromaticisms, messa di voce, instrumental motifs (the fast motifs at the end of the example, played immediately before by the violins), leaps (“canto di sbalzo”), the enormous tessitura of two octaves (B♭ to B♭”). These complexities are embedded in a sonorous, unobtrusive four-part scoring, which makes the free flow of the vocal line possible. Leo's aria, on the contrary, in many passages only has three actual parts, which in many instances are independent from the vocal line. Thus, the soloist cannot sing freely at all, but is forced to observe the metre and, with regards to ornamentation, harmonies and the melodic structures of the accompanying instrumental parts. At the same time, Farinelli shifts the focus to another character type. “Che legge spietata” is an aria di sdegno condemning love's laws, whereas “Mi lusinga il dolce affetto” speaks of the pleasures and fears of love. In choosing to sing his brother's aria Farinelli opted for an initial self-fashioning as a sensitive hero, a character type he impersonated rather frequently20, combined with a much freer style of singing and the display of his entire vocal capabilities, which very likely astonished the audience.

Music Example 4

Having laid down all his vocal art, and thus, metaphorically, having shot his bow, it is interesting to see how Farinelli proceeded in Catone in Utica. His next aria is the already mentioned “Che legge spietata” in Act I, Scene 13 (transferred from Scene 3), which, as has been said, is a not vocally a very demanding act, but a very effective one from the musical-dramatic point of view. It fits well into the situation. Its powerful melody and sometimes surprising harmonic progressions may have been the reason why this aria was postponed rather than deleted.

The first aria in Act II is Leo's “So che pietà non hai” (Scene 3). It is marked Larghetto, e Cantabile and shifts to a tender musical idiom with plenty of appoggiaturas, chromaticisms, and tiny motifs (Music Example 5). It also features ascending trills. In its melodic shape and restrained accompaniment, it is very similar to “Mi lusinga il dolce affetto”.

Music Example 5

At the end of the act (II,16) the original aria “Che sia la gelosia” (now lost) was replaced by two virtuosic arias that Farinelli had sung earlier in Parma in May of the same year21. Both are taken from Leonardo Vinci's Medo and both are simile arias. Farinelli first sang “Cerva in bosco se l’impiaga”, followed by “Scherzo dell’onda instabile”. Both feature coloraturas, arpeggios, trill chains, leaps, top notes, and register changes in a fast tempo22. From the textual point of view “Che sia la gelosia” does not strictly fit into the simile aria category, because it speaks of the pains of jealousy, which is compared to ice in a fire only in a brief phrase. Its substitution with ‘real’ simile arias shows that Farinelli wanted to end Act II with highly effective musical pieces which, furthermore, represented a more popular aria type23.

The next aria and his last one in the opera is found in Act III, Scene 3. “Sarebbe un bel diletto” is by an unknown composer and in a fast tempo (Allegro, e staccato, Music Example 6). It oscillates at some instances between the major and minor modes, enabling the singer to adapt his voice to the meaning of the text and the mood of the music, an art in which, according to Giovenale Sacchi, Farinelli's first biographer, he excelled24. Moreover, it again features wide leaps and chromaticism.

Music Example 6

Summing up, in Catone in Utica Farinelli demonstrated all his vocal powers in his very first aria and then emphasises several elements in the following arias, in particular – wide leaps and chromaticisms. In these arias, Farinelli embraces a variety of moods: “Mi lusinga il dolce affetto” shows Farinelli as a sensitive hero; “Che legge spietata” is an aria di sdegno; “So che pietà non hai” adopts a tender musical idiom, pointing to the sensitive hero again, “Sarebbe un bel diletto” is a lively aria with some “shades” in the minor mode. The only virtuosic bravura aria is found at the end of Act II, the substitute aria “Cerva in bosco se l’impiaga”, which during the performances was replaced by, or alternated with, “Scherzo dell’onda instabile”.

NICOLA PORPORA’S SEMIRAMIDE RICONOSCIUTA

A different strategy, however, is adopted in Porpora's Semiramide riconosciuta, where Farinelli concentrated on other musical features. Here the focus is on brief, very fast and sometimes rhythmically complex motifs, which in some instances make the impression of being notated improvisations. The first aria, “Bel piacer saria d’un core” (I,7) presents Farinelli (Mirteo) once again as a sensitive hero, and depends on these highly complicated motifs (Music Example 7).

Music Example 7

“Rondinella a cui rapita” (I,15), ending the first act, is a simile aria representing the lament of the dove after the death of her beloved as an emblem of Mirteo's state of mind. Its tempo is not very fast (Con spirito), and enables the singer to present some brief motifs (Music Example 8).

Music Example 8

“Sì pietoso il tuo labro ragiona” (II,5) is another aria in an unhurried tempo (A tempo giusto, Music Example 9). The short, very fast motifs are found at the end of the stanzas in the A section (triplets and demisemiquavers), but also in the B section. The aria shows Mirteo once again as a sad lover who fears that Semiramide's offer to help him win Tamiri's love is insincere.

Music Example 9

The next aria, “Siete barbare, amate stelle” (II,9, Music Example 10), is another text that presents Mirteo as a languishing lover whose attitude is criticised severely by Tamiri in the preceding recitative (“Mirteo cangia favella o cangia affetto./ Io tolerar non posso/un languido amator che mi tormenti/con assidui lamenti,/ che mai lieto non sia, che sempre innanzi/ mesto mi venga e che tacendo ancora/ con la fronte turbata/ mi rimproveri ognor ch’io sono ingrata.”). The aria bears no tempo marking, but is certainly meant to be sung in a slow Andante tempo.

Music Example 10

Mirteo's first aria in Act III, “In braccio a mille furie”, is a virtuosic coloratura piece marked Presto. It does not contain brief sophisticated motifs, which feature again in the following aria “Quel vapor che in valle impura” (III,11, Music Example 11). It is apparently again in a slow Andante tempo (no tempo indicated in the score), and compares Mirteo's ever depressed mental state and dimmed reason to impure vapours dispersed by the sun. (In the preceding aria Tamiri accuses Mirteo: “Vuoi dirmi, lo so:/ ‘Languisco per te,/ riposo non ho,/ domando mercé,/ ingrata, spietata,/ tiranna crudele’/ noiose querele/ usate in amor”, and he himself recognises that: “Ah la nube importuna/ che m’adombrò della ragione i rai/ si sciolga alfine. Ho vaneggiato assai.”)

Music Example 11

In addition to the short motifs present in almost all of Farinelli's arias, they also contain such typical elements of his style as leaps, trill chains, and chromatic melodic writing. In addition to the virtuosic coloratura aria “In braccio a mille furie” (III,4), two other arias of the same type, “Spira il vento nel foco nascente” (unattributed), and the famous virtuosic aria “Nobil onda” from Porpora's Adelaide (Rome 1723, I,17), were inserted at a point not specified in the libretto. They are printed at the end of the second edition and lack an indication as to the point at which they should be sung. Messa di voce and note repetitions are, significantly, almost absent from Porpora's arias sung by Farinelli in Semiramide (but not from the substitute aria “Nobil onda”)25. However, Porpora knew his pupil's voice very well and perhaps explicitly wanted to demonstrate its flexibility and velocity with regard to other special musical qualities.

Why the composer did so may be explained by a passage found in Sacchi's biography. According to Sacchi, Farinelli studied with Antonio Bernacchi at that time. After a kind of vocal competition held in 1727 in Bologna, which was won by Bernacchi (who appeared in Giuseppe Maria Orlandini's La fedeltà coronata), Farinelli studied more intensively with that singer in Rome. However, following the 1727 Bologna performance, the two stars did not sing together in Rome at all, and thus the story could only refer to Vinci's Medo, staged in Parma in the spring of 1728, where the two singers were both engaged. However problematic such sources may be26, they may contain some truth. It is possible that the small, quasi-improvised motifs appearing in Semiramide riconosciuta are the “grazie sopraffine” mentioned by Sacchi, which Farinelli is supposed to have learned from Bernacchi earlier that year27. In fact, the arias in Medo are definitely more virtuosic and do not depend on such brief motifs as we find in Semiramide riconosciuta. Such motifs, however, can be found in Pietro Torri's Nicomede, staged in October 1728 in Munich, after Medo but immediately before Farinelli's Venetian engagement. Farinelli sang the title part. These small motifs are all there, apart from virtuosic coloraturas. Brief motifs are present in the very first aria “Amorosa rondinella” (I,1), as well as in the arias “L’ubbidir se mi mostra tuo figlio” (I,9) and “Se traditor mi credi” (II,14) 28.

However, we can see such motifs in earlier operas as well, including those written for other singers (cf., for example: L. Leo, Zenobia in Palmira, D. Sarro, Tito Sempronio, L. Vinci, Astianatte, all staged in Naples, 1725; L. Vinci, Farnace, Rome 1724; N. Porpora, Imeneo, Naples 1723) and in later ones (G. Giacomelli, Lucio Papirio, Parma 1729; P. Torri, Edippo, Munich 1729; R. Broschi, Idaspe, J.A. Hasse, Artaserse, both Venice 1730). In this context, the idea of Farinelli's “grazie sopraffine” goes up in smoke. What is nonetheless striking in Semiramide riconosciuta is the high frequency of the occurrence of these motifs in Farinelli's part. They are present in almost every aria sung by him (I,7: “Bel piacer saria d’un core”, I,15: “Rondinella a cui rapita”, II,5: “Sì pietoso il tuo labro ragiona”, II,9: “Siete barbare, amate stelle”, III,11: “Quel vapore che in valle impura”). Only one virtuosic aria, “In braccio a mille furie” (III,4), does not depend on these short motifs. In contrast, in the arias of his partner singers they are hardly ever found; only in one aria performed respectively by Gizzi (I,8: “Come all’amiche arene” (Music Example 12), cf. the not-so-easy syncopations at the end of the section) and Negri (I,12: “Fiumicel che s’ode appena”, Music Example 13). Note that the complex elements in these arias are far less demanding.

Music Example 12

Music Example 13

However, in Catone in Utica the proportions are quite the opposite: Farinelli only sings a very small number of these motifs (such as the “instrumental” motif in “Mi lusinga il cor d’affetto”) and the other singers get many more. Gizzi performs them in “Soffre talor del vento” (II,5, Music Example 14), while the syncopations present in “Come all’amiche arene” are also found in Facchinelli's “Non ti minaccio sdegno” (I,2) and in Gizzi's “Chi un dolce amor condanna” (I,10). Through their overwhelming presence in Semiramide riconosciuta, Farinelli (and Porpora) thus created a kind of counterpoint to the earlier opera with these short, quasi-improvisational motifs, and here Farinelli obviously intends to surpass his partners on the stage.

Music Example 14

Some objections could be made to such an interpretation of the aria contents. Firstly, it must be examined whether these motifs were not a stylistic feature generally characteristic of Porpora29. However, as we can see from the above-listed examples, they are not only restricted to Porpora, but used by a variety of composers. Moreover, although these small motifs are definitely found in Porpora's operas, they do not appear as frequently in them as in Farinelli's part in Semiramide riconosciuta. Another objection might be whether these quasi-improvisational motifs can be distinguished from ‘actual’ improvisations, which constituted part of the operatic performance practice in the 18^th century. But where these motifs could not be heard, in every case they could still be seen in the written score of the entire opera or in single arias. That the written material seems to have been as important as the orally transmitted practice in Farinelli's art can be gleaned from the fact that an aria he sang, “Qual guerriero in campo armato” from his brother's Idaspe (Venice 1730), is written in several different clefs (violin, soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, and bass clefs). This specific notation cannot be heard, but only seen, and probably, like the short motifs, it may have enhanced Farinelli's image as a fabulous singer.

SUMMARY

To sum up, the reason for the highly unusual aria substitutions in Leo's Catone in Utica in its Venetian production seems to have been the fact that the opera needed to prove a financial success in order to cover Farinelli's high remuneration for the 1728/29 Venetian opera season. All the cast had their arias substituted to a more or less substantial degree. Most substitutions concern Farinelli's part. In his case we can observe his strategy to impress the public by demonstrating a wide range of exceptional vocal skills first, and later concentrating on selected qualities in the arias that followed. In this respect, Catone in Utica can be interpreted as a showpiece for Farinelli's entire vocal artistry. Porpora's Semiramide riconosciuta, on the other hand, seems to have been a vehicle to bring out another element absent from his part in Leo's opera, that is, short, complex, quasi-improvisational motifs. These are found in a type of aria that is characterised by a rather slow tempo and free flow of the melodic line, associated with the character type of the unhappy lover-hero whom Farinelli's frequently impersonated. In fact, in Semiramide riconosciuta this character type is represented by almost every aria sung by the famous singer, and was intended by Metastasio in his concept for this role. The original aria texts in II,5 (“Io veggo in lontananza”, substituted by “Sì pietoso il tuo labbro ragiona”) and III,11 (“Sentirsi dire”, substituted by “Quel vapor che in valle impura”) do not depart from this type. At the same time, the focus on these small complex motifs seems to reflect his evident intention to enter into competition with his stage partners (who sang such motifs in Catone in Utica), and to surpass them. Thus, Farinelli's well-conceived sequence of musical element presentation, linked to the idea of presenting his multifaceted vocal art and of direct comparison with the other singers, most likely made a lasting impression on the public in the Lagoon City, where he performed for three more seasons of his operatic career.

Berthold Over, PhD, is a Research Associate at the University of Greifswald. He wrote his PhD on music at the Venetian ospedali in the 18^th century and became a Research Associate at the University of Mainz in 2009. From 2010 until 2013 he worked on the research project The Cantata as an Aristocratic Medium of Expression in Rome During Handel's Time (c. 1695–1715), funded by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation, and from 2013 until 2016 on the international HERA project MusMig. Music Migrations in the Early Modern Age: The Meeting of the European East, West and South. Since 2018 he has been a member of the German research group in the Polish-German project PASTICCIO. Ways of Arranging Attractive Operas, financed by the national research councils (NCN and DFG). His main research interests lie in the cultural history of music in a European context. He has discovered unknown autographs by Vivaldi, Handel, and Mahler.