The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-15


N stories of the vocal art Of taf-
( \ farelli ana Farincili the two
greatest male sopranos VINO
sang in the IIandelian period. But II
seems better in continuing this back
ward glance into the vocal past to re-
vive memories OF singers Of whom less
IL usually written. C8restinis splendid
art saved the day for Handel when
FArfnelli was singing at the opposition
theatre in 1913. The composer had not
been able to get him In the previous
season because he was engaged In Milan.
Handel took Senesino instead and this
singer created "A Juror In London. But
Carestini was probably greater artist,
One learns what singers received in
those times from letter written to Mr..
Walpole by owen Swiny. lie quotes
1900 guineas as the price to be offered
for either Carestini or Senesno. This
of course was for the seeson.
Carestini WAS born in Ancona in
1905 Tor thereabouD and lived till about
1860. His debut was made at Rome In
1921 In female role. that of Costdnsa
in Bonoclni's "Griselda." Carestini be-
gan life as a soprano but his voice
changed To contralto. and 1t was this
which brought him into comparison
with SeneSino. also a contralto. 1t is
not altogether clear what his contrm-
poraries mean when they speak of his
voice. because one tells us that Ii was
one Of the deepest and richest contraltos
ever heard. while Quantz the distin-
guished futist records its range as
from ID To G. In 1923 Carestini sang N
Prague at the coronation OF Charles
VI Turning to the pages of Burney's
present State of Music in Germany"
we find this sentence;
When he performed in Prague his
compass was sixteen notes from Il in
tho bass to c In alt"
One thing alone remains quite GER
tain. namely. that he was n contralto
and that he sang admirably. The ques-
ton OF the range OF voice among the
evirati is one that need not give any
student serious trouble. The composers
OF the time wrote for the singers and
therefore their scores furnish presump-
tive evidence as TO the range of the
voices. No extremely high notes APP
pear in these old scores. In n brilliant
cadenza sung by Farinell! and repro
duced In Air. krehbiel's Music and
Manners" the highest note is the upper
a. The lowest is r.. But In an air
from Hasse's "Artaserse" sung by
FsrineIl We find low u. A cadenza
written by Hasse for the famous female
contralto Vittoria TEST runs only from
u to IL, an octave an. one tone. We
owe the preservation Of these records to
the taste of the Envllsh poet Thomas
Gray, who made an invaluable collecti a
OF airs of his time. This collection =
now in the possession of the present
writer's colleague, II. f.. krehbiel
To return TO Carestni, we find all au
thorities agreeing that he sang rapid
passages with remarkable skill. and that
in later life he greatly improved his
cantilena. A man Of excellent appear
ance, he made "a careful study Of stage
action. and was IA master OF the panto-
mimic art. His vocal study was unceas-
ing. Mancini says
Although his voice was naturally
beautiful he did not neglect to perfect
II by study and to make 1t suitable to
every kind of song, and he raised II to
a point 30 sublime that he established
in his youth his fame. lie had
a fecund genius and discernment no
delicate that despite the excellence OF
everything he did his great modesty
prevented him from being satisfied. one
day one of his friends finding him at
study and applauding his singing. he
turned to him and said: My friend,
II I do not succeed in satisfying myself
how can I satisfy others""
Mancini, 1t should be- noted. heard
most of the singers of whom he writes
and was qualified to pronounce opinions
Of them. lie was vocal teacher,
was born In 1916. died in 1900, and pub
xshed his book practical Reflections on
yiorid Song" in 1896. This book IL
ohe chief authority on the singers and
Ainging of the time. 1t has recently
been translated into English. Fran
cesco Tosi's book on fiorid song was
published much earlier than Mancini's
and contains, alas, no sketches OF
singers. II also omits things about vo-
cal art which many Of ny would like
very much 10 know.
II would not be especially profitable
20 recount in detail the lives of such
artists as Grossi, Orsini, Nelluti and
others. ThUir careers were much
aake and their art was OF one general
type. Wherever we read in the works
of those who heard these famous vocal
artists " early times, whether 1t lie
IN the records of professional musi-
clans like Quant2. historians OF high
musical education like Burney or cul-
tivated amateurs like Lord Mount Edge
cumb, We get the same idea Of their
singing. These male sopranos and con-
traltos all sang with exquisite technical
finish. with thoroughly equalized scales,
with suayity and elegance.
Tho admirable DR.. Burney wrote an
Oasay on criticism, and conveniently in
troduced IL into the third volume Of his
~.