[Letter from Jemima Yorke to Mary Gregory, March/April 1746]

Our Weekly Concert received a great addition last night at L.d Delaware's. I don't know whether in your infantine Days you were an admirer of Borosini, but in his Old Age I am grown vastly in love with him. You will wonder to hear (perhaps) he is come into England this Winter, for what reason I can't tell for he has left the Stage several Year's the Emp.r having made him Master of the Theatre at Vienna & a very great Man, so that his Singing to us was a great Favour, tho' he is indeed extremely civil & ready to oblige. He looks old, & has lost almost all his Teeth, which it must be own'd is a great disadvantage in Singing, but yet his Voice & his Manner & the Musick, & all together was very charming & totally different from anything our Days have produc'd. I am now convinced I never heard a Tenor before, for all those that have been called so since him have been as disagreable as he is pleasing, for they have all endeavour'd to play Tricks with their Voice, which the Compass nor the Sound is not suited to, & his is turn'd wholly to the most graceful Expression. He sung two of his famous Songs in Tamerlane & One in Rodelinda. The Composition is as unlike what we hear now as his Manner of Singing, & (as Weber says) 'that is Armony' – while this is – nothing, – or mere Sound. I lamented with him, (in English – Italian – French) the present degenerate Taste in Musick, which is as bad in Italy he says for our Comfort as here. I am at present very much out of humour with all Operas & Singers except Monticelli & Borosini.