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Francesco Bernardi (; 31 October 1686 – 27 November 1758), known as Senesino ( or traditionally ), was an Italian
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 ...
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 ...
, particularly remembered today for his long collaboration 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 ...
. He was also involved in a public scandal with the soprano Anastasia Robinson in 1724 which was circulated widely 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 ...
, and inspired a number of anonymously written 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 between 1724 and 1736 which have become a topic of study among 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 ...
.


Early life and career

Senesino was the son of a barber from
Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...
(hence his stage-name). He joined the cathedral choir there in 1695 and was castrated at the comparatively late age of thirteen. His debut was at
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 ...
in 1707, and during the next decade he acquired a European reputation and, by the time he sang in Lotti's ''Giove in Argo'' in 1717 at Dresden, a commensurately enormous salary. As with many castrati, reports of Senesino's acting were not always positive, to say the least. The impresario Count Francesco Zambeccari wrote of his performance in Naples in 1715: "Senesino continues to comport himself badly enough; he stands like a statue, and when occasionally he does make a gesture, he makes one directly the opposite of what is wanted." Of the singer's vocal abilities, however, there was no doubt. In 1719, the composer Quantz heard him in Lotti's ''Teofane'' at Dresden, and stated: "He had a powerful, clear, equal and sweet contralto voice, with a perfect intonation and an excellent shake. His manner of singing was masterly and his elocution unrivalled. … he sang allegros with great fire, and marked rapid divisions, from the chest, in an articulate and pleasing manner. His countenance was well adapted to the stage, and his action was natural and noble. To these qualities he joined a majestic figure; but his aspect and deportment were more suited to the part of a hero than of a lover."


Senesino and Handel

Following a dispute with the court composer Johann David Heinichen in 1720, over an aria in the opera '' Flavio Crispo'', which led to his dismissal, Senesino was engaged by Handel as ''primo uomo'' (lead male singer) in his company, the Royal Academy of Music. He made his first appearance in a revival of '' Radamisto'' on 28 December, and his salary was variously reported as between £2000 and 3000 guineas: both vast sums. Senesino remained in London for much of the succeeding sixteen years. He became a friend and associate of many in the highest levels of society. He became friendly with, among others, the
Duke of Chandos The Dukedom of Chandos was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain, named for a fief in Normandy. The Chandos peerage was first created as a barony by Edward III in 1337; its second creation in 1554 was due to the Brydges family's service to Mar ...
, Lord Burlington and the landscape designer
William Kent William Kent (c. 1685 – 12 April 1748) was an English architect, landscape architect, painter and furniture designer of the early 18th century. He began his career as a painter, and became Principal Painter in Ordinary or court painter, b ...
, while amassing a fine collection of paintings, rare books, scientific instruments, and other treasures, including a service of silver made by the famous Paul de Lamerie. Though creating seventeen leading roles for Handel (including ''
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 ...
'', ''
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 ...
'', and Bertarido in '' Rodelinda''), his relationship with the composer was frequently stormy: "The one was perfectly refractory; the other was equally outrageous," according to the contemporary historian Mainwaring. After the break-up of Handel's Royal Academy in 1728, Senesino sang in Paris (1728) and Venice (1729), but was re-engaged by Handel in 1730, singing in four more new operas and in the oratorios ''Esther'', ''
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 ...
'', and, in its 1732 bilingual version, '' Acis and Galatea''. His antipathy to Handel eventually became so great that, in 1733, Senesino joined the rival Opera of the Nobility. Thus he came to sing alongside the great
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
, and their meeting on stage (in the pasticcio ''Artaserse'') led to a famous anecdote of Senesino breaking character, as reported by the music historian
Charles Burney Charles Burney (7 April 1726 – 12 April 1814) was an English music historian, composer and musician. He was the father of the writers Frances Burney and Sarah Burney, of the explorer James Burney, and of Charles Burney, a classicis ...
. Both Senesino and Farinelli also appeared in
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 ...
's opera '' Polifemo'' in 1735.


Senesino and scandal with Anastasia Robinson

In February 1724 a scandal involving Senesino and the soprano Anastasia Robinson erupted which had long-lasting impact on the singers, but most especially Robinson. While the exact details of the initial incident are not known, scholars suspect that the incident occurred during a performance of Attilio Ariosti's ''Vespasiano e Artaserse'' which had its world premiere earlier on January 14, 1724. In this opera, Robinson's character Gesilla embraces Senesino's character Titus while they share mutual sentiments of love. The incident in question involved a public altercation of some kind in which Robinson accused Senesino of being too sexually forward in his acting, and Senesino responding with some sort of insulting remarks that attacked her virtue and beauty. This in turn led to Robinson's husband, Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough, to come to her defense. The Earl, however, was not publicly known to be Robinson's husband, as they had secretly married in c. 1722–1723, and given Robinson's lower social status as a stage performer he refused to publicly acknowledge her as his wife. Thus society widely believed Robinson was the Earl's mistress. The event of this public exchange between Senesino, Robinson, 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 circulated the story. The subject was widely gossiped about in English society, and Robinson in particular was labeled a hypocrite for complaining of sexual impropriety while simultaneously being the Earl's mistress. 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 ...
.


Return to Italy and retirement

Senesino left England in 1736, and appeared in a few more productions in Italy: he sang at Florence from 1737 to 1739, and then in Naples until 1740, making his final appearance in Porpora's ''Il trionfo di Camilla'' at the Teatro San Carlo. By this time his singing style was regarded by the public as rather old-fashioned. He retired to the city of his birth, building a fine town-house there, filled with English furniture and effects - he enjoyed tea (he ran, or at least tried to run his whole household on English lines), and kept a black servant, a pet monkey and a parrot. A somewhat eccentric and difficult personality, the latter years of his life were plagued by disputes with members of his family, particularly his nephew and heir, Giuseppe.


References

*Mainwaring, J: ''Memoirs of the life of the late G F Handel'' (London, 1760)


Further reading

*Avanzati, E: ''The unpublished Senesino'' (exhibition catalogue: ''Handel and the Castrati'', Handel House Museum, London, 2006), pp 5–9 * Chrissochoidis, Ilias
"Senesino's Black Boy (1725)".
''The Handel Institute Newsletter'' 21/1 (Spring 2010), –8 *Dean, W: "Senesino", in ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music'', 2003 *Heriot, A: ''The Castrati in Opera'' (London, 1956) pp 91–95 *LaRue, C S: ''Handel and his Singers'' (Oxford, 1995), pp 105–124


External links

* Anecdotes and character of Senesino (from ''The Westminster Magazine'' 1777) {{DEFAULTSORT:Senesino 1686 births 1758 deaths Castrati 18th-century Italian male actors Italian male stage actors Members of the Academy of Ancient Music 18th-century Italian male opera singers