Gioacchino Conti
Encyclopedia
Gioacchino Conti best known as Gizziello, was an Italian
soprano
castrato
opera singer.
. After studying in Naples
with Domenico Gizzi, whom he would later be dubbed after, he made his debut in Rome
at a young age, in Leonardo Vinci
's Artaserse
(1730).
His career led him throughout Europe
and especially to London
, where he was engaged by Händel, with whom he would build up profitable collaboration relations. Conti performed in many of his works, such as Atalanta
, Giustino
, Berenice
and Arminio
, as well as in a revival of Ariodante
.
He executed later many first performances for the best famed musicians of his time, including Niccolò Jommelli
(Manlio, 1746), Baldassare Galuppi (Artaserse
, 1751) and Johann Adolf Hasse (Demetrio, 1747).
After 1759 Conti left the stage and settled in Rome, where he spent the last two years of his life.
Being a very sharp sopranist for his time (Händel got him to repeatedly reach up to C6
), Conti was not quite well disposed towards abuse of coloratura
and he chose rather to turn to better account his fluent and smooth style of rendering and expression: he has thus remained famous as a sentimental and gentle singer, but he also always kept, of course, a condition of absolute excellence at vocal virtuosity, even though not so acrobatic as, for instance, that of his contemporary (and friend) Farinelli
.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
castrato
Castrato
A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.Castration before puberty prevents a boy's...
opera singer.
Biography
Conti was born in ArpinoArpino
Arpino is a comune in the province of Frosinone in the region of Latium in central Italy. Its Roman name was Arpinum.-History:...
. After studying in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
with Domenico Gizzi, whom he would later be dubbed after, he made his debut in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
at a young age, in Leonardo Vinci
Leonardo Vinci
Leonardo Vinci was an Italian composer, best known for his operas.He was born at Strongoli and educated at Naples under Gaetano Greco in the Conservatorio dei Poveri di Gesù Cristo. He first became known for his opere buffe in Neapolitan dialect in 1719; he also composed many opere serie...
's Artaserse
Artaserse
Artaserse is the name of a number of Italian operas, all based on a text by Metastasio. Artaserse is the Italian form of the name of a Persian king, Artaxerxes....
(1730).
His career led him throughout Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and especially to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where he was engaged by Händel, with whom he would build up profitable collaboration relations. Conti performed in many of his works, such as Atalanta
Atalanta (opera)
Atalanta is an opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel composed in 1736. It is based upon the mythological female athlete, Atalanta, the libretto being derived from the book La Caccia in Etolia by Belisario Valeriani...
, Giustino
Giustino
Giustino is an opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The Italian-language libretto was adapted from Pietro Pariati's Giustino, after Nicolo Beregan's Il Giustino.-Performance history:...
, Berenice
Berenice (opera)
Berenice is an opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel to an Italian libretto, written in Italy in 1709 and originally entitled Berenice, regina d'Egitto , by Antonio Salvi....
and Arminio
Arminio
Arminio is an opera composed by George Frideric Handel.- Performance History :Together with Giustino and Berenice, Arminio is one of three operas Handel wrote within a period of half a year in 1736. He began with the composition of Giustino on 14 August 1736, followed by that of Arminio on 15...
, as well as in a revival of Ariodante
Ariodante
Ariodante is an opera seria in three acts by Handel. The anonymous Italian libretto was based on a work by Antonio Salvi, which in turn was adapted from Canti 5 and 6 of Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando Furioso...
.
He executed later many first performances for the best famed musicians of his time, including Niccolò Jommelli
Niccolò Jommelli
Niccolò Jommelli was an Italian composer. He was born in Aversa and died in Naples. Along with other composers mainly in the Holy Roman Empire and France, he made important changes to opera and reduced the importance of star singers.-Early life:Jommelli was born to Francesco Antonio Jommelli and...
(Manlio, 1746), Baldassare Galuppi (Artaserse
Artaserse
Artaserse is the name of a number of Italian operas, all based on a text by Metastasio. Artaserse is the Italian form of the name of a Persian king, Artaxerxes....
, 1751) and Johann Adolf Hasse (Demetrio, 1747).
After 1759 Conti left the stage and settled in Rome, where he spent the last two years of his life.
Being a very sharp sopranist for his time (Händel got him to repeatedly reach up to C6
C (musical note)
C or Do is the first note of the fixed-Do solfège scale. Its enharmonic is B.-Middle C:Middle C is designated C4 in scientific pitch notation because of the note's position as the fourth C key on a standard 88-key piano keyboard...
), Conti was not quite well disposed towards abuse of coloratura
Coloratura
Coloratura has several meanings. The word is originally from Italian, literally meaning "coloring", and derives from the Latin word colorare . When used in English, the term specifically refers to elaborate melody, particularly in vocal music and especially in operatic singing of the 18th and...
and he chose rather to turn to better account his fluent and smooth style of rendering and expression: he has thus remained famous as a sentimental and gentle singer, but he also always kept, of course, a condition of absolute excellence at vocal virtuosity, even though not so acrobatic as, for instance, that of his contemporary (and friend) Farinelli
Farinelli
Farinelli , was the stage name of Carlo Maria Broschi, celebrated Italian castrato singer of the 18th century and one of the greatest singers in the history of opera.- Early years :...
.
Sources
- Rodolfo Celletti, Storia del belcanto, Discanto Edizioni, Fiesole, 1983, pp. 105–106, 125.
- Salvatore Caruselli (a cura di), Grande enciclopedia della musica lirica, Longanesi &C. Periodici S.p.A., Roma, ad nomen.
- Veronica Fucci Gioacchino Conti detto Gizziello musico del secolo XVIII, Bologna 2006
- Saverio Tomasella, Le chant des songes, Persée, Aix-en-Provence, 2010.