Rambles in Italy; in the years 1816 – 1817 By an American

urn:iso:std:iso:639:ed-3:eng

184-185

text excerpt

Musick appears still to be the delight and solace of the Venetians. If we except the opera of St. Carlo at Naples, and that of La Scala at Milan, there is no part of Italy where this publick amusement is more brilliant than at Venice. Its great theatre, the Fenice, is open during the carnival and the opera, the ballet, and the masquerade following in succession, allow through the night no pause in the rapid course of dissipation. The theatres of St. Luca and St. Benedetto during the spring and summer months, afford to the amateur a source of exquisite enjoyment. During my stay at Venice, the praises of Veluti were in the mouth of every person. This young Soprano had succeeded to the popularity of Marchese. Both sexes concurred in bestowing upon his musical powers, every epithet of excellence, but what was a little surprising, the ladies not content with extolling the charms of his voice, praised the grace and gentility of his person. The mutilated class of beings to which Veluti belongs, are in general characterized by those outward marks of physical imbecility and deformity, by which nature commonly manifests her displeasure at every contravention of her laws. He, however, is an exception to this general fact. His form though slender and his appearance juvenile, are rather graceful than otherwise. I know not what effect Veluti would have produced in England or America, but the agitation, the enthusiasm and phrenzy he excited in the Venetian theatres, exhibited a signa instance of power over human passions and feelings, which might well have inspired any artist with a proud consciousness of superiority.

excerpt from 'Rambles in Italy; in the years 1816 – 1817 By an American' pp. 184-185 (272 words)

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