Giovanni Francesco Grossi
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Giovanni Francesco Grossi (12 February 1653 – 29 May 1697) was one of the greatest
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
castrato A castrato (Italian, plural: ''castrati'') is a type of classical male singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto. The voice is produced by castration of the singer before puberty, or it occurs in one who, due to ...
singers of the baroque age. He is better known as Siface.


Biography

He was born near
Pescia Pescia () is an Italian city in the province of Pistoia, Tuscany, central Italy. It is located in a central zone between the cities Lucca and Florence, on the banks of the river of the same name. History Archaeological excavations have suggest ...
in
Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...
, entered the papal chapel in 1675, and later sang at
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
. He derived his nickname of Siface from his impersonation of that character in Cavalli's opera, ''
Scipione affricano ''Scipione affricano'' (''Scipio Africanus'') is an opera in a prologue and three acts by Francesco Cavalli. It was designated as a ''dramma per musica''. The Italian libretto was by Nicolò Minato, based on Livy's " The Continence of Scipio". ...
''. It has generally been said that he appeared as Siface in
Alessandro Scarlatti Pietro Alessandro Gaspare Scarlatti (2 May 1660 – 22 October 1725) was an Italian Baroque composer, known especially for his operas and chamber cantatas. He is considered the most important representative of the Neapolitan school of opera. ...
's ''Mitridate'', but the confusion is due to his having sung the part of Mitridate in Scarlatti's ''Pompeo at Naples'' in 1683. In 1687, he was sent to
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
by the
duke of Modena Emperor Frederick III conferred Borso d'Este, Lord of Ferrara, with the Duchy of Modena and Reggio in 1452, while Pope Paul II formally elevated him in 1471 as Duke of Ferrara, over which the family had in fact long presided. This latter territo ...
, to become a member of the chapel of James II. He probably did much for the introduction of Italian music into
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, but soon left the country on account of the climate. He was murdered in 1697 on the road between
Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...
and
Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...
, allegedly by the agents of a nobleman with whose wife he had a liaison, although later sources indicate that he was killed at the behest of the brothers of Elena Marsili, a widowed Countess, who Siface had an affair with when they were both at the court of the Duke of Modena.Gramophone Magazine - July 2018, p. 97 Among
Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer. Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest En ...
's
harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...
music is an air entitled ''Sefauchi's Farewell'', presumably written when Siface left England and returned to Italy.


References

* This work in turn cites: ** Corrado Ricci, ''Vita Barocca'' (Milan, 1904). {{DEFAULTSORT:Grossi, Giovanni Francesco 1653 births 1697 deaths Italian male singers People from Pescia Castrati