A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Moriani, Napoleone

by Julian Marshall

MORIANI, Napoleone, was born at Florence about 1806 [App. p.719 "March 10, 1808"]. He came of a good family, received a liberal education, and studied the law for some time, intending to embrace it as his profession. Seduced, however, by the applause which his beautiful tenor voice obtained for him in society, he changed his intentions, and attempted the operatic career at Pavia in 1833, with success. After singing in the principal Italian cities, he returned to Florence in 1839, and in the following year was recognised both there and at Milan, and Trieste, as the first living tenor of Italy. In 1841 he visited Vienna, where he was appointed 'Virtuoso di Camera' by the Emperor. In 1844 and 1845 he sang in London. He came with a real Italian reputation, but he came too late in his own career, and too early for a public that had not yet forgotten what Italian tenors had been. Besides, Mario was already there, firmly established, and not easily to be displaced from his position. 'Moriani's must have been a superb and richly- strong voice, with tones full of expression as well as force' (Chorley). But either he was led away by bad taste or fashion into drawling and bawling, or he had never been thoroughly trained. Any way, he pleased little here. Still he sang with success at Lisbon, Madrid, and Barcelona, in 1846, and was decorated by the Queen of Spain with the Order of Isabella. He sang at Milan, in the autumn of 1847, but his voice was gone, and he soon afterwards retired from the stage, and died March 1878 [App. p.719 "March 4"]. Mendelssohn more than once speaks of him as 'my favourite tenor, Moriani.'

[ J. M. ]