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Scan 28
Grove's Dictionary of music and musicians, 1910
19 lines. Read by computer on 12 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 8. See the scan on archive.org.
1less innocent purposes than that of a mere dance: in 1815 General Ramel was murdered at Toulouse by the infuriated populace, who made use of their national dance to surround and butcher him.
3The Farandole has been introduced on the stage in Gounod's 'Mireille,' and in Daudet's 'L'Arlésienne' (with Bizet's music), but the dance is not suited for the purposes of a ballet. Further information concerning it will be found sub voce in Larousse's Dictionary, in Vidal's Lou Tambourin, Désanat's Coursos de la Tarasquo, Mistral's Mireille, Fêtes de la Tarasque, and introduction to Mathieu's La Farandoulo, and in the works of Hyacinthe Morel. A good description of the dance occurs in Daudet's Numa Roumestan.
5W. B. S.
7FARCE (Ital. Farsia, probably from the Latin farcio, to stuff—Plautus has centones farcire, to insert falsehoods or tricks). A farsia was a canticle in the vulgar tongue intermixed with Latin, originating in the French church at the time when Latin began to be a tongue not 'understood of the people.' The farsia was sung in many churches at the principal festivals, almost universally at Christmas. It became a vehicle for satire and fun, and thus led to the modern Farsa or Farce, a piece in one act, of which the subject is extravagant and the action ludicrous.
9J. H.
11FARINELLI. A serio-comic opera in two acts; words by C. Z. Barnett, music by John Barnett; produced at Drury Lane, Feb. 8, 1839, Balfe acting Farinelli, and being forced by hoarseness to leave off at the end of the first act.
13FARINELLI, CRISTIANO, a violin player and composer, was an uncle of the celebrated singer Farinelli (Carlo Broschi). Date and place of his birth and death are unknown. After living for some time in France we find him from 1680 to 1685 at Hanover, side by side with Handel, as leader of the band. [According to Chrysander (Händel, i. 418) he was in the Elector's service in 1714, and, on the latter's accession to the English throne, composed a cantata on the words, 'Lord, remember me when thou comest in Thy kingdom.' (See Quellen-Lexikon.)] He appears to have enjoyed a great reputation as a performer, and considerable popularity as a composer of instrumental music in a light and pleasing style. He excelled especially in the performance of Lulli's airs and his own so-called 'Follia,' which was known in England during the 18th century as 'Farinell's ground.' [See FOLLIA and the Musical Times for 1888, p. 717.] Farinelli was ennobled by the King of Denmark, and, according to Hawkins, was appointed by George I. his resident at Venice.
15P. D.
17FARINELLI, CARLO BROSCHI, DETTO, was born Jan. 24, 1705, at Naples, according to his own statement made to Dr. Burney, who saw him at Bologna in 1770, though Padre G. Sacchi, his biographer, fixes his birthplace at Andria. Some say that he derived his sobriquet from the occupation of his father, who was either a miller or a seller of flour (farina); others contend that he was so named after three brothers Farina, very distinguished amateurs at Naples, and his patrons. It is, however, more probable that he simply took the name of his uncle Farinelli, the composer. Sacchi declares that he saw in Farinelli's possession the letters of nobility which he was required to produce when admitted, by the favour of the King of Spain, into the orders of Calatrava and St. Iago. It seems scarcely credible that noble parents should have destined their son for the musical stage, or consented to the peculiar preparation necessary to make him a soprano; but this, as usual, is explained by the story of an accident having happened to the boy while riding, which rendered necessary the operation by which he retained his treble. The voice, thus manufactured, became the most beautiful ever heard. He soon left the care of his father, who taught him the rudiments, to enter the school of Porpora, of whom he was the first and most distinguished pupil. In spite of his explicit statement to Dr. Burney, it is not possible that Farinelli could have made his début at Naples in 1720, at the age of fifteen, in Metastasio's 'Angelica e Medoro'; for the latter did not leave Rome till 1721, and 'Angelica e Medoro' was not written before 1722. (Fétis.) In that year Farinelli, already famous in southern Italy under the name of il ragazzo (the boy), accompanied Porpora to Rome, and made his first appearance there in 'Eumene,' composed by his master for the Teatro Aliberti. There was a German trumpet player at that time in the capital, who excited the admiration of the Romans by his marvellous powers. For this artist Porpora wrote an obbligato part to a song, in which his pupil vied with the instrument in holding and swelling a note of extraordinary length, purity, and volume. Although the virtuoso performed this in a wonderful manner, Farinelli excelled him in the duration, brilliancé, and gradual crescendo and diminuendo of the note, while he carried the enthusiasm of the audience to the highest pitch by the novelty and spontaneity of the shakes and difficult variations which he introduced into the air. It is probable that these were previously arranged by Porpora, and not due to the impromptu inspiration of the singer. Having remained under the instruction of his master until 1724, Farinelli made his first journey to Vienna in that year. A year later he sang for the first time at Venice in Albinoni's 'Didone abbandonata,' the libretto by Metastasio; and subsequently returned to Naples, where he achieved a triumph in a Dramatic Serenade by Hasse, in which he sang with the celebrated cantatrice, Tesi. In 1726 he appeared in Fr. Ciampi's 'Ciro' at Milan; and then made his one of two readings
18FARINELLI, CARLO BROSCHI, DETTO, was born Jan. 24, 1705, at Naples, according to his own statement made to Dr. Burney, who saw him at Bologna in 1770, though Padre G. Sacchi, his biographer, fixes his birthplace at Andria. Some say that he derived his sobriquet from the occupation of his father, who was either a miller or a seller of flour (farina); others contend that he was so named after three brothers Farina, very distinguished amateurs at Naples, and his patrons. It is, however, more probable that he simply took the name of his uncle Farinelli, the composer. Sacchi declares that he saw in Farinelli's possession the letters of nobility which he was required to produce when admitted, by the favour of the King of Spain, into the orders of Calatrava and St. Iago. It seems scarcely credible that noble parents should have destined their son for the musical stage, or consented to the peculiar preparation necessary to make him a soprano; but this, as usual, is explained by the story of an accident having happened to the boy while riding, which rendered necessary the operation by which he retained his treble. The voice, thus manufactured, became the most beautiful ever heard. He soon left the care of his father, who taught him the rudiments, to enter the school of Porpora, of whom he was the first and most distinguished pupil. In spite of his explicit statement to Dr. Burney, it is not possible that Farinelli could have made his début at Naples in 1720, at the age of fifteen, in Metastasio's 'Angelica e Medoro'; for the latter did not leave Rome till 1721, and 'Angelica e Medoro' was not written before 1722. (Fétis.) In that year Farinelli, already famous in southern Italy under the name of il ragazzo (the boy), accompanied Porpora to Rome, and made his first appearance there in 'Eumene,' composed by his master for the Teatro Aliberti. There was a German trumpet player at that time in the capital, who excited the admiration of the Romans by his marvellous powers. For this artist Porpora wrote an obbligato part to a song, in which his pupil vied with the instrument in holding and swelling a note of extraordinary length, purity, and volume. Although the virtuoso performed this in a wonderful manner, Farinelli excelled him in the duration, brilliance, and gradual crescendo and diminuendo of the note, while he carried the enthusiasm of the audience to the highest pitch by the novelty and spontaneity of the shakes and difficult variations which he introduced into the air. It is probable that these were previously arranged by Porpora, and not due to the impromptu inspiration of the singer. Having remained under the instruction of his master until 1724, Farinelli made his first journey to Vienna in that year. A year later he sang for the first time at Venice in Albinoni's 'Didone abbandonata,' the libretto by Metastasio; and subsequently returned to Naples, where he achieved a triumph in a Dramatic Serenade by Hasse, in which he sang with the celebrated cantatrice, Tesi. In 1726 he appeared in Fr. Ciampi's 'Ciro' at Milan; and then made his one of two readings
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