The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1889-04-25
THE GREATEST SINGER.

How Farinelll Drudged Before He At
tained Perfection In His Art.
Carlo Broschi, or Farinelli (the
little miller"), as he was nicknamed by
his comrades, from his father being
employed about a mill, had to UNDER
take the most fatiguing and monotonous
exercises, always practice by himself,
and never received word OF COM
mendation from his master. The
drudgery of singing two notes and no
more for the space Of three years was
imposed upon him; the story seems in
credible, but there is do doubt of its
truth. The two notes were F and B.
the interval between which constitutes
the most perilous passage for a singer.
and nearly always suffers from mac
curacy Of intonation. After declaim-
ing this interval for three years
Farinelli asked his master what was
the next interval he should learn.
"You know all intervals" replied Por-
pora. "You need practice no other"
His fourth year of study was devoted to
learning the trill. When he received
his first lesson in this new accom-
plishment the whole school gathered
around to hear him. for they thought
that the strange pupil who had been
practicing so much by himself and at
such monotonous exercises would never
be able to perform that nimble-throated
feat OF execution which was the test Of
a finished vocalist. Yet, at the first
trial OF trill, Farinelli executed it so
perfectly and withal so long that the
master had to bid him to desist, for
fear his voice might suffer injury from
indulgence in thing SO new to his
experience. Despite his miraculous
proficiency, however. Farinelh had to
sing trills for year to come. Mean
while Porpora had not been idle in
cultivating his talents in other direc-
tions. His taste had been educated by
learning and reciting poetry; his
knowledge OF music had been extended
by harpsichord playing and compost
ton; and natural inelegance of bear
ing and sternness OF feature had been
entirely overcome by practice before
a looking-glass, which was always
placed in front of him during his
hours of monotonous singing The
art of sustaining sound, Of swelling
the note and diminishing 1t, OF
employing every degree of shading,
had formed part Of his studies during
his earliest days Of drudgery with no
more thau two notes to work upon.
And after year spent in trills he was
passed on to prsctice the countless
embellishments OF song which formed
90 large part OF music in those days,
and in which Porpora particularly de :
lighted. Seven years Of toilsome labor
had now gone by. Farinelli was now
seventeen years Of age His voice was
soprano Of the most extraordinary
compass. He could ascend to the z on
the ledger line above the staff. and
could sing to the E in the middle of the
bass clef. He was quite unconscious
of his po wers, and was still in the
midst OF his exercises and studies,
blindly pursuing and achieving day by
day the task that was set him with
methodical accuracy, till at last the
day arrived when. according to the
legend, he came TO Porpora and said:
Master. what more shall do to at
tain perfectionP" Porpora replisd
"Go. my son; you have no further need
Of me- You are the greatest singer In
tho world."-Longman's AsgazinA