Anna Renzi (c. 1620 – after 1661) was an Italian soprano[1] renowned for her acting ability as well as her voice, who has been described as the first diva in the history of opera.
Born in Rome, Anna Renzi was highly popular in Vienna in 1640s and made her debut in 1640 at the Palazzo Pallavicini-Rospigliosi of the French ambassador, in the presence of Cardinal Richelieu, as Lucinda in Il favorito del principe (music lost) by it:Ottaviano Castelli and the young composer Filiberto Laurenzi[2] who continued to function as her teacher and/or accompanist in later years.[3] In 1641 she made her sensational Venetian debut as Deidamia, the title role of La finta pazza (The Feigned Madwoman) by Giulio Strozzi and Francesco Sacrati, which inaugurated the Teatro Novissimo, the sets designed by the celebrated stage designer Giacomo Torelli. In 1642 she created Archimene (probably doubling as Venere)[4] in Il Bellerofonte (music lost) by Vincenzo Nolfi and Sacrati at the Novissimo, and in the same year Orazio Tarditi dedicated a collection of two- and three-part canzonette to her, which bears witness to her fame.
In 1643 she created two roles at the Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo: Aretusa, the title role of La finta savia (The Feigned Wise-Woman; music survives in excerpts) by Strozzi and Laurenzi, and Ottavia in L'incoronazione di Poppea by Giovanni Francesco Busenello and Claudio Monteverdi, in which opera she is also likely to have created the parts of La Virtù and Drusilla.[5] In 1644 she returned to the Novissimo, creating the title role of La Deidamia (music lost) by Scipione Herrico and an unknown composer (possibly Laurenzi).[6] In the same year she was the subject of Le glorie della signora Anna Renzi romana, a collection of encomiums edited by Strozzi, which gives a vivid impression of her characteristics as a performer and of her effect on audiences. In 1645 she sang in Ercole in Lidia (music lost) by Maiolino Bisaccioni and Giovanni Rovetta at the same theatre, probably the roles of Giunone and Fillide.[7] In the same year a marriage contract between Renzi and the Roman violinist Roberto Sabbatini was drawn up, but there is no evidence that the nuptials ever took place.[8]
After the closing of the Novissimo, Renzi, who was by now the most celebrated and highest-paid singer of the age,[9] turned to the Santi Giovanni e Paolo. In 1646 she probably sang in a revival of Poppea there,[10] in 1648 she created the title role (probably doubling as a Villanella)[4] in La Torilda (music lost) by Pietro Paolo Bissari and an unknown composer (possibly Francesco Cavalli), and in 1649 she apparently created the title role in Argiope (music lost) by Giovanni Battista Fusconi and Alessandro Leardini.[7] In 1650 she sang in La Deidamia in Florence, and in 1652 she may have created the role of Cleopatra (probably doubling as Venere in the prologue) in Il Cesare amante (music lost) by Dario Varotari the Younger and Antonio Cesti at the Santi Giovanni e Paolo.[7] In 1653 she seems to have sung in La Torilda and Il Cesare amante in Genoa,[11] and in 1654 she sang in a revival of the latter opera (retitled La Cleopatra, perhaps in her honour)[7] at the court theatre in Innsbruck. In 1655 she returned to Venice, apparently creating the title role (probably doubling as Giunone)[12] in L'Eupatra (music lost) by Giovanni Faustini and Pietro Andrea Ziani at the Teatro Sant 'Apollinare. Later that year she created the role of Dorisbe in L'Argia by Giovanni Filippo Apolloni and Cesti in Innsbruck: an opera commissioned by Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Austria, in celebration of the conversion to Catholicism of Christina, Queen of Sweden, who was greatly pleased with Renzi's performance.[13] In 1657 Renzi bade farewell to the stage as Damira (probably doubling as Giunone in the prologue)[4] in Le fortune di Rodope e Damira by Aurelio Aureli and Ziani at the Sant' Apollinare. The last known reference to her stems from 1660.[14]
Renzi as a performer
Composers tended to make use of the full extent of Renzi's voice, which spanned from middle C to high B-flat,[15] and the four surviving non-Monteverdian settings of roles written for her (by Sacrati, Laurenzi, Cesti and Ziani) are characterized by strong dramatic, emotional and stylistic contrasts, probably designed to show off her uncanny command of vocal and expressive means.[16] Most of the thirteen leading roles she sang, and which were probably all written with her special gifts in mind, feature violent juxtapositions of comic and tragic scenes and moods, and they often involve disguises (in La Deidamia a lamenting princess disguises herself as a charming youth; in Argiope, L'Eupatra and Le fortune di Rodope e Damira a scheming princess or queen disguises herself as an ingenuous shepherdess), or other forms of deceit, such as feigned simplicity (Il favorito del principe and Il Bellerofonte), feigned madness (La finta pazza, L'Eupatra and Le fortune di Rodope e Damira), feigned piety (La finta savia) or feigned amorousness (L'Argia).[17] Schneider argues that Renzi could hardly have been satisfied to sing only the role of Ottavia in Poppea, which is half the size of any other role written for her, lacks any hint of comedy, is dramatically and emotionally uniform, is set purely with recitative, and primarily explored the lower range of her voice, and hence he suggests that Ottavia and Drusilla may have been written for her as a virtuoso quick-change part.[18] Strozzi described her art as follows in 1644:
The action that gives soul, spirit, and existence to things must be governed by the movements of the body, by gestures, by the face and by the voice, now raising it, now lowering it, becoming enraged and immediately becoming calm again; at times speaking hurriedly, at others slowly, moving the body now in one, now in another direction, drawing in the arms, and extending them, laughing and crying, now with little, now with much agitation of the hands. Our Signora Anna is endowed with such lifelike expression that her responses and speeches seem not memorized but born at the very moment. In sum, she transforms herself completely into the person she represents, and seems now a Thalia full of comic gaiety, now a Melpomene rich in tragic majesty.[19]
References
^Thomas Walker and Beth L. Glixon. "Renzi, Anna"., Grove Music Online(subscription required)
Belgrano, Elisabeth: ″Lasciatemi Morire″ o farò ″La Finta Pazza″. Embodying vocal NOTHINGNESS on stage in Italian and French 17th century operatic LAMENTS and MAD SCENES, ArtMonitor, diss. Gothenburg, 2011
Glixon, Beth L.: "Private Lives of Public Women: Prima Donnas in Mid-Seventeenth-Century Venice". Music & Letters, Vol. 76, No. 4 (November 1995), pp. 509–31.
Glixon, Beth L. & Glixon, Jonathan E.: Inventing the Business of Opera: The Impresario and His World in Seventeenth-Century Venice, Oxford University Press, Oxford & New York 2006.
Murata, Margaret: "Why the First Opera Given in Paris Wasn't Roman". Cambridge Opera Journal, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Jul., 1995), pp. 87–105.
Wolfgang Osthoff: "Neue Beobachtungen zu Quellen und Geschichte von Monteverdis Incoronazione di Poppea". Die Musikforschung, 1958, No. 11, p. 129–38.
Rosand, Ellen: Opera in Seventeenth-Century Venice: The Creation of a Genre, University of California Press, Berkeley 1991.
Sartori, C.: "La prima diva della lirica italiana: Anna Renzi", Nuova Rivista Musicale Italiana [it] (NRMI), ii (1968), 430–52
Schneider, Magnus Tessing: "Seeing the Empress Again: On Doubling in L'incoronazione di Poppea". Cambridge Opera Journal, Vol. 24, No. 3 (Nov., 2012), pp. 249–91.
Whenham, John: "Perspectives on the Chronology of the First Decade of Public Opera at Venice". Il saggiatore musicale, 2004, No. 11, pp. 253–302.
January 30, 2023
anna, renzi, 1620, after, 1661, italian, soprano, renowned, acting, ability, well, voice, been, described, first, diva, history, opera, contents, career, renzi, performer, references, sourcescareer, editborn, rome, highly, popular, vienna, 1640s, made, debut, . Anna Renzi c 1620 after 1661 was an Italian soprano 1 renowned for her acting ability as well as her voice who has been described as the first diva in the history of opera Anna Renzi Contents 1 Career 2 Renzi as a performer 3 References 4 SourcesCareer EditBorn in Rome Anna Renzi was highly popular in Vienna in 1640s and made her debut in 1640 at the Palazzo Pallavicini Rospigliosi of the French ambassador in the presence of Cardinal Richelieu as Lucinda in Il favorito del principe music lost by it Ottaviano Castelli and the young composer Filiberto Laurenzi 2 who continued to function as her teacher and or accompanist in later years 3 In 1641 she made her sensational Venetian debut as Deidamia the title role of La finta pazza The Feigned Madwoman by Giulio Strozzi and Francesco Sacrati which inaugurated the Teatro Novissimo the sets designed by the celebrated stage designer Giacomo Torelli In 1642 she created Archimene probably doubling as Venere 4 in Il Bellerofonte music lost by Vincenzo Nolfi and Sacrati at the Novissimo and in the same year Orazio Tarditi dedicated a collection of two and three part canzonette to her which bears witness to her fame In 1643 she created two roles at the Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo Aretusa the title role of La finta savia The Feigned Wise Woman music survives in excerpts by Strozzi and Laurenzi and Ottavia in L incoronazione di Poppea by Giovanni Francesco Busenello and Claudio Monteverdi in which opera she is also likely to have created the parts of La Virtu and Drusilla 5 In 1644 she returned to the Novissimo creating the title role of La Deidamia music lost by Scipione Herrico and an unknown composer possibly Laurenzi 6 In the same year she was the subject of Le glorie della signora Anna Renzi romana a collection of encomiums edited by Strozzi which gives a vivid impression of her characteristics as a performer and of her effect on audiences In 1645 she sang in Ercole in Lidia music lost by Maiolino Bisaccioni and Giovanni Rovetta at the same theatre probably the roles of Giunone and Fillide 7 In the same year a marriage contract between Renzi and the Roman violinist Roberto Sabbatini was drawn up but there is no evidence that the nuptials ever took place 8 After the closing of the Novissimo Renzi who was by now the most celebrated and highest paid singer of the age 9 turned to the Santi Giovanni e Paolo In 1646 she probably sang in a revival of Poppea there 10 in 1648 she created the title role probably doubling as a Villanella 4 in La Torilda music lost by Pietro Paolo Bissari and an unknown composer possibly Francesco Cavalli and in 1649 she apparently created the title role in Argiope music lost by Giovanni Battista Fusconi and Alessandro Leardini 7 In 1650 she sang in La Deidamia in Florence and in 1652 she may have created the role of Cleopatra probably doubling as Venere in the prologue in Il Cesare amante music lost by Dario Varotari the Younger and Antonio Cesti at the Santi Giovanni e Paolo 7 In 1653 she seems to have sung in La Torilda and Il Cesare amante in Genoa 11 and in 1654 she sang in a revival of the latter opera retitled La Cleopatra perhaps in her honour 7 at the court theatre in Innsbruck In 1655 she returned to Venice apparently creating the title role probably doubling as Giunone 12 in L Eupatra music lost by Giovanni Faustini and Pietro Andrea Ziani at the Teatro Sant Apollinare Later that year she created the role of Dorisbe in L Argia by Giovanni Filippo Apolloni and Cesti in Innsbruck an opera commissioned by Ferdinand Charles Archduke of Austria in celebration of the conversion to Catholicism of Christina Queen of Sweden who was greatly pleased with Renzi s performance 13 In 1657 Renzi bade farewell to the stage as Damira probably doubling as Giunone in the prologue 4 in Le fortune di Rodope e Damira by Aurelio Aureli and Ziani at the Sant Apollinare The last known reference to her stems from 1660 14 Renzi as a performer EditComposers tended to make use of the full extent of Renzi s voice which spanned from middle C to high B flat 15 and the four surviving non Monteverdian settings of roles written for her by Sacrati Laurenzi Cesti and Ziani are characterized by strong dramatic emotional and stylistic contrasts probably designed to show off her uncanny command of vocal and expressive means 16 Most of the thirteen leading roles she sang and which were probably all written with her special gifts in mind feature violent juxtapositions of comic and tragic scenes and moods and they often involve disguises in La Deidamia a lamenting princess disguises herself as a charming youth in Argiope L Eupatra and Le fortune di Rodope e Damira a scheming princess or queen disguises herself as an ingenuous shepherdess or other forms of deceit such as feigned simplicity Il favorito del principe and Il Bellerofonte feigned madness La finta pazza L Eupatra and Le fortune di Rodope e Damira feigned piety La finta savia or feigned amorousness L Argia 17 Schneider argues that Renzi could hardly have been satisfied to sing only the role of Ottavia in Poppea which is half the size of any other role written for her lacks any hint of comedy is dramatically and emotionally uniform is set purely with recitative and primarily explored the lower range of her voice and hence he suggests that Ottavia and Drusilla may have been written for her as a virtuoso quick change part 18 Strozzi described her art as follows in 1644 The action that gives soul spirit and existence to things must be governed by the movements of the body by gestures by the face and by the voice now raising it now lowering it becoming enraged and immediately becoming calm again at times speaking hurriedly at others slowly moving the body now in one now in another direction drawing in the arms and extending them laughing and crying now with little now with much agitation of the hands Our Signora Anna is endowed with such lifelike expression that her responses and speeches seem not memorized but born at the very moment In sum she transforms herself completely into the person she represents and seems now a Thalia full of comic gaiety now a Melpomene rich in tragic majesty 19 References Edit Thomas Walker and Beth L Glixon Renzi Anna Grove Music Online subscription required Murata p 96 Glixon p 514 a b c Schneider p 270n See Schneider Glixon p 514n a b c d Schneider p 269n Glixon pp 515 16 Glixon amp Glixon p 202 Whenham p 281 Glixon p 518 Schneider pp 269 70n Osthoff p 137 Glixon p 519 Schneider pp 276 78 Schneider pp 274 76 Schneider pp 270 74 Schneider pp 269 84 For contemporary responses to Renzi s performance in the opera see Schneider pp 249 53 280 84 Cited and translated in Rosand p 232 Sources EditBelgrano Elisabeth Lasciatemi Morire o faro La Finta Pazza Embodying vocal NOTHINGNESS on stage in Italian and French 17th century operatic LAMENTS and MAD SCENES ArtMonitor diss Gothenburg 2011 Glixon Beth L Private Lives of Public Women Prima Donnas in Mid Seventeenth Century Venice Music amp Letters Vol 76 No 4 November 1995 pp 509 31 Glixon Beth L amp Glixon Jonathan E Inventing the Business of Opera The Impresario and His World in Seventeenth Century Venice Oxford University Press Oxford amp New York 2006 Murata Margaret Why the First Opera Given in Paris Wasn t Roman Cambridge Opera Journal Vol 7 No 2 Jul 1995 pp 87 105 Wolfgang Osthoff Neue Beobachtungen zu Quellen und Geschichte von Monteverdis Incoronazione di Poppea Die Musikforschung 1958 No 11 p 129 38 Rosand Ellen Opera in Seventeenth Century Venice The Creation of a Genre University of California Press Berkeley 1991 Sartori C La prima diva della lirica italiana Anna Renzi Nuova Rivista Musicale Italiana it NRMI ii 1968 430 52 Schneider Magnus Tessing Seeing the Empress Again On Doubling in L incoronazione di Poppea Cambridge Opera Journal Vol 24 No 3 Nov 2012 pp 249 91 Whenham John Perspectives on the Chronology of the First Decade of Public Opera at Venice Il saggiatore musicale 2004 No 11 pp 253 302 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Anna Renzi amp oldid 1099446344, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
