The aim of the paper is to illustrate the role of Carlo Broschi, known as Farinelli (or Farinello), at the royal court of Madrid, where he arrived in 1737 at the invitation of Elisabetta Farnese, who hoped he could soothe the deep-seated melancholia of Philip V with his singing. Over 22 years in Spain, Broschi first sang and then retired to become a prominent and influential courtier in the service of Philip V, and subsequently of Ferdinand VI and Maria Barbara of Braganza. He took charge of all spectacles and court entertainments and promoted the Italian opera tradition, achieving distinction as an impresario. His presence in Spain is examined through the analysis of letters, particularly those documenting his lifelong friendship with Metastasio. Their correspondence, between Madrid and Vienna, documents how Metastasio sent some librettos which suited Broschi’s theatrical needs as Farinelli cherished the ambition to reproduce in Spain the magnificence of the Viennese theatres.
Carlo Broschi alla corte di Spagna (1737-1759) / S. Baragetti (TRANSCULTURAL STUDIES – INTERDISCIPLINARY LITERATURE AND HUMANITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE SOCIETIES). - In: Migrazioni letterarie nel Settecento italiano : dal movimento alla stabilità / [a cura di] S. Garau. - Prima edizione. - Berlin : Peter Lang, 2020. - ISBN 9783631808801. - pp. 49-62 (( Intervento presentato al 35. convegno Romanistentag des Deutschen Romanistenverbandes: «Dynamik, Begegnung, Migration». Sektion 5: Dal movimento alla stabilità. Migrazioni letterarie nel Settecento italiano tenutosi a Zürich nel 2017.
Carlo Broschi alla corte di Spagna (1737-1759)
S. Baragetti
2020
Abstract
The aim of the paper is to illustrate the role of Carlo Broschi, known as Farinelli (or Farinello), at the royal court of Madrid, where he arrived in 1737 at the invitation of Elisabetta Farnese, who hoped he could soothe the deep-seated melancholia of Philip V with his singing. Over 22 years in Spain, Broschi first sang and then retired to become a prominent and influential courtier in the service of Philip V, and subsequently of Ferdinand VI and Maria Barbara of Braganza. He took charge of all spectacles and court entertainments and promoted the Italian opera tradition, achieving distinction as an impresario. His presence in Spain is examined through the analysis of letters, particularly those documenting his lifelong friendship with Metastasio. Their correspondence, between Madrid and Vienna, documents how Metastasio sent some librettos which suited Broschi’s theatrical needs as Farinelli cherished the ambition to reproduce in Spain the magnificence of the Viennese theatres.
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