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

142-3

text excerpt

Of Camporese’s voice, and manner of singing, it may be said, that the former, if not of the very finest quality, is extremely agreeable, of sufficient power and compass, and capable of considerable agility: and of the latter, that it is regulated by good taste, and is full of feeling and expression. In short, she is worthy of the better days of the art, and, when she first came to this country, had in no degree adopted the modern style. She then sung only the compositions of the best masters, and her execution of them was faultless. On her return, from having in the interval sung to Italian audiences the more modern music, her manner had undergone a perceptible alteration; so infectious is taste, and so easily, perhaps unconsciously, is it vitiated by bad example, either in singers or composers. She however yielded as little as possible to the prevailing style, and, even with this slight reservation, still was, in my opinion, much the best singer of her time, and the only one that ever at all brought back to my recollection, or in any degree resembled her to whom I shall always think every other must yield, the unique, the incomparable Banti.

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. 142-3 (205 words)

1446813333984:

1446813333984