''Marcantonio Pasqualini Crowned by Apollo'' (1641) by Andrea Sacchi. Marco Antonio Pasqualini (stage name Malagigi; Rome, 25 April 1614 – Rome, 2 July 1691) was an Italian

castrato A castrato (Italian; : castrati) is a male singer who underwent castration before puberty in order to retain a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto. The voice can also occur in one who, due to an endocrino ...

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

singer who performed during the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

period. He has been described as "the leading male soprano of his day". He was also a composer, having written more than 250 arias and cantatas. Despite being historically addressed as a

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical 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 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

, Pasqualini's vocal range extended no higher than B5. Thus, he was a

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

by modern classification.

Life and career

Marc'Antonio Pasqualini began his singing career at a very young age. On 1 April 1623, at the age of nine, he entered the choir of the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome, where he completed his studies with

Vincenzo Ugolini Vincenzo Ugolini (Perugia, 1 November 1578 - Rome, 6 May 1638) was an Italian composer of the early Baroque era and of the Roman School. Life Born in Perugia, he was first a ''puer chori'' (boy soprano) at San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome under Gio ...

. From 1629 he was in the service of Cardinal Antonio Barberini junior. Under the protection of the cardinal he entered the choir of the

Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel ( ; ; ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the pope's official residence in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), it takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who had it built between 1473 and ...

in January 1631, at the age of 17, and in 1655 he was appointed

maestro di cappella ( , , ), from German (chapel) and (master), literally "master of the chapel choir", designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term has evolved considerably in i ...

of the chapel. In 1647 at the invitation of

Cardinal Jules Mazarin Jules Mazarin (born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino or Mazarini; 14 July 1602 – 9 March 1661), from 1641 known as Cardinal Mazarin, was an Italian Catholic prelate, diplomat and politician who served as the chief minister to the Kings of France Lou ...

, Pasqualini stayed in Paris, where he participated in the creation of the opera Orfeo by his composer

Luigi Rossi Luigi Rossi (c. 1597 – 20 February 1653) was an Italian Baroque composer. Born in Torremaggiore, a small town near Foggia, in the ancient kingdom of Naples, at an early age he went to Naples where he studied music with the Franco-Flemish comp ...

on a libretto by Francesco Buti. In the opera, successfully premiered on 2 March 1647 at the Palais-Royal in Paris with Atto Melani and

Jacopo Melani Jacopo Melani (6 July 1623 – 18 August 1676) was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era. He was born and died in Pistoia, and was the brother of composer Alessandro Melani and singer Atto Melani. Works *1655-6: Intermedi (wit ...

, Pasqualini played the role of Aristeo. He retired from his duties in 1659.

Patrons

From 1631/2 Pasqualini was a protagonist of many operas produced at the

Palazzo Barberini The Palazzo Barberini () is a 17th-century palace in Rome, facing the Piazza Barberini in Rione Trevi. Today, it houses the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, the main national collection of older paintings in Rome. History Around 1549 Cardinal ...

and

Teatro delle Quattro Fontane The Teatro delle Quattro Fontane ('Theatre of the Four Fountains'), also known as the Teatro Barberini, was an opera house, opera theatre in Rome, Italy, designed (in part) by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and built in 1632 by the Barberini family. From 16 ...

. He benefited greatly from the generosity of his patrons, the

Barberini The House of Barberini is a family of the Italian nobility that rose to prominence in the 17th century Rome. Their influence peaked with the election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini to the papal throne in 1623, as Pope Urban VIII. Their urban pal ...

family of

Pope Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII (; ; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death, in July 1644. As pope, he expanded the papal terri ...

, who were enthusiastic supporters of early opera. Pasqualini is thought to have conducted an ongoing homosexual relationship with one of his patrons, Cardinal

Antonio Barberini Antonio Barberini (5 August 1607 – 3 August 1671) was an Italian people, Italian Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Reims, Archbishop of Reims, military leader, patron of the arts a ...

. Contemporary testimony leaves little doubt that the "veritable passion" the cardinal felt extended to more than Pasqualini's beautiful voice.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emt7PdL3r_Q Max Emanuel Cencic

References

1614 births 1691 deaths Italian opera singers Castrati Italian male classical composers Italian Baroque composers 17th-century Italian composers 17th-century Italian male musicians {{italy-opera-singer-stub