MUSI C. 
308 
cook at Rome. She had, however, in hei; countenance 
and deportment no indications of low birth. Her man¬ 
ner and appearance depifted dignity and grace. So great 
was her reputation before her arrival in England for Ting¬ 
ing and for caprice, that the public, expecting perhaps in 
both too much, were unwilling„to allow her due praife 
for her performance, and were apt to afcribe every thing 
iiie did to pride and infolence. Her voice, though ex- 
quifite, was not very powerful. Her chief excellence 
■having been the neatnefs and rapidity of her execution, 
the furprife of the public mult have been much diminiffi- 
ed on hearing her after mifs Davies, who lung many of 
the fame fongs in the lame ltyle, and with a neatnefs fo 
nearly equal, that common hearers could diltinguilh no 
difference. The difcriminating critic, however, might 
have difcovered a fuperior fweetnefs in the natural tone 
of Gabrielli’s voice, an elegance in the finilhing of her 
mufical periods or paffages, an accent and precilion in her 
divifions, fuperior not only to mifs Davies, but to every 
other linger of her time. In (low movements her pathetic 
powers, like thole in general of performers molt renowned 
for agility, were not exquifitely touching. 
About the time of which we have been treating, the 
proprietors of the Pantheon ventured to engage Agujari 
at the enormous falary of iool. per night, for linging two 
longs only! Lucrezia Agujari was a truly wonderful 
performer. The lower part of her voice was full, round, 
and of excellent quality ; its compafs amazing. She had 
two odlaves of fair natural voice, from A on the fifth 
line in the bale to A on the fixth line in the treble, and 
beyond that in alt flie had in early youth more than an¬ 
other odtave. She has been heard to afcend to B b in al- 
tiffimo. Her lhake was open and perfedl; her intonation 
true ; her execution marked and rapid ; the ltyle of her 
tinging, in the natural compafs of her voice, grand and 
jnajellic. 
In 1776 arrived Anna Pozzi, as fuccelfor to Gabrielli. 
She polfelfed a voice clear, fweet, and powerful; but her 
inexperience, both as an aftrefs and as a finger, produced 
a contrail very unfavourable to her when compared with 
fo celebrated a performer as Gabrielli. After that time, 
however, Pozzi, with more ltudy and knowledge, be¬ 
came one of the bell and moll admired female lingers in 
Italy. 
After the departure of Agujari for the fecond and ball 
time, the managers of the Pantheon engaged Georgi as her 
fuccelfor. Her voice was exquifitely fine, but totally un¬ 
cultivated. She was afterwards employed as the firll wo¬ 
man in the operas of the principal cities of Italy. 
During the feafon of 1777 and 78, the principal fingers 
at the opera in London were Francefco Roncaglia and 
Francefca Danze, afterwards madame Le Brun. Ron¬ 
caglia polfelfed a fweet-toned voice ; but of the three great 
requifites of a complete llage-finger, pathos, grace, and 
execution, which the Italians call cantabilc, graziofa, and 
bravura, he could lay claim only to the fecond. His voice, 
a voce de camera, when confined to the graziofa in a room, 
left nothing to wilh for. Danze had a voice well in tune, 
a good lliake, great execution, prodigious compafs, with 
great knowledge of mufic ; yet the pleafure her perform¬ 
ance imparted was not equal to thefe accomplilliments. 
But her objeil was not fo much pathos and grace, as to 
furprife by the imitation of the tone and difficulties of in- 
llruments. 
This year Gafparo Pacliierotti appeared in London, 
whither his high reputation had penetrated long before. 
The natural tone of his voice was interelting, fweet, and 
pathetic. His compafs downwards was great, with an af- 
centup to B b, and fometimes to C in alt. He poffeffed 
an unbounded fancy, and the power not only of execut¬ 
ing the moll difficult and refined paffages, but of inventing 
embellilliments entirely new. Ferdinando Bertoni, a well- 
known compofer, came along with Pacchierotti to Eng¬ 
land. 
About this time dancing became an important branch 
of the amufements of the opera-houle. Mademoifelle 
Heinel, Veltris the younger, and mademoifelle Baccelli, 
had, during fome years, delighted the audience at the 
opera ; but, on the arrival of the elder Vellris, pleafure 
was exchanged for ecftafy. In the year 1781, Pacchierotti 
had by this time been fo frequently heard, that bis linging 
was no impediment to converfation ; but, while the elder 
Vellris was on the llage, not a breath was to be heard. 
Thofe lovers of mufic who talked the loudell while Pac¬ 
chierotti fung, were in agonies of terror left the graceful 
movements of Vellris, le dieu de la danje , Ihould be dif- 
turbed by audible approbation. 
The year 1784 was rendered a memorable sera in the 
annals of mufic bythefplendidand magnificent manner in 
which the birth and genius of Handel were celebrated in 
Weftminfter Abbey and the Pantheon, by five perform¬ 
ances of pieces feledted from his own works, and executed 
by a band of more than five hundred voices and inftru- 
ments, in the prefence and under the immediate aufpices 
of their majefties and the firll perfonages of the kingdom. 
No l'ooner was the projected undertaking known, but 
moll of the practical muficians in the kingdom eagerly 
manifefted their zeal in forwarding it; and many of the 
moll eminent profefi'ors, waving all claims to precedence 
in the band, offered to perform in any fubordinate llation 
in which their talent3 could be moll ufeful. It was alfo 
determined to employ every fpecies of inllrument that was 
capable of producing grand effects. When the orcheftra 
and galleries were filled, they conllituted one of the 
grandell and moll magnificent fpedlacles which imagina¬ 
tion can paint. The preparations for receiving their ma¬ 
jefties, the royal family, and the firll perfonages of the 
kingdom, at the eall end ; the orcheftra at the weft ; and 
the public in general, to the number of three and four 
thoufand perfons, in the area and galleries; fo judicioully 
correfponded with the architecture of this venerable and 
beautiful ftru&ure, that there was nothing vifible, either 
for ufe or ornament, which did not harmonife with the 
principal tone of the building, and may not metaphori¬ 
cally be faid to have been in perfedl tune with it. At the 
eall end of the aille, juft before the back of the choir- 
organ, a throne was ere&ed in a beautiful gothic ftyle, 
correfponding with that of the abbey; and a centre-box, 
richly decorated, and furnillied with crimfon fatin fringed 
with gold, for the reception of their majefties and the 
royal family : on the right hand of which was a box for 
the biftiops ; and on the left, one for the dean and chapter 
of Weftminfter. Immediately below thefe boxes were two 
others ; one, on the right, for the families and friends of 
the directors, and the other for thofe of the prebendaries 
of Weftminfter, Immediately below the king’s box was 
placed one for the dire&ors themfelves, who were all dif- 
tinguilhed by white wands tipped with gold, and gold 
medals, llruck on the occafion, appending from white 
ribbons. Thefe their majefties likewife condefcended to 
wear at each performance. Behind and on each fide of 
the throne were feats for their majefties’ principal at¬ 
tendants, maids of honour, grooms of the bed-chamber, 
pages, &c. The orcheftra was built at the oppofite ex¬ 
tremity, afcending regularly from the height of /even feet 
from the floor to upwards of forty from the bafe of the 
pillars, and extending from the centre to the top of the fide- 
aifles. At the top of the orcheftra was placed the occa- 
fional organ in a gothic frame, mounting to and mingling 
with the patriarchs and prophets reprefented on the well 
window. Nor was this commemoration more wonderful 
for the fplendour of its arrangement and the unparalleled 
multiplicity of voices and inltruments employed, than for 
vocal and inftrumental accuracy and precilion. The to¬ 
tality of found feemed to proceed from one voice and one 
inllrument; and was declared, by many of the diltinguilh- 
ed judges and lovers of mulic, to have produced fenlations 
of wonder and delight which they never felt before. 
