Élisabeth Duparc or Du Parc, nicknamed "La Francesina", (died 1778) was a French soprano notable for appearing in several premieres and performances of the oratorios and operas of

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

- she played the title role, for example, in the premiere of ''

Semele Semele (; Ancient Greek: Σεμέλη ), in Greek mythology, was the youngest daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia (Greek goddess), Harmonia, and the mother of Dionysus by Zeus in one of his many origin myths. Certain elements of the cult of Dionysu ...

'', and sang in the premiere of ''

Saul Saul (; he, , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, supposedly marked the transition of Israel and Judah from a scattered tri ...

''.Roland de Candé ''Les chefs-d'oeuvre classiques de la musique'' 2000 "Saul. Janvier 1739 Haymarket ..

Gustavus Waltz Gustavus Waltz ( fl. 1732–1759) was a German bass opera singer. Basing himself in England from 1732, he collaborated with Handel from 1733 when he appeared in ''La Semiramide riconosciuta'', an opera pasticcio. Like Handel, Waltz took Brit ...

(B),

John Beard John Beard may refer to: * John Beard (artist) (born 1943), Welsh artist and painter * John Beard (colonial administrator) (died 1685), Chief Agent and Governor of Bengal * John Beard (embryologist) (1858–1924), Scottish embryologist and anatomi ...

(T), Cecilia Young-Arne (S), Élisabeth Duparc (la Francesina; S). Direction : Haendel." After training in Italy she sang in Florence (1731, 1734–35) then London (1736 onwards) - at the latter she initially joined the

Opera of the Nobility The Opera of the Nobility (or Nobility Opera ) was an opera company set up and funded in 1733 by a group of nobles (under Frederick, Prince of Wales) opposed to George II of Great Britain, in order to rival the (Second) Royal Academy of Music compan ...

, where she appeared in operas by

Riccardo Broschi Riccardo Broschi (c. 1698 – 1756) was a composer of baroque music and the brother of the opera singer Carlo Broschi, known as Farinelli. Life Broschi was born in Naples, the son of Salvatore Broschi, a composer and chapelmaster of the Cathe ...

Egidio Duni Egidio Romualdo Duni (or ''Egide Romuald Duny''; 11 February 1708 – 11 June 1775) was an Italian composer who studied in Naples and worked in Italy, France and London, writing both Italian and French operas. Biography Born in Matera, Duni was ...

Giovanni Battista Pescetti Giovanni Battista Pescetti (c. 170420 March 1766) was an organist, harpsichordist, and composer known primarily for his operas and keyboard sonatas. Musicologist and University of California, Santa Barbara professor John E. Gillespie wrote that Pes ...

and

Francesco Maria Veracini Francesco Maria Veracini (1 February 1690 – 31 October 1768) was an Italian composer and violinist, perhaps best known for his sets of violin sonatas. As a composer, according to Manfred Bukofzer, "His individual, if not subjective, style has ...

References

French operatic sopranos 1778 deaths Year of birth unknown Singers from London Place of birth unknown {{France-opera-singer-stub