A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Crescentini, Girolamo

by Julian Marshall

CRESCENTINI, Girolamo, a very celebrated Italian sopranist, who was born in 1766 [App. p.601 "Feb. 2"] at Urbania, near Urbino. At the age of ten, he began the study of music, and was afterwards placed with Gibelli, to learn singing. Possessed of a beautiful mezzo soprano voice, and a perfect method of vocalisation, he made his début at Rome in 1783. He then obtained an engagement as primo uomo at Leghorn, where he appeared in Cherubini's 'Artaserse.' In the spring of 1785 he sang at Padua in the 'Didone' of Sarti, and was engaged for Venice. In the following summer he was at Turin, where he sang Sarti's 'Ritorno di Bacco.' He now came to London, and remained sixteen months. He was here thought so moderate a performer that, before the season was half over, he was superseded by Tenducci, an old singer, who had never been first-rate, and had scarcely any voice left. 'It is but justice,' says Lord Mount-Edgcumbe, 'to add that, when he was here, Crescentini was very young, and had not attained that excellence which has since gained him the reputation of a first-rate singer. He never returned to this country.' In 1787 he was engaged for the carnival at Milan, and sang for two whole years at the San Carlo in Naples. In 1791 and 93 he appeared at the Argentina at Rome, and in 94 at Venice and Milan. In this last city he arrived at the highest degree of excellence in Zingarelli's 'Romeo e Giulietta.' In 1796 Cimarosa composed expressly for him 'Gli Orazzi e Curiazzi' at Venice. An amusing story is told, that on one occasion, fancying that the dress of the primo tenore (Curiazzio) was more magnificent than his own (as Orazzio), he insisted on its being given up to him. An exchange was therefore made, in spite of the remonstrances of the manager; and throughout the evening a Curiatius, six feet high, was seen wearing a little Roman costume, which looked as if it would burst at any moment, while a diminutive Horatius was attired in a long Alban tunic, with its skirt trailing on the ground. After singing at Vienna, he returned to Milan for the carnival of 1797, for the 'Meleagro' of Zingarelli. At the end of this season he engaged himself with the Opera at Lisbon, where he sang for the next four years. Returning to Italy, he reappeared at Milan in Mayr's 'Alonzo e Cora' and Federici's 'Ifigenia,' in 1803. He sang at Piacenza, at the opening of the new theatre, and then went to Vienna with the appointment of professor of singing to the Imperial family. Napoleon having heard him there, was so charmed that he determined to engage him permanently, and secured to him a handsome salary. He also gave him the decoration of the Iron Crown, which provoked almost as much discussion as Napoleon's distribution of thrones and sceptres had done. It is related that, in a salon at Paris, when a pompous orator was holding forth on the subject of the honour conferred on Crescentini, and inquired what right he could have to such a distinction,—the beautiful Mme. Grassini, who was present, rose majestically, and with theatrical tone and gesture exclaimed, 'Et sa blessure, monsieur!' A storm of laughter and applause stopped the discussion. Crescentini sang at Paris from 1806 to 1812, when his voice showed signs of suffering from an uncongenial climate, and he with difficulty obtained permission to retire. He went to Bologna, and then to Rome, where he remained till 1816, when he settled at Naples as professor at the Royal College of Music. He was the last great singer of his school. 'Nothing could exceed,' says Fétis, 'the suavity of his tones, the force of his expression, the perfect taste of his ornaments, or the large style of his phrasing.' In Romeo he affected Napoleon and the whole of the audience to tears by his singing of the prayer, and the air 'Ombra adorata.' The prayer of Romeo was of his own composition, for this excellent singer was also a composer; he published at Vienna in 1797 several collections of Ariette, and some admirable exercises for the voice, with a treatise on vocalisation in French and Italian, at Paris. He died at Naples in 1846 [App. p.601 "April 24"].

[ J. M. ]