Matteo Sassano, called Matteuccio (1667 - 15 October 1737), was a famous Italian

castrato A castrato (Italian, plural: ''castrati'') is a type of classical male singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto. The voice is produced by castration of the singer before puberty, or it occurs in one who, due ...

, also called "the nightingale of Naples" ''(il rosignuolo di Napoli)'' because of his extremely beautiful soprano voice and virtuoso singing.

Life

Childhood and youth

Born in

San Severo San Severo (; formerly known as Castellum Sancti Severini, then San Severino and Sansevero; locally ) is a city and comune of c. 51,919 inhabitants in the province of Foggia, Apulia, south-eastern Italy. Rising on the foot of the spur of Garga ...

, Sassano was the son of the widow Livia Tommasino and Giuseppe Sassano. Nothing is known about his early childhood. A barber from his hometown, who presumably performed the fateful

orchiectomy Orchiectomy (also named orchidectomy, and sometimes shortened as orchi or orchie) is a surgical procedure in which one or both testicles are removed. The surgery is performed as treatment for testicular cancer, as part of surgery for transgen ...

procedure, had contacts in Naples with one Alessandro de Liguoro, a barber with a shop near the palazzo of the

Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international org ...

on Via Toledo; the latter picked up little Matteo, took him in, looked after him and subsequently became a confidant for the singer. Alessandro also ensured that the nine-year-old Matteo could enter the . There, for the next 10 years, he received perfect musical and vocal training under the direction of

Giovanni Salvatore Giovanni Salvatore (ca.1620ca.1688) was a Neapolitan composer and organist. Salvatore was born in Castelvenere. He is thought to have studied under Giovanni Maria Sabino and Erasmo di Bartolo at the Conservatorio della Pietà dei Turchini, Naple ...

and Donato Oliva. After an initial period of training, Matteo was able to take part in the Conservatorio's customary ''servizio di musica'' (music "service"): This meant that he was sent to sing in the surrounding churches on important feast days. In 1684, while still a student at the Conservatorio, he took up employment in the Chapel of the

Royal Palace of Naples The Royal Palace of Naples ( it, Palazzo Reale di Napoli, italic=no, nap, Palazzo Riale ‘e Napule) is a palace, museum, and historical tourist destination located in central Naples, southern Italy. It was one of the four residences near Napl ...

, with a salary of 10

ducats The ducat () coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages from the 13th to 19th centuries. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained ...

a month. He was now known by his cose and stage name "Matteuccio" (little Matteo) and subsequently appeared mainly in various

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...

s and

serenata In music, a serenade (; also sometimes called a serenata, from the Italian) is a musical composition or performance delivered in honor of someone or something. Serenades are typically calm, light pieces of music. The term comes from the Ital ...

s by the important opera composer Alessandro Scarlatti who worked in Naples: Probably for the first time in 1684 as part of a private performance in the house of the

House of Carafa The House of Carafa or Caraffa is the name of an old and influential Neapolitan aristocratic family of Italian nobles, clergy, and men of arts, known from the 12th century. History The House of Carafa is a cadet branch of the noble House ...

in the opera ''Dal male il bene'' (orig. ''Tutto il mal non vien per nuocere'') to a libretto by Giuseppe Domenico de Todis. On 25 August and 16 September 1686, he took part in Scarlatti's serenata ''L'Olimpo in Mergellina'' at the Palazzo Reale; it was a mammoth performance with about 100 performers. In 1690, he was officially appointed soprano of the important

Cappella del Tesoro The Royal Chapel of the Treasure of St. Januarius, or the ''Reale cappella del Tesoro di San Gennaro'', is a chapel located in the Cathedral of Naples, Italy, and dedicated to St. Januarius, patron saint of the city. This is the most lavishly de ...

di S. Gennaro, and admitted as a member of the Congregazione de' Musici of Naples. The latter was a brotherhood reserved exclusively for members of the Royal Chapel and had its seat in the church of Montesanto. In 1694, Matteuccio was appointed head of the Congregazione. In the meantime, his poor mother also lived with him in Naples; Matteo put his flat at her disposal, he himself lodged in the convent of S. Francesco de Paola near the royal palace. Unfortunately, scandal soon threatened when his mother began seeing other men every week. Matteo found a solution by marrying her off in 1694 to his former mentor, the barber Alessandro de Liguoro, who was able to open a new and nicer shop directly opposite the nunciature from the rich dowry of 282

. Matteuccio's fame as a singer had meanwhile grown to such an extent that in 1695 a first call from the music-loving Emperor Leopold I reached him from Vienna. The singer set off on his journey on 18 April 1695, but turned back halfway, officially for health reasons, in reality possibly because he was afraid of the cool climate on the other side of the Alps, and because he had no desire to leave his native Naples. Nevertheless, in November of the same year he travelled to Vienna after all, and although he received a salary of 3,000

Scudi The ''scudo'' (pl. ''scudi'') was the name for a number of coins used in various states in the Italian peninsula until the 19th century. The name, like that of the French écu and the Spanish and Portuguese escudo, was derived from the Latin '' ...

earned, he stayed only until the summer of 1696. By 13 July 1696, Matteuccio was back in Naples, and by 15 July he was already singing during fabulous festivities for the opening of the seafront promenade at the ''Casino'' of the viceroy in

Posillipo Posillipo (; nap, Pusilleco ) is an affluent residential quarter of Naples, southern Italy, located along the northern coast of the Gulf of Naples. From the 1st century BC the Bay of Naples witnessed the rise of villas constructed by elite Roma ...

the

Adonis In Greek mythology, Adonis, ; derived from the Canaanite word ''ʼadōn'', meaning "lord".R. S. P. Beekes, ''Etymological Dictionary of Greek'', Brill, 2009, p. 23. was the mortal lover of the goddess Aphrodite. One day, Adonis was gored by a ...

in Alessandro Scarlatti's serenata ''Venere, Adone et Amore'' (i.e. ''Dal giardin del piacere''; libretto: Francesco Maria Paglia). Unfortunately, Matteuccio's success did not have only positive sides. After his return from the imperial court, he began to change: He was now a '' divo,'' idolised by women and highly paid, behaving proudly and haughtily, and even refusing to obey the Viceroy of Naples on one occasion. However, because of his wonderful singing, his airs were always forgiven. In 1697, he followed this with the title role in the opera ''L'Ajace'' by

Carlo Ambrogio Lonati Carlo Ambrogio Lonati, baptized Giovanni Ambrogio Leinati, also Lunati; (c.1645 – c.1712) was an Italian composer, violinist and singer. Francesco Maria Veracini described him in 1760 as one of the most virtuoso violinists of his century. ...

and Paolo Magni, which, however, had been heavily revised for this performance by

Francesco Gasparini Francesco Gasparini (19 March 1661 – 22 March 1727) was an Italian Baroque composer and teacher whose works were performed throughout Italy, and also on occasion in Germany and England. Biography Born in Camaiore, near Lucca, he studied ...

. At the

Teatro San Bartolomeo 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. ...

on 15 December 1697, he sang the role of Appio Claudio in Alessandro Scarlatti's ''La caduta de' decemviri'' (libretto by

Silvio Stampiglia Silvio Stampiglia (14 March 1664 – 27 January 1725) was an Italian poet, librettist, and founder member of the Accademia dell'Arcadia under the pen name of Palemone Licurio. Numerous Italian composer set his libretti to music, particularly Carl ...

), and in the 1698 carnival, the role of Laerte Porsenna in ''Il Muzio Scevola'' with music by Cavalli and

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. Biography ...

, in a revision by A. Scarlatti (libretto again by Silvio Stampiglia). In 1697 and 1698, Matteuccio also made several appearances in northern Italy, singing at the Teatro Ducale in

Piacenza Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...

in Bernardo Sabadini's ''La virtù trionfante dell' inganno'', and in Giovanni Bononcini's successful opera ''Il trionfo di Camilla'' also in

Reggio nell'Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia ( egl, Rèz; la, Regium Lepidi), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has abou ...

Carlo Francesco Pollarolo Carlo Francesco Pollarolo (ca. 1653 – 7 February 1723) was an Italian composer, organist, and music director. Known chiefly for his operas, he wrote a total of 85 of them as well as 13 oratorios. His compositional style was initially indebted t ...

's ''L'Ulisse sconosciuto in Itaca''.

In Madrid and Vienna

In 1698, Matteuccio was summoned to Madrid by the Spanish Queen

Maria Anna of Neuburg Maria Anna of Neuburg ( es, Mariana; 28 October 1667 – 16 July 1740), was a German princess and member of the Wittelsbach family, who became Queen consort of Spain in 1689 as the second wife of Charles II, last Habsburg King of Spain. He ...

. She hoped that his singing could have a healing effect on the severe depression of King

Charles II of Spain Charles II of Spain (''Spanish: Carlos II,'' 6 November 1661 – 1 November 1700), known as the Bewitched (''Spanish: El Hechizado''), was the last Habsburg ruler of the Spanish Empire. Best remembered for his physical disabilities and the War ...

. "The Nightingale of Naples" therefore had to sing for the king every evening, and he actually felt so much better that the singer remained at the Spanish court until Charles' death in 1700. Decades later, this positive experience was a model for the Spanish queen

Isabella Farnese Elisabeth Farnese (Italian: ''Elisabetta Farnese'', Spanish: ''Isabel Farnesio''; 25 October 169211 July 1766) was Queen of Spain by marriage to King Philip V. She exerted great influence over Spain's foreign policy and was the ''de facto'' rule ...

, when she invited the famous

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 ...

to sing for her husband, the depressed

Philip V of Spain Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724, and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign of 45 years is the longest in the history of the Spanish mon ...

. After the death of Charles II, Matteuccio went back to Vienna in 1701, where he contributed to the joy of

Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I (Joseph Jacob Ignaz Johann Anton Eustachius; 26 July 1678 – 17 April 1711) was Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of the Austrian Habsburg monarchy from 1705 until his death in 1711. He was the eldest son of Emperor Leopold I from his third ...

and the imperial court over the next few years. From Vienna, he travelled to Venice at the end of 1705 to perform at the

Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo The Teatro Malibran, known over its lifetime by a variety of names, beginning with the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo (or Crisostomo) after the nearby church,Lynn 2005, pp. 101—103 is an opera house in Venice which was inaugurated in 1678 with a ...

in the premieres of Carlo Francesco Pollarolo's operas ''Flavio Bertarido, re de' Longobardi'', and ''Filippo, re della Grecia'' (from January 1706). When he sang the part of Lucia in the oratorio ''La costanza trionfante nel martirio di Santa Lucia'' in Florence in 1705, he "astonished and amazed everyone" with his singing. In 1708, he appeared in

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

in the opera ''Il Venceslao, ossia Il fratricida innocente'' by

Giacomo Antonio Perti Giacomo Antonio Perti (6 June 1661 – 10 April 1756) was an Italian composer of the Baroque era. He was mainly active at Bologna, where he was ''Maestro di Cappella'' for sixty years. He was the teacher of Giuseppe Torelli and Giovanni B ...

. In November of the same year, he was back in Venice, where he sang in

Antonio Caldara Antonio Caldara (ca 1670 – 28 December 1736) was an Italian Baroque composer. Life Caldara was born in Venice (exact date unknown), the son of a violinist. He became a chorister at St Mark's in Venice, where he learned several instruments, ...

's ''Sofonisba'' and in January 1709 in ''Il vincitor generoso'' by

Antonio Lotti Antonio Lotti (5 January 1667 – 5 January 1740) was an Italian composer of the Baroque era. Biography Lotti was born in Venice, although his father Matteo was ''Kapellmeister'' at Hanover at the time. Oral tradition says that in 1682, Lotti b ...

. On one of his journeys, Matteuccio met the famous contralto

Francesco Antonio Pistocchi Francesco Antonio Mamiliano Pistocchi, nicknamed Pistocchino (165913 May 1726), was an Italian singer, composer and librettist.Talbot, Michael''The chamber cantatas of Antonio Vivaldi'' Boydell Press, 2006, p. 52. Pistocchino was born in Paler ...

in the church of Santissima Annunziata in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

, with whom he sang a

motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Marga ...

by Alessandro Scarlatti. After the performance, he himself received numerous gifts, Scarlatti a golden tabatière, but poor Pistocchi went away empty-handed! Completely embittered, the alto claimed in a letter to his friend Giacomo Perti that the motet as a whole and Matteuccio had not pleased him at all, especially not the connoisseurs, only he himself had been heard by many "with infinite pleasure"...

Back in Naples

Matteuccio returned to his native Naples in 1709 after years of absence. There, on 28 August 1709, he performed at the celebrations of the birthday of Queen Elizabeth of Spain in A. Scarlatti's ''Trattenimento musicale in lode della maestà cattolica di Elisabetta Regina delle Spagne''. It was a serenata on a text by Giuseppe Papis for four voices and choir. Only a short time later, he sang during the magnificent commemoration of the '' Vergine dei Sette Dolori'' in the church of Santa Maria d'Ogni Bene, and received as an extravagant gift from the Duke of

Maddaloni Maddaloni (Campanian: ) is a town and ''comune'' of Campania, Italy, in the province of Caserta, about southeast of Caserta, with stations on the railways from Caserta to Benevento and from Caserta to Naples. Main sights The city is at the base ...

a magnificent Carriage complete with horses in gratitude. In 1711, Sassano was restored to his place as musician of the Royal Chapel of Naples, which he had lost during his time abroad, with the sole obligation of attending the royal festivities. The now 44-year-old ''"Divo"'' began to cut back a little and sang less frequently from now on. Since he had been ennobled by the Emperor, he was now usually called ''

Margrave Margrave was originally the medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or of a kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain feudal families in the E ...

''.

Don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name * Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vil ...

Matteo Sassano". The last highlights of his brilliant career were: * On 19 June 1712, the Serenata for the Coronation of Charles VI as King of Hungary or ''Il Genio Austriaco'' by Alessandro Scarlatti (text by Papis) at the Palazzo Reale; * 1714 the "favoletta drammatica" ''

Thetys Thetis (; grc-gre, Θέτις ), is a figure from Greek mythology with varying mythological roles. She mainly appears as a sea nymph, a goddess of water, or one of the 50 Nereids, daughters of the ancient sea god Nereus. When described as ...

'', for the wedding of Francesco Maria Spinelli, Prince of Scalea, to Dona Rosa Pignatelli. The music for it was by Tommaso Carapella, and apart from Matteuccio (as Peleo) sang

Marianna Bulgarelli Marianna Bulgarelli (c. 1684 – 26 February 1734), also known as Maria Anna Benti, was an Italian soprano of the 18th century. Bulgarelli was born and died in Rome; hence her nickname, "La Romanina." She is best remembered as an early patron ...

, gen. "la Romanina" (as Thetys), Giovanna Albertini, gen. "la Reggiana" (as Dori), and Gaetano Borghi (as Proteo); * In May 1716, Scarlatti's serenata ''La gloria di primavera'' was given at the private theatre of Niccolò Gaetani d'Aragona, Duke of Laurenzano, with Matteuccio in the role of Spring (''Primavera'') and the

Margherita Margherita is an Italian feminine given name. It also is a surname. As a word, in Italian it means " daisy". Given name As a name, it may refer to: *Margherita Aldobrandini (1588–1646), Duchess consort of Parma *Margherita de' Medici (161 ...

, also known from Handel's biography as Summer (''Estate''). At this time, Matteuccio sang mainly and frequently at religious ceremonies in honour of the '' Vergine Addolorata'', or when noble ladies entered a convent, or in his capacity as confrere of the Congregazione di S. Carlo. On 4 December 1717, he performed for the name day of the Countess of Daun, Viceroy of Naples, in

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

's serenata ''Diana amante''. For the last time, Sassano's name appears in the ''Gazzetta di Napoli'' on 21 November 1724 for the celebration of the convent entrance of Emilia Carafa, sister of the Duke of Maddaloni. At Matteo's side sang the rising star of Italian opera, the young

. He also became Matteuccio's official successor in the Royal Palace Chapel in 1732, but relinquished this post as early as 1735 in favour of the even younger and equally famous soprano

Caffarelli Caffarelli may be *Caffarelli (castrato), stage name of the castrato Gaetano Majorano (1710-1783)Carmela Cafarelli(1889-1979) was proprietor of Cleveland Ohio's Cafarelli Opera Company *Luis Caffarelli (born 1948), American-Argentine mathematician * ...

. Matteuccio continued to sing in church every Saturday out of sheer piety even after his actual retirement at the age of over seventy. His voice is said to have been still so fresh, clear and beautiful "... that everyone who heard him but did not see him believed he was a youth in the prime of life". Matteuccio, the "Nightingale of Naples", died at the age of seventy on 15 October 1737 in his flat near the convent of Rosariello di Palazzo in Naples, and was buried at the Carminiello di Palazzo. He left a large fortune, but as he had no descendants, he appointed a Dr. Domenico Terminiello as his heir and executor.Patrick Barbier: ''Historia dos Castrados'' (Portuguese version; title of the French original: ''Histoire des Castrats''), Lisbon 1991 (original publisher Editions Grasset & Fasquelle, Paris, 1989), .

References

External links

Aufführungen mit Matteo Sassani
im ''Corago''-Informationssystem of the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna ( it, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Founded in 1088 by an organised guild of students (''studiorum''), it is the oldest university in continuo ...

. {{portal bar, Opera, Italy Italian operatic sopranos Castrati 1667 births 1737 deaths People from San Severo