HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Anastasia Robinson ( – April 1755), later known as Anastasia, Countess of Peterborough, was an English
soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...
, later
contralto A contralto () is a classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice type, voice types. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare, similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to ...
, of the
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
era. As a performer, she is best remembered for her association with the composer
George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...
, in whose
opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
s she sang. She created roles in the world premieres of several of Handel's operas, including Zenobia in '' Radamisto'' (1720), Irene in '' Muzio Scevola'' (1721), Elmira in '' Floridante'' (1721), Matilda in '' Ottone'' (1723), Teodata in '' Flavio'' (1723), and Cornelia in ''
Giulio Cesare ''Giulio Cesare in Egitto'' (; ; HWV 17), commonly known as , is a dramma per musica (''opera seria'') in three acts composed by George Frideric Handel for the Royal Academy of Music in 1724. The libretto was written by Nicola Francesco Haym ...
'' (1724). Robinson's late career was overshadowed by a scandal in February 1724 involving the Italian castrato Senesino and
Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough, (1658 – 25 October 1735) was a British army officer and Whig politician. He was the son of John Mordaunt, 1st Viscount Mordaunt, and his wife Elizabeth, the daughter and sole heiress of Thomas ...
. Having secretly married the Earl in c. 1722-1723, Robinson was widely believed to be the Earl's mistress at the time of the scandal when she was in fact his wife. The scandal involved an altercation between Robinson and Senesino in which she accused the castrato of being too sexual in his acting towards her in their scenes together, and a subsequent altercation between the Earl and Senesino in which he defended the singer's honour. This event became the subject of gossip among the English public after the event was written about by the satirist
Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish writer, essayist, satirist, and Anglican cleric. In 1713, he became the Dean (Christianity), dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, and was given the sobriquet "Dean Swi ...
. Swift's writing inspired a number of widely circulated misogynistic, sexually provocative and subversive epistles written about Robinson, Senesino, the Earl, and the castrato
Farinelli Farinelli (; 24 January 1705 – 16 September 1782) was the stage name of Carlo Maria Michelangelo Nicola Broschi (), a celebrated Italian castrato singer of the 18th century and one of the greatest singers in the history of opera. Farinelli ...
between 1724 and 1736. These epistles have become the subject of study in the field of
Restoration literature Restoration literature is the English literature written during the historical period commonly referred to as the English Restoration (1660–1688), which corresponds to the last years of Stuart reign in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. In ...
.


Early life and initial career

Robinson was the eldest daughter of Thomas Robinson, a portrait painter who worked for a time in Italy (where she is thought to have been born). Initially her musical talent was privately trained, and her first performances were at private society concerts at
Golden Square Golden Square, in Soho, the City of Westminster, London, is a mainly hardscaped garden square planted with a few mature trees and raised borders in Central London flanked by classical office buildings. Its four approach ways are north and so ...
, where her father owned a property. At these concerts she both sang and accompanied herself on the
harpsichord A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...
. In the early 1710s her father's eyesight began to fail and Robinson, forced to earn a living for herself and her family, turned professional. Dean, Winton, "Robinson, Anastasia",
Grove Music Online
', ed L. Macy, accessed 2 October 2009


Professional career

Her association with Handel can be dated to 1714, when he wrote the solo soprano role in the ''
Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne ''Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne'' ( HWV 74) is a secular cantata composed by George Frideric Handel to a libretto by Ambrose Philips, of which the first line, "Eternal source of light divine", provides an alternative title for the work. It ...
'' for her. She joined his company early that year, making her debut in ''Creso'', a
pasticcio In music, a ''pasticcio'' or ''pastiche'' is an opera or other musical work composed of works by different composers who may or may not have been working together, or an adaptation or localization of an existing work that is loose, unauthorized, ...
. As the year went on she sang in revivals of ''Arminio'' and ''Ernelinda'' (both pasticcios, possibly with music by Nicola Haym); on several occasions new music was written for her. London audiences clearly gave her a good reception, and her career continued to prosper; she played the role of Almirena in a 1715 revival of ''
Rinaldo Rinaldo may refer to: *Renaud de Montauban (also spelled Renaut, Renault, Italian: Rinaldo di Montalbano, Dutch: Reinout van Montalbaen, German: Reinhold von Montalban), a legendary knight in the medieval Matter of France * Rinaldo (''Jerusalem Lib ...
'', and originated the role of Oriana in Handel's ''
Amadigi ''Amadigi di Gaula'' ( HWV 11) is a "magic" opera in three acts, with music by George Frideric Handel. It was the fifth Italian opera that Handel wrote for an English theatre and the second he wrote for Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington in ...
''. In a 1717 revival of this opera Handel created a new scene for her and
Nicolini Nicolini may refer to: * 15386 Nicolini, main-belt asteroid named after the astronomer Martino Nicolini People * Stage name of Nicolo Grimaldi (1673–1732), Italian mezzo-soprano castrato * Angelo Nicolini (1505–1567), Italian cardinal * Brun ...
, the brilliant
castrato A castrato (Italian; : castrati) is a male singer who underwent castration before puberty in order to retain a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto. The voice can also occur in one who, due to an endocrino ...
who had earlier originated the title role in ''Rinaldo''. The retired soprano
Joanna Maria Lindehleim Joanna Lindehleim who performed as the Baroness (16?? – 1724) was a singer in London who was born abroad. She came to notice in about 1703. She was known as the wife of a Swedish baron named Andrew Lenduss of Lendenheim. Life The details of her ...
was one of her teachers at some point. Around 1719 it seems that an illness caused her voice to drop from that of a soprano to that of a contralto. Upon the formation of Handel's Royal Academy of Music in 1719, Robinson was engaged on a yearly salary of £1000 and originated many new roles, most notably Zenobia ('' Radamisto''), Irene ('' Muzio Scevola''), Elmira ('' Floridante''), Matilda ('' Ottone''), Teodata ('' Flavio'') and, most famously of all, the pathos-filled role of Cornelia in ''
Giulio Cesare ''Giulio Cesare in Egitto'' (; ; HWV 17), commonly known as , is a dramma per musica (''opera seria'') in three acts composed by George Frideric Handel for the Royal Academy of Music in 1724. The libretto was written by Nicola Francesco Haym ...
''. She also sang in works by
Bononcini Bononcini is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Antonio Maria Bononcini (1677–1726), Italian cellist and composer *Giovanni Bononcini Giovanni Bononcini (or Buononcini) (18 July 1670 – 9 July 1747) (sometimes cited also as G ...
and Ariosti, as well as a number of pasticcios. Soon after the premiere of ''Giulio Cesare'' in February 1724 she retired from the stage. In 1722 (or possibly 1723) she had secretly married
Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough, (1658 – 25 October 1735) was a British army officer and Whig politician. He was the son of John Mordaunt, 1st Viscount Mordaunt, and his wife Elizabeth, the daughter and sole heiress of Thomas ...
, although he did not acknowledge her status as his wife until 1735, just before his death; until then they lived separately, and society regarded her as his
mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a female lover of a married man ** Royal mistress * Maîtresse-en-titre, official mistress of a ...
. Robinson seems to have come out of retirement in some capacity by 1745 as evidenced by her originating the role of Dejanira in Handel's
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...
.


Personal life, scandal, and life in retirement

In 1722 (or possibly 1723) Anastasia Robinson secretly married
Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough, (1658 – 25 October 1735) was a British army officer and Whig politician. He was the son of John Mordaunt, 1st Viscount Mordaunt, and his wife Elizabeth, the daughter and sole heiress of Thomas ...
, although he did not acknowledge her status as his wife until 1735, just before his death; until then they lived separately, and society regarded her as his
mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a female lover of a married man ** Royal mistress * Maîtresse-en-titre, official mistress of a ...
. Robinson's career was marked by scandal involving an altercation with the Italian castrato Senesino in February 1724 in which Robinson complained Senesino's acting had become too sexually forward. Her honor was defended by her husband, the Earl of Peterborough, but the fact that the marriage was secret subjected Robinson to scandal. Robinson, Senesino, and the Earl became topical fodder for the Irish satirist
Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish writer, essayist, satirist, and Anglican cleric. In 1713, he became the Dean (Christianity), dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, and was given the sobriquet "Dean Swi ...
who widely circulated the story beyond that city. The English public, unaware of the Earl and Robinson's marriage, gossiped widely on the hypocrisy of a woman who was a mistress complaining of sexual impropriety on the opera stage. Swift's writing in turn inspired the creation of a number of obscene, misogynistic, and at times sexually subversive
epistle An epistle (; ) is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as part of the scribal-school writing curriculum. The ...
s written about Robinson, Senesino, the Earl of Peterborough, and the castrato
Farinelli Farinelli (; 24 January 1705 – 16 September 1782) was the stage name of Carlo Maria Michelangelo Nicola Broschi (), a celebrated Italian castrato singer of the 18th century and one of the greatest singers in the history of opera. Farinelli ...
between 1724 and 1736. These satyrical epistles were penned by anonymous authors, and were written from the perspective of one of the individuals involved in the scandal. The first of these was ''An Epistle from Senesino to Anastasia Robinson'' which was dated 17 February 1724. Soon after, the dramatist Aaron Hill in his literary periodical ''
The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio; it is a major national newspaper. In the fall of 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily an ...
'' published a response to this letter entitled ''An Answer from Mrs. Robinson''. Thus began a chain of literary epistles that extended over a twelve year period. These epistles have become a subject of study by scholars of
Restoration literature Restoration literature is the English literature written during the historical period commonly referred to as the English Restoration (1660–1688), which corresponds to the last years of Stuart reign in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. In ...
. After Robinson's retirement she lived in
Parsons Green Parsons Green is a mainly residential district in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The Parsons Green (The green), Green itself, which is roughly triangular, is bounded on two of its three sides by the New King's Road section of th ...
, supported by Peterborough and her earnings from the opera. She did not detach herself from the musical world; she retained a close friendship with Bononcini, who had taught her in the past, and her house became a sort of academy-in-miniature at which Bononcini,
Pier Francesco Tosi Pier Francesco Tosi (c. 16531732) was a castrato singer, composer, and writer on music. His ''Opinoni de' cantori antichi e moderni...'' was the first full-length treatise on singing and provides a unique glimpse into the technical and social asp ...
, and other musicians of the day frequently performed. For Bononcini she obtained a pension of £500 ''per annum'' from the Duchess of Marlborough. A Roman Catholic, she was also a friend of the poet
Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early ...
. After Peterborough's death in 1735, she lived at his family residence near Southampton. Lady Peterborough died in Bath, and her remains were interred in
Bath Abbey The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is a parish church of the Church of England and former Benedictines, Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, Bath, Somerset, England. Founded in the 7th century, i ...
.


Reputation

As a singer Robinson was noted for sweetness of tone, expressiveness and charisma rather than any particular
virtuosic A virtuoso (from Italian ''virtuoso'', or ; Late Latin ''virtuosus''; Latin ''virtus''; 'virtue', 'excellence' or 'skill') is an individual who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability in a particular art or field such as fine arts, m ...
gifts. Handel was careful to use the orchestra to support the music he wrote for her, but the dramatic demands of her roles in ''Giulio Cesare'' and ''Flavio'' suggest that she possessed a not inconsiderable talent as an actress. De Fabrice, a Hanoverian diplomat visiting London in the early 1720s, compared her favourably to the extraordinary
Margherita Durastanti Margherita Durastanti (active 1700–1734) was an Italian singer of the 18th century. Vocally, she is best described as a soprano, though later in her career her tessitura descended to that of a mezzo-soprano. First heard of professionally in Man ...
(Sesto to Robinson's Cornelia in ''Cesare''). Part of her correspondence is preserved for posterity in the Campori collection at
Modena Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025. A town, and seat of an archbis ...
, and these, in addition to her personal popularity in society, suggest an attractive character.


See also

*
List of entertainers who married titled Britons This is a list of notable singers, dancers and actors who married titled Britons (nobility and royalty). :This list includes only those who contracted marriages. *Anastasia Robinson and the Earl of Peterborough (1724) *Lavinia Fenton and the Duk ...


Explanatory notes


References


Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Anastasia 1690s births 1755 deaths English contraltos
Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...
English harpsichordists English operatic sopranos English Roman Catholics British operatic contraltos People from Parsons Green Singers from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham People from Fulham 18th-century English keyboardists 18th-century British women opera singers