Reminiscences of Michael Kelly

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

107-109

text excerpt

The opera in which I was to make my appearance at Florence, was " II Francese in Italia,"" the Frenchman in Italy. I was to play the Frenchman, and as it was a good part...Campigli advised me to leave my lodging at the hotel, and placed me in the house of one Signer Cechi, his stage-manager, a very good sort of man, who took in theatrical people. (If I might be allowed a pun, I should say, more managers than one do that.) At his house I had a good bed-room...Amongst the boarders was Signor Andreozzi, who was then composing an opera for the Pergola theatre. He was an eccentric man and a great genius, and his language was always technical. He told me one morning that he had just called upon Morichelli, the prima donna in his opera, for whom he was composing a song. " I found her," said he, " in a motivo penseroso. I approached her in andante Siciliano, followed by a movement allegretto vivace , when she ran up a division of abuse con spirito, and came out with two false fifths and a change of key so discordant, that I was obliged to quit the house in a motto prestissimo, to volti subito and run down stairs, leaving her screaming in tempo furioso ". The rehearsals began ; we had a fine orchestra and a good company. My prima donna was Signoni Lortinella, a native of Rome : she was called Ortabelia, from her extraordinary beauty ; indeed, I never saw any thing more lovely than she was ; she was also a very fine singer.

excerpt from 'Reminiscences of Michael Kelly' pp. 107-109 (265 words)

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