Ersilia

Lore & Background

Pacchierotti's early life remains largely obscure, though he likely studied with Mario Bittoni in Fabriano. His professional debut occurred during the carnival season of 1759 at the Teatro dei Nobili in Perugia, performing the female role of Livietta in Baldassare Galuppi's *Le nozze di Dorina*. By the late 1760s, he was a fixture in Venice as both an opera singer and choir member at St Mark's. His first major success as a primo uomo came in summer 1769 at the Teatro San Benedetto, singing Agenore in Galuppi's *Il re pastore*. In Palermo (1770), he performed alongside Caterina Gabrielli, surpassing her virtuosity to earn her admiration. His time in Naples saw him perform twenty operas over five years, often opposite Anna de Amicis. This period was marked by drama: an officer named Francesco Ruffo insulted him, leading to a duel and Pacchierotti's imprisonment until the King of Naples ordered his release.

In Their Own Story

After leaving Naples in 1776, Pacchierotti dominated northern Italian stages for fifteen years. On 3 August 1778, he inaugurated the Teatro alla Scala in Milan as Asterio in Salieri's *Europa riconosciuta*. In London, between 1778 and 1791, he was universally adored by cognoscenti like Lord Mount Edgcumbe. During the anti-Catholic Gordon Riots of June 1780, he refused to remove his name from his door, walking openly while mobs yelled "No Popery!" He captivated Susanna Burney, who called his singing "divine," and was described by William Beckford as being loved by Lady Mary Duncan "more preciously... than a she-bear of its suckling." On 27 May 1784, he sang Handel arias at the composer's centenary. His final London visit in 1791 featured Haydn's *Arianna a Naxos* accompanied by Haydn himself.

Reader's Guide

Pacchierotti returned to Italy for the inauguration of the Teatro la Fenice on 16 May 1792, singing Alceo in Paisiello's *I giuochi d'Agrigento*. His last operatic role was Ines de Castro in Giuseppe Giordani's work at Venice on 27 January 1793. Forced to perform for Napoleon on 2 May 1797, his patriotism led to further imprisonment after a letter criticizing the French destruction of Venice was intercepted. He retired to Padua but sang one final public motet in Mirano on 19 October 1817 at age seventy-seven. Famous for saying "he who knows how to breathe, knows how to sing," he taught until his death on 28 October 1821.

Did You Know?

• Pacchierotti sang the role of Livietta, a female part, at his debut in 1759 because it was common for young castrati to play such roles.
• During the Gordon Riots of June 1780, he insisted on walking London streets openly as an Italian Catholic while mobs shouted "No Popery!"
• The singer once remarked that he sang devoutly at his patron Galuppi's funeral in 1785 to obtain a quiet for his soul.
• William Beckford wrote that Lady Mary Duncan was more fond of Pacchierotti than a she-bear is of its suckling.
• On 2 May 1797, he was imprisoned by French police after an intercepted letter referred to the destruction of the Venetian Republic as "the splendid miseries of victory."