Senesino c. 1720Senesino in 1735, by Van Haecken after HudsonPortrait of the contralto castrato Francesco Bernardi, better known under his stage name Senesino; at the same time a parody of the castrati and their singing – and the wealth they earned with it. The lines beneath the portrait read, in Italian and English: "Renown'd Sienna gave him birth and name / Kind Heaven his Voice and Harmony his Fame / While here the Great and Fair their Tribute bring / The Deaf may wonder whence his Merits spring / But all think Fortune just, that hear him sing".
Francesco Bernardi (pronounced[franˈtʃeskoberˈnardi]; 31 October 1686 – 27 November 1758), known as Senesino (pronounced[seneˈziːno] or traditionally [seneˈsiːno]), was a celebrated Italian contralto castrato, particularly remembered today for his long collaboration with the composer George Frideric Handel. He was also involved in a public scandal with the soprano Anastasia Robinson in 1724 which was circulated widely by the satirist Jonathan Swift, and inspired a number of anonymously written obscene, misogynistic, and at times sexually subversive epistles written between 1724 and 1736 which have become a topic of study among scholars of Restoration literature.
October 1686 – 27 November 1758), known as Senesino (pronounced [seneˈziːno] or traditionally [seneˈsiːno]), was a celebrated Italian contralto castrato...
18th-century Europe (except France), singers such as Ferri, Farinelli, Senesino and Pacchierotti became the first operatic superstars, earning enormous...
Broschi), while Senesino sang "Pallido il sole" (music by Hasse). Of "Per questo dolce amplesso", Charles Burney reported: "Senesino had the part of a...
overshadowed by a scandal in February 1724 involving the Italian castrato Senesino and Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough. Having secretly married...
The roles of Cesare and Cleopatra were originally sung by the castrato Senesino and the famous soprano Francesca Cuzzoni respectively. Handel composed...
Nicola Porpora. Though Farinelli did not sing for Handel, his main rival, Senesino, did. Opera seria acquired definitive form early during the 1720s. While...
Ming dynasty, considered the most powerful eunuch in Chinese history. Senesino (1686–1758): Italian contralto castrato singer. Farinelli (1705–1782):...
pasticcios. The enthusiasm of her supporters led to quarrels with the fans of Senesino, and later with those of Faustina Bordoni, whose London debut was in Handel's...
Handel's Messiah were first sung by a castrato. Castrati include Farinelli, Senesino, Carestini, and Caffarelli. The last true castrato was Alessandro Moreschi...
larynx from being transformed at puberty. Castrati such as Farinelli and Senesino, as well as female sopranos such as Faustina Bordoni, became in great demand...
the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, The Crown: Heroic Arias for Senesino was released by Signum Classics. Randall was born in Marshall, Minnesota...
first time London audiences had seen the operatic superstars, castrato Senesino and soprano Francesca Cuzzoni, performing together in an opera, and had...
was never performed due to an incident where the star castrato singer Senesino tore up the music for one of his arias and cast it at the composer's feet...
of four digital EPs. Aces High (2010, Signum) Bach's Motets, with the Senesino Players (2010) Brahms, Bruckner, Reger (2011) In the Beginning (2012) Christmas...
Metropolitan Opera in 2006, were written for the 18th-century alto castrato Senesino. The bulk of Scholl's recording career has been with Harmonia Mundi and...
for the triumvirate of internationally renowned singers, the castrato Senesino and the sopranos Francesca Cuzzoni and Faustina Bordoni. The story of the...
Giusto Fernando Tenducci, sometimes called "il Senesino" (c.1735 – 25 January 1790), was a male soprano (castrato) opera singer and composer, who passed...
(except France), castrati such as Farinelli, Ferri, Pacchierotti, and Senesino became the first operatic superstars, earning enormous fees and hysterical...
caricature of a performance of Handel's Flavio, featuring Berenstadt on the far right, the soprano Francesca Cuzzoni in the centre and Senesino on the left....
Carlo Broschi "Farinelli", Nicolò Grimaldi "Nicolini", Francesco Bernardi "Senesino" and Antonio Maria Bernacchi stood out. The most famous was Farinelli,...
(1740–1821), soprano castrato, one of the most famous singers of his time Senesino (1686–1758), contralto castrato, renowned for his power and his skill in...
Edgcumbe, 1st Baron Edgcumbe, English politician (b. 1680) November 27 – Senesino, Italian singer (b. 1686) December 5 – Johann Friedrich Fasch, German composer...
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