A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Tesi-Tramontini, Vittoria

by Florence Ashton Marshall

TESI-TRAMONTINI, Vittoria, celebrated singer, born at Florence in 1690.^[1] Her first instructor was Francesco Redi, whose school of singing was established at Florence in 1706. At a later date she studied under Campeggi, at Bologna, but it is evident that she sang on the public stage long before her years of study were over. Fétis and others say that her début was made at Bologna, after which nothing transpires about her till 1719, in which year she sang at Venice and at Dresden, and just at the time when Handel arrived there in quest of singers for the newly-established Royal Academy in London. It seems probable that he and Vittoria had met before. In his Life of Handel, Dr. Chrysander suggests, and shows good reason for doing so, that Vittoria Tesi was the young prima donna who sang in Handel's first Italian opera 'Rodrigo,' at Florence, in 1707, and in his 'Agrippina,' at Venice, in 1708, and who fell desperately in love with the young Saxon maestro. Her voice was of brilliant quality and unusual compass. Quantz, who heard her at Dresden, defines it as 'a contralto of masculine strength,' but adds that she could sing high or low with equally little effort. Fire, force, and dramatic expression were her strong points, and she succeeded best in men's parts: in florid execution she did not greatly excel. Her fame and success were at their zenith in 1719, but it does not appear that Handel made any effort to secure her for England. Perhaps he objected to her practice of singing bass songs transposed all' ottava. La Tesi sang at Venice in 1723, at Florence and Naples in 1724–5, at Milan in 1727, Parma 1728, Bologna 1731, Naples (San Carlo Theatre) from November 4, 1737, till the end of the ensuing Carnival, for which engagement she received about 500l., a large sum in those days. In 1748 she was at Vienna, where, in 1749, she played in Jommelli's 'Didone.' The book was by Metastasio, who wrote of this occasion, 'The Tesi has grown younger by twenty years.' She was then fifty-five. Burney met her at Vienna in 1772, and speaks of her as more than eighty. Hiller and Fétis say she was only that age at her death, in 1775. But if Gerber's date and Chrysander's theory are right, Burney was right. Her nature was vivacious and emporté to a degree, and many tales were told of her freaks and escapades. Perhaps most wonderful of all is the story of her marriage, as told by Burney in his 'Musical Tour'; in which, to avoid marrying a certain nobleman, she went into the street, and addressing herself to a poor labouring man, said she would give him fifty ducats if he would marry her, not with a view to their living together, but to serve a purpose. The poor man readily consented to become her nominal husband, and they were formally married; and when the Count renewed his solicitations, she told him that she was already the wife of another. Among the pupils of La Tesi were the 'Teuberinn,' and Signora de Amicis, who took a friendly interest in the boy Mozart, and sang in his earliest operatic efforts in Italy.

[ F. A. M. ]

1. Gerber.