Celeste Gismondi ( – died 11 March 1735), originally known as Celeste Resse and nicknamed ''La Celestina'' ("The Heavenly"), was an Italian

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 ...

opera singer, who performed a major role in the première of some works by

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 ...

, including ''

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

''.

Biography

It is unknown when Gismondi was born. The suggestion that Gismondi, about whom nothing was knowing prior to her arrival in London in 1732, was the same as Resse, was first proposed by Strohm in 1985 (R. Strohm, Essays on Handel and Italian opera, Cambridge). The first traces we find of the career of Resse was in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

in April 1722, where she sang in the

Teatro dei Fiorentini Theatres for diverse musical and dramatic presentations began to open in Naples, Italy, in the mid-16th century as part of the general Spanish cultural and political expansion into the kingdom of Naples, which had just become a vicerealm of Spain. ...

in the comedic opera ''La noce de Veneviento'' by

Francesco Feo Francesco Feo (1691 – 28 January 1761) was an Italian composer, known chiefly for his operas. He was born and died in Naples, where most of his operas were premièred. Life Feo studied music at the '' Conservatorio di Santa Maria della Pietà' ...

. She performed later the same year in ''Lo castiello saccheato'', and in 1723 in ''Lo labborinto'', both by

Leonardo Vinci Leonardo Vinci (1690 – 27 May 1730) was an Italian Baroque composer known chiefly for his 40 or so operas; comparatively little of his work in other genres survives. A central proponent of the Neapolitan School of opera, his influence on ...

. Because her name didn't appear in the original programmes for the operas, it has been speculated that she was still a minor at the time, placing her birth in the first decade of the 1700s. She then moved in 1725 to the Teatro San Bartolomeo in Naples, where the more serious opera's were staged. There she sang in most productions until early 1732, often together with the bass Gioacchino Corrado; she replaced Santa Marchesini who had moved to

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

. During these years Resse sang the comic interludes in opera's by

Johann Adolf Hasse Johann Adolph Hasse (baptised 25 March 1699 – 16 December 1783) was an 18th-century German composer, singer and teacher of music. Immensely popular in his time, Hasse was best known for his prolific operatic output, though he also composed a co ...

Leonardo Leo Leonardo Leo (5 August 1694 – 31 October 1744), more correctly Leonardo Ortensio Salvatore de Leo, was a Baroque music, Baroque composer. Biography Leo was born in San Vito degli Schiavoni (currently known as San Vito dei Normanni, province of ...

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Giovanni Battista Draghi (; 4 January 1710 – 16 or 17 March 1736), usually referred to as Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (), was an Italian Baroque composer, violinist, and organist, leading exponent of the Baroque; he is considered one of the g ...

, and Vinci.

John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey, (13 October 16965 August 1743) was an English courtier and political writer. Heir to the Earl of Bristol, he obtained the key patronage of Walpole, and was involved in many court intrigues and literary quarrel ...

saw her in Naples in 1729 and probably played a significant role in bringing her to London, where she was under the name Celeste Gismondi the second singer in the company of

at the Queen's Theatre, where

Anna Maria Strada Anna Maria Strada, also known as Anna Maria Strada del Pò, (* 1703 in Bergamo; † July 20, 1775 in Naples) was an Italian soprano. She is best remembered for her association with the composer George Frideric Handel, in whose operas Strada san ...

was the ''prima donna''. The first known performance was in November 1732, in the ''pasticchio'' opera ''Catone''. After one season she went to the

Opera of the Nobility The Opera of the Nobility (or Nobility Opera ) was an opera company set up and funded in 1733 by a group of nobles (under Frederick, Prince of Wales) opposed to George II of Great Britain, in order to rival the (Second) Royal Academy of Music compan ...

, the new rival company set up by

Nicola Porpora Nicola (or Niccolò) Antonio Giacinto Porpora (17 August 16863 March 1768) was an Italian composer and teacher of singing of the Baroque era, whose most famous singing students were the castrati Farinelli and Caffarelli. Other students include ...

, where she performed as prima or secunda donna during the 1733–34 season. She was married to a Mr. Hempson. She died in London on 11 March 1735, having fallen ill after the 1733–1734 season.

Performances

Naples

*1722:

, ''La noce de Veneviento'' *1722:

, ''Lo castiello saccheato'' *1723: Vinci, ''Lo labborinto'' *1726:

, ''Il Sesostrate'' *1727: Vinci, ''Stratonica'' *1729: Hasse, ''Tigrane'' *1732: Francesco Mancini, ''Alessandro nell' Indie''

London

All works in London during the 1732–1733 season composed by

unless otherwise noted: date of first performance noted only. *4 November 1732: ''Catone'' (opera) *25 November 1732: '' Alessandro'' (opera). Role: Lisaura *5 December 1732: ''

Acis and Galatea Acis and Galatea (, ) are characters from Greek mythology later associated together in Ovid's ''Metamorphoses''. The episode tells of the love between the mortal Acis and the Nereid (sea-nymph) Galatea; when the jealous Cyclops Polyphemus kil ...

'' (serenata) *2 January 1733: ''

Tolomeo ''Tolomeo, re d'Egitto'' ("Ptolemy, King of Egypt", HWV 25) is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel to an Italian text by Nicola Francesco Haym, adapted from Carlo Sigismondo Capece's ''Tolomeo et Alessandro''. It was Handel ...

'' (opera). Role: Elisa *27 January 1733: ''

'' (opera). Role: Dorinda *3 March 1733: '' Floridante'' (opera) *17 March 1733: ''

Deborah According to the Book of Judges, Deborah (, ''Dəḇōrā'') was a prophetess of Judaism, the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel, and the only female judge mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Many scholars contend that the phrase, "a woman of Lap ...

'' (oratorio). Role: Jael *14 April 1733: ''

Esther Esther (; ), originally Hadassah (; ), is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. According to the biblical narrative, which is set in the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus falls in love with Esther and ma ...

'' (oratorio) *22 May 1733:

Giovanni Bononcini Giovanni Bononcini (or Buononcini) (18 July 1670 – 9 July 1747) (sometimes cited also as Giovanni Battista Bononcini) was an Italian Baroque composer, cellist, singer and teacher, one of a family of string players and composers. He was a rival ...

, ''

Griselda Griselda, also spelled Grizelda, is a feminine given name from Germanic sources that is now used in English, Italian, and Spanish as well. According to the 1990 United States Census, the name was 1,066th in popularity among females in the Unit ...

'' (opera) All works in the 1733–1734 season composed by

unless otherwise noted. *1733: '' Arianna in Nasso'' (opera) *1733:

Carlo Arrigoni Carlo Arrigoni (6 December 1697 – 19 August 1744) was an Italian composer and musician who was active in several countries during the first half of the 18th century. Life and work Arrigoni was born in Florence. Little is known of his early yea ...

, ''Ferdinando'' (opera) *1734: ''Enia nel Lazio'' (opera) *1734: ''Davide e Bersabea'' (oratorio) *1734: Giovanni Bononcini, ''Astarto'' (opera)

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gismondi, Celeste Year of birth unknown 1735 deaths 18th-century Italian women opera singers Italian operatic sopranos