Music, men and manners in France and Italy, 1770 / Charles Burney

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

192-3

text excerpt

[…] I must own, that in the magnitude of the building and the noise of the audience, one neither can hear voices or instruments distinctly, and I was told that on account of the K[ing] and Q[ueen] being present, people were much less noisy than on common nights. There was not a hand moved by way of applause during the whole representation, tho’ people seemed much pleased with the music – but to say the truth it did not afford me the same delight as at the rehearsals, nor did the singers, tho’ they exerted themselves more, appear to such advantage. Not one of the present voices is sufficiently powerful for such a theatre, when so full and so noisy. The 1st woman Signora Bianchi whose sweet voice and simple manner of singing gave me and others much pleasure at the rehearsal did not satisfie the Neapolitans, who have been accustomed to the force and brilliancy of a Gabrieli, a Taiber and a De Amici -there is too much simplicity in her manner for these enfans gatés, who are never pleased but when they are astonished. As to the music, much of the claire-obscure was lost, and one only heard distinctly those course and furious parts which were meant merely to give relief to the rest. – The mezzotints and back ground were generally lost and little else was left but the bold and coarse strokes of the composer’s pencil.

excerpt from 'Music, men and manners in France and Italy, 1770 / Charles Burney' pp. 192-3 (247 words)

1445511065084:

1445511065084