Francesco Ceccarelli (1752, in

Foligno Foligno (; Central Italian, Southern Umbrian: ''Fuligno'') is an ancient town of Italy in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the Topino river where it leaves the Apennine Mountains, Apennines and enters the wide plain of the Clit ...

– 21 September 1814, in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

) was a

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 ...

soprano known for his grace and excellent singing technique. After early opera appearances in his native

Umbria Umbria ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Cascata delle Marmore, Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Italian Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula. The re ...

, he sang mainly in the German-speaking countries and was thought better suited to church and concert music. He was notably engaged by Count Hieronymus von Colloredo as a court singer at Salzburg (1777–88), where he became a friend of the Mozart family; Mozart wrote a mass, K275/272b, and a rondò, K374, for him. At the premiere on 21 December 1777 of

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

's ''Missa Brevis'', K. 272b, Ceccarelli was among the soloists singled out for praise for his performance. Around 1780, Mozart revised "

Exsultate, jubilate (Exult, rejoice), K. 165, is a 1773 motet by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. History This religious solo motet was composed when Mozart was staying in Milan during the production of his opera '' Lucio Silla'' which was being performed there in the T ...

," possibly for Ceccarelli to sing at the Dreifaltigkeitskirche.C. Eisen, p. 11 Later Ceccarelli held posts at Mainz (1788–92) and sang in opera in Italy. In decline he served the Elector of Saxony in Dresden from 1800.

References

* C. Eisen, S. Sadie. ''The New Grove Mozart'' Macmillan (2002) * P. Barbier (1989). ''The World of the Castrati: The History of an Extraordinary Operatic Phenomenon'' transl. M. Crosland, Souvenir Press * S. Sadie (2006). ''Mozart: the Early Years 1756—1781'' Oxford University Press. 1752 births 1814 deaths Castrati Italian opera singers Musicians from the Papal States {{italy-opera-singer-stub