B R O S C H I. 
4'3'S 
by a mez-za di voc'e, though the rival theatre was favour¬ 
ed by the king and the princefs of Orange, of whom the 
latter had been Handel’s fcholar : by this inferiority it fell 
into a debt of nine thoufand pounds. A fimilar viftory was 
formerly obtained by Arcangelo Corelli, at Route, over 
the famous Gobbo, the great performer on the violin, who 
was in the fervice of queen Chrifti'iia. 
The defire of exciting 'admiration, and of captivating 
the ear more than the mind of an auditor, long adhered 
to him: his good fortune at length provided him with gn 
opportunity of difcovering and correcting this error. Du¬ 
ring his youth he was three times at Vienna: in the year 
1732, he was there declared chamber-finger to his Impe¬ 
rial majefty. The emperor Charles V1. Ihewed him great 
affection, partly on account of his excellency as a linger, 
and partly becaufe he fpoke the Neapolitan dialed with 
great formality and drollery. The emperor was a nice 
judge of finging, and would frequently accompany him on 
the harplichord. One day lie entered into a friendly con- 
verfation with him on muiic; and praifed indeed his won¬ 
derful execution, but blamed the too great affectation of 
an excellence which does not touch the heart. Clioofe, 
faid he, a fimpler and eafier method; and be fine that, 
with the gifts wherewith you are fo richly endowed by 
nature, you will captivate every hearer. This advice had 
fuch an effeCt on Farinello, that from that hour lie ftruclc 
out into a different manner. He confeffed himfelf to Dr. 
‘Burney, that the emperor’s gracious advice had had more 
effeCt upon him, than all the leffons of his teachers, and 
all the examples of his brother artifts. 
From the moral failings to which theatrical performers 
are commonly addicted, he was either totally free, or in¬ 
dulged them witli moderation. At firft lie was fond of 
gaming; but after fome time he forfook it entirely. He 
behaved with lingular probity to the managers of the 
Opera; as they paid him richly, he made it a point of ho¬ 
nour to promote their iiuereft as far as it depended on 
him : for this reafon he carefully avoided every thing that 
might be a hindrance 1 to him in the fulfilling of his en¬ 
gagements ; he even fet himfelf a drift regimen, and mo¬ 
derated himfelf in his amufements. He was fo confcien- 
tious on this head, that lie would not for any confideration 
be prevailed on to let a fong be heard from him out of 
the theatre; and, during his three years day in England, 
he condantly palfed the fpring feafon in the country, for 
the fake of invigorating his lungs, by breathing a free and 
wholefome air. In his expences he was fond of elegance, 
yet he indulged it without extravagance ; fothat, even be¬ 
fore lie left Italy, he had already laid out a capital upon 
intered at Naples, and had purchafed a count ry-houfe, 
with lands about it, near Bologna. By degrees he rebuilt 
the mandon in a fumptuous dyle, and there he afterwards 
ended his life. 
In 1737, when he had reached the fummit of fame, he 
appeared for the lad time on the ftage at London; from 
whence he departed for the court of Spain, whither he was 
invited through the folicitations of queen Elizabeth, who 
had known his excellence at Parma. Her de.fign was, by 
the ravidiing notes of this great mader, to wean her con- 
fort Philip V. from his pa (don for the cbace, to which hi s' 
firength was no longer adequate. On his way to Madrid, 
he had the honour to give a fpecimen of his talents before 
the French king at Paris; and we are told by Ricco- 
boni, that all the audience were fo adomdied at hearing 
him, that the French, w)u> otherwife deteded the Italian 
linific, began from that’time to waver in their notions. 
He had fcarcejy fet his foot in Madrid, before the king 
hadened to hear him ; and was fo much taken with the 
agreeablenefs of Iris fong, that lie immediately fettled on 
him, by a royal edift, a falary equal to what he had re¬ 
ceived in England, together with an exemption from all 
public taxes, as a pot ion deftined to his familiar converfe; 
and granted him, beddes, the court equipages and livery, 
free of all expence. He could not pafs a day without him ; 
not only on account of his vocal abilities, but more on ac¬ 
count of his agreeable talents for converfation. He fpoke 
French and Italian elegantly, had fome knowledge of the 
Englilh and German, and in a diort time learnt the Caf- 
tilian. By his courtefy and diferetion he gained the at- 
fettion of every one: in his converfe he was (incere to an 
uncommon degree, cven.towards the royal perfonages who 
honoured him with their intimacy j and it was chiefly this 
that induced the monarch to fet fo high a value on him. 
Farinello had as great an affeblion for the king as that 
prince had for him; and had nothing more at heart than 
to cheer and enliven his fpirits : and indeed herein he had 
the happy talent of fucceeding to admiration, though him¬ 
felf was'inclined to melancholy. Under Ferdinand, Phi- - 
lip’s fucceffor, he had an ampler field for the difplay of 
his genius and (kill. This monarch had a good ear for. 
mu lie, and knew how to judge properly of it ; as he had 
Hu died under Domenico Scarlatti, who had like wife been 
tutor to qbpen Barbara, w hole take in muiic was exqui- 
fite. Asking Philip had given Farinello the charge of 
lelefting recreations and amufements fuitable to. his calm 
and gentle difpofition, a variety of new inftitutions were 
let on foot through his means at court. Operas were only 
tiled to be performed on very folemn and extraordinary 
occafions ; the nation at large was contented with come¬ 
dies. Operas now began to grow more common ; and Fa¬ 
rinello, though he played no part in them, Iqad the ma¬ 
nagement of the whole. He poffeffed all the qualities that 
were requilite for the direction of an opera. For, with a 
perfeft knowledge of muiic, he had great fkill in painting, 
and made drawings with a pen. He Was fruitful in inven¬ 
tions, particularly of fuch machines as reprefent thunder, 
lightning, rain, hail, and the like. The celebrated 111a- 
chinill Jacob Bonavera formed himfelf under his direftion. 
In regard to the morality of the theatre, he wasi very con- 
lcientious : under his direftion all went on at the king’s 
expence; and none but perlons in the fervice of the royal 
family, the minilters from foreign potentates, the nobilty, 
with the principal officers of date, and a few others, by 
particular favour, had admittance. 
King Ferdinand had purpofed all along to reward the 
ingenuity and attachment of Farinello by fplendid pro¬ 
motions. He had already offered* him feveral polls of ho¬ 
nour, and at length prefled him to accept of a place in the 
royal council of finance. But, on his refilling them all, 
the king privately found means to get from Naples the 
attedations of his nobility, that he might honour him with 
the 'order of Calatrava. One day, holding up to him the 
crofs of the order, he faid to him, “ Let us fee then whe¬ 
ther thou wilt perfevere in refufing every thing which 
comes from our hand.” Farinello fell on his knee before 
the king, and begged-him gracioully to withhold this ho¬ 
nour, at lead till he could have the proofs of the genuine 
nobility of his blood (k prove delJ'avgue) tranfmitted him 
from home. “ I have already performed the part of a 
furgeon,” returned the king, “ and have found that thy 
blood is good and then with his own hand fixed the 
crofs upon his bread. He afterwards received the order 
with all due formality from the grand mader, intlpe con¬ 
vent of the ladies of Comthury of Calatrava, among the 
archives w'hereof the originals of it are p/eferved. Tire 
world was not a little furprifed at the elevation of Fari- 
neilo : but to thofe who looked narrowly into his moral 
charafter it was no wonder at all; and they rejoiced at it. 
He had nothing in him of what are called the airs of a 
courtier ; enjoyed the favour of the monarch more in be¬ 
ing fetviceable to others, than in turning it to his own 
advantage : when right and equity fpoke in behalf of any 
one, that perfon might be fure of^his intered with the 
king ; but, if the cafe was reverled, he was immoveable as 
a rock. One of the great men applied to him once for his 
recommendation to be appointed viceroy of Peru, and of¬ 
fered hint a prefent of 400,000 piadres as an inducement. 
Another lent him a calket filled with gold, defiring no 
other return but his friendlhip : he generoully fpurned 
the propofals of both. General Monierpar had brought 
S with 
