Senesino biography books

Italian castrato singer (contralto) Date of Birth: 31.10.1686 Country: Italy

Content:

1. A Life on Stage: The Eminent Castrato Senesino
2. Early Career and Rise to Stardom
3. Dresden and Encounter with Johann Quantz
4. Joining Handel's Royal Academy of Music
5. Collaboration and Conflict with Handel
6. Later Career and Rivalry with Farinelli
7. Final Years and Return to Siena
8. Legacy and Death

A Life on Stage: The Eminent Castrato Senesino

Early Life and Vocal Training

Francesco Bernardi, known to the world by his stage name Senesino, was born in 1686 to a barber in the Italian city of Siena, Tuscany.

His moniker, it is believed, was derived from the city's name.

Castrati

At the age of nine, the young Bernardi joined a church choir. Unusually late for a castrato, he underwent the procedure at age 13.

Early Career and Rise to Stardom

Senesino made his operatic debut in Venice in 1707. Over the next decade, his reputation as a vocalist soared throughout Europe.

By 1717, when