Musical Reminiscences: Containing an Account of Italian Opera in England, From 1773. The Fourth Edition, Continued to the Present Time, and Including The Festival in Westminster Abbey.

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

255-6

text excerpt

 To this long list [of male opera singers] must be added the singers of the Italian opera […] which might well have been spared, as they contributed little to the interest of the performances. These were Giulietta Grisi, Rubini, Ivanhoff, Zu- chelli, and Tamburini; the first engaged for two of the days, the men for one only. They could have been engaged at all, only for the sake of their names, which stand very high in their profession; but though excellent at the opera, they were ineffective in the Abbey, and it was known they would be so, as none of them were at all accustomed to sacred music, not even of their own church, or knew how to sing it, particularly the prima donna, who so entirely failed at her first rehearsal, it was feared she could not appear at the performance, but she improved a little. Of the men, Tamburini alone did well. How different this from the Italians of former days, who sung Handel’s music to the utmost perfection! These could attempt only masses, and sung even those but indifferently; so entirely does the bad modern opera music unfit singers for every thing that is good.

excerpt from 'Musical Reminiscences: Containing an Account of Italian Opera in England, From 1773. The Fourth Edition, Continued to the Present Time, and Including The Festival in Westminster Abbey.' pp. 255-6 (201 words)

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