A London opera-goer in 1728

This extract is from Handel by D Burrows.

Comments by Winton Dean are bracketed [like this]. My comments are bracketed {like this}.

(The following passage is translated from a section of the fifth letter of “Voiage d’Angleterre” by Pierre-Jacques Fougeroux. The source of the letter is described with a transcription of the original French text, in Dean, “A French Traveller’s View of Handel’s Operas”. …) {Burrows’ note.}

The Opera, which was once thought negligible, has become a spectacle of some importance in the last three years. They have sent for the best voices [and] the most skilled instrumentalists from Italy, and they have added to them the best from Germany. This has made the cost so great that when I left London people were saying that it would break the Opera. There were only six solo voices, three of whom were excellent – the famous Faustina from Venice, Cuzzoni, and Senesino the famous castrato; two other castratos, Balbi [Baldi] and Palmerini [a bass], and Boschi for the bass, who is as good as an Italian can be for that voice, which is very rare with them. I had previously heard the three good voices in Venice, and as [that was] 12 years ago they were even better than present. Faustina has a charming voice, with quite a big sound, though a little rough, [but] her face and her looks are very ordinary. Cuzzoni, although her voice is weaker, has an enchanting sweetness, with divine coloratura, in the manner of the famous Santine of Venice, who no longer appears on the stage. Up to now Italy has had no finer voices that these two women; Senesino is the very best they have ever had, is a good musician, has a good voice and is a reasonably good actor. They are paying Senesino £1600 sterling (equal to 35.000 francs in French money, and £1600 to each of the two actresses, even though the opera plays only two days a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and stops during Lent. It is an enormous amount, and is the way they acquire all the best voices from Italy.

The orchestra consisted of 24 violins led by the Castrucci brothers, two harpsichords (one of which was played by the German Indel [Handel], a great player and great composer, one archlute, three cellos, two double basses, three bassoons and sometimes flutes and trumpets. This orchestra make a very loud noise. As there is no middle part in the harmony, the 24 violins usually divide only into firsts and seconds, which sounds extremely brilliant and is beautifully played. The two harpsichords [and] the archlute fill in the middle of the harmony. They use only a cello, the two harpsichords and the archlute to accompany the recitatives. The music is good and thoroughly in the Italian style, although there are some tender pieces in the French style. Handel was the composer of the three operas that I saw. The first was Ptolemy King of Egypt, the second Siroe King of Persia, the third Admetus King of Thessaly. These used old Italian librettos for the texts, and the words had been translated into English verse [and printed] alongside the Italian for the benefit of the ladies. As there is nothing spectacular by way of dancing, scenic decoration or stage machinery, and there are no choruses [i.e. movements for independent choral singers] in the performance nor that crowd of actors who should adorn the stage, one might say that the name of opera is ill-suited to this spectacle: it is more like a fine concert on the stage.

The auditorium is small and in very poor taste; the stage is quite large, with poor scenery. There is no amphitheatre, only a pit, with large curved benches right down to the orchestra, where the gentlemen and the ladies are crowded uncomfortably together. The boxes are rented for a whole year. At the back of the auditorium is a curved gallery, which is supported by pillars reaching down to the pit, and is raised to the height of our second tier boxes. This for the ordinary citizens, and yet you still have to pay 5 shillings, which is 5 francs in French money. Seats in the pit cost half a guinea, equivalent to 11 francs 10. The king has two boxes at the side of the stage, and he came twice with the queen. The princesses were opposite, in another box. Everyone applauds when the king arrives, and cheers when they [the royal party] leave: he had only of couple of guards to protect him. The sides of the stage are decorated with columns, which have mirrors fixed along them with brackets and several candles; the pillars supporting the gallery at the back of the auditorium are similarly fitted. Instead of chandeliers there are ugly wooden candlesticks suspended by strings like those used by tightrope walkers. Nothing could look more wretched, yet there are candles everywhere.

As you are not a lover of Italian music, I hardly dare to tell you, sir, that, apart from the recitative, and the graceless way of accompanying it by cutting short the sound of each chord, there are arias with string accompaniment and wonderfully rich harmony which leave nothing to be desired. The overtures to these operas are what you might call sonatas in fugal style, and very fine they are. I heard a “sleep” number which imitated those you are familiar with in our operas. One of these overtures included hunting-horns, and so did the chorus at the end, and this was marvellous.

{Fougeroux discusses public concerts and a performance of The Beggar’s Opera.}

Burrows, D., Handel, (The Master Musicians), Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1996, ISBN ) 19 816649 4, pp.460-461, Appendix E.