A caricature of a performance of Handel's Flavio, featuring Berenstadt on the far right, the soprano Francesca Cuzzoni in the centre and Senesino on the left.

Gaetano Berenstadt (b Florence, 7 June 1687; bur. Florence, 9 Dec 1734) was an Italian alto castrato who is best remembered for his association with the composer George Frideric Handel: Berenstadt created roles in three of Handel's operas. Berenstadt's parents were German and his father was timpanist to the Grand Duke of Tuscany. By the end of his 27-year-long career Berenstadt had sung in 55 dramatic works, 33 of which were newly composed.^[1] After singing at Naples and Bologna, Berenstadt visited London in 1717, where he performed the role of Argante in a revival of Handel's Rinaldo. The original bass part, sung by Giuseppe Maria Boschi, was transposed up for Berenstadt's alto voice and in this revised version the character has three new arias composed for Berenstadt to sing. After returning to Italy to sing at Rome and Milan Berenstadt came back to London in 1722 to sing for the composers of the Royal Academy of Music. It was at this time that he created the roles of Tolomeo in Handel's Giulio Cesare, the title role in Flavio, and the role of Adelberto in Ottone. He also performed in operas by Bononcini and Ariosti.^[2] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Please do not edit yet. ... Francesca Cuzzoni (1700 - 1770) was an Italian soprano. ... Senesino (Francesco Bernardi) (1690?-1750?) was a celebrated Italian castrato who worked in London for some time. ... Florence (Italian: ) is the capital city of the region of Tuscany, Italy. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A castrato is a male soprano, mezzo-soprano, or alto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... George Frideric Handel, 1733 George Frideric Handel (23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-born British Baroque composer who was a leading composer of concerti grossi, operas and oratorios. ... The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. ... “Napoli” redirects here. ... Bologna (IPA , from Latin Bononia, BulÃ¥ggna in Emiliano-Romagnolo) is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy, in the Pianura Padana, between the Po River and the Apennines, exactly between the Reno River and the Sàvena River. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Rinaldo and Armida by Francois Boucher, 1734 (Louvre Museum) Rinaldo is an Italian opera by George Friderich Handel. ... A caricature of Boschi Giuseppe Maria Boschi (b ?Mantua; fl 1698–1744) was an Italian bass - though in modern terms a baritone - of the 18th century. ... Nickname: Motto: SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Government  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area  - City 1,285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban 5... This article is about the city in Italy. ... The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) is a constituent college of the University of London, and is one of the leading music institutions in the world. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Please do not edit yet. ... Ottone, de di Germania (Otho, King of Germany) is a opera by Handel composed in 1723. ... Giovanni Battista Bononcini (18 July 1670 - 9 July 1747) was an Italian Baroque composer and cellist, one of a family of musicians. ...

Berenstadt left London in 1724 and returned to Italy. In 1726 he began to sing music by well-known galant composers at Rome and other Italian cities. He created roles in three works by Leonardo Vinci and two in new compositions by Johann Adolph Hasse. His final stage appearances were at Florence in 1734. He published some music in his last years, during which he also suffered from rheumatism.^[3] Nickname: Motto: SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Government  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area  - City 1,285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban 5... Leonardo Vinci (1690-1730), not to be confused with Leonardo da Vinci, was an Italian musical composer, best known for his operas. ... Johann Adolph Hasse. ...

42 of Berenstadt's letters survive. They are mostly concerned with his love of obscure books and fine arts: he was frequent buyer and seller of both, and compiled an extensive library that contained many incunabula.^[4] The librettist and poet Apostolo Zeno described him as possessing "an excellent knowledge of our best authors and superb taste in the realms of Italian poetry and eloquence".^[5] A page from a rare Blackletter Bible (1497) printed in Strassburg by J.R.Grueninger. ... Apostolo Zeno (born in Venice, December 11, 1668; died in Venice, November 11, 1750) was an Italian poet, librettist, journalist, and man of letters. ...

18th-century musicologist Charles Burney described Berenstadt as an "evirato of a huge unwieldy figure". In operas, he usually took the role of villainous tyrants: it would seem that his physical bulk made him unsuitable as a portrayer of a young lover or a woman, and he never portrayed a female character.^[6] The arias composed for him show that his voice possessed only a limited range but considerable vocal virtuosity. Stepwise movement is often avoided in these arias, which consist of sudden, quick leaps: Berenstadt's roles contain very few slow or pathetic arias.^[7] In London his roles consist of three arias, though the parts composed for him in Italy contain four to eight solo arias or duets.^[8] Charles Burney by Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1781 Charles Burney (April 12, 1726 – April 12, 1814) was an English music historian and father of author Fanny Burney. ...

Reference

• Lowell Lindgren: "Berenstadt, Gaetano", Grove Music Online ed L. Macy (Accessed 31 January 2007), grovemusic.com, subscription access.

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