Valeriano Pellegrini (c. 1663 – 18 January 1746) was an Italian

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

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 ...

singer of the 18th century. He is largely remembered today for his association with the composer

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque music, Baroque composer well known for his opera#Baroque era, operas, oratorios, anthems, concerto grosso, concerti grossi, ...

, for whom he sang in Italy and then later followed to London. He sang the role of Nero in Handel's

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

'' Agrippina'' at the work's initial run in Venice (26 December 1709), a part that demanded a high level of technical skill. His first performance in London was a concert at the Old Spring Garden in the April 1712, and during his time in London performed several roles in operas by Handel; among them Mirtillo in ''

Il pastor fido ''Il pastor fido'' (''The Faithfull Shepherd'' in Richard Fanshawe's 1647 English translation) is a pastoral tragicomedy set in Arcadia by Giovanni Battista Guarini, first published in 1590 in Venice. Plot summary To redress an ancient wrong ...

'' (22 November 1712), the title role in ''

Teseo ''Teseo'' ("Theseus", HWV 9; ) is an opera seria with music by George Frideric Handel, the only Handel opera that is in five acts. The Italian-language libretto was by Nicola Francesco Haym, after Philippe Quinault's ''Thésée''. It was Hande ...

'' (10 January 1713), and Lepidus in ''

Silla Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of K ...

'' (2 June 1713). Having lost his voice in 1728, he retired from singing and became a priest.

References

*Winton Dean: "Pellegrini, Valeriano", ''Grove Music Online'' ed L. Macy (Accessed 16 January 2007)
grovemusic.com
, subscription access. Castrati Italian opera singers Year of birth uncertain 1746 deaths {{italy-opera-singer-stub