preview

Fairnelli Characteristics Of The Baroque Period

Decent Essays

When thinking about the Baroque period, people tend to only associate it with instrumentalists and composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, George Fredrich Handel and Antonio Vivaldi. However, in addition to such instrumentalist and composers, there are some great vocalists who represent the Baroque period but are not widely recognized today. Carlo Maria Michelangelo Nicola Broschi, who is better know by his stage name, Farinelli, is an Italian vocalist of the 18th century and one of the remarkable singers in the history of music. According to Charles Burney, an English music historian, Fairnelli “set off with such brilliancy and rapidity of execution that it was difficult for the violins of those days to keep pace with him… [he] could …show more content…

While Fairnelli was still a student, his father died unexpectedly at the age of 36, which led his family in great poverty. In order to maintain economic security and to become the greatest singer of all time, Fairnelli decided to castrate. As a result, Farinelli was able to keep his powerful male voice that allowed him to sing any range of voice parts in opera, including high-pitched soprano parts. Shortly after Farinelli’s first few public performances, he became popular in many cities as a young talented singer. In addition to singing, Farinelli was a harpsichordist and a composer. He composed several cantatas and arias, including the famous piece, Ossequiosissimo ringraziamento, which he also wrote the lyrics. Therefore, even though Farinelli focused on his vocal the most, he was a gifted musician in all parts.
Just like most of the talented musicians who begin their careers at young age, Farinelli participated in several professional stages when he was still only a teenager. At the age of fifteen, Farinelli made his debut in Popora’s Serenata, Angelica e Medoro, with two other professional Italian soprano singers, Marianna Bulgarelli and Domerico Gizzi at the Royal chapel of Naples. Furthermore, at the age of seventeen, he sang in Rome in Porpora’s Flavio Anicio Olibrio. Farinelli was beloved by the audiences for his pure and powerful voice with full of musical

Get Access