Great Singers, First Series: Faustina Bordoni To Henrietta Sontag

In Short

This collection of biographical sketches documents the professional ascent and private realities of legendary singers from Faustina Bordoni to Henrietta Sontag. By drawing on contemporary accounts, diaries, and critical reviews, the narrative reconstructs the glittering, often volatile world of the opera house. It serves as a historical mosaic, preserving the anecdotes and artistic reputations of vocal icons who defined a golden age of performance. Its enduring value lies in its role as a repository for the ephemeral brilliance of voices that have long since fallen silent.

The Story

The narrative opens in the early eighteenth century with the fierce rivalry between Faustina Bordoni and Francesca Cuzzoni, two masters of the Italian stage whose competition sparked literal art-battles among their partisan fans. Faustina’s path takes a turn toward stability when she marries the prolific composer Adolph Hasse. Their union, characterized by mutual affection and a shared life in the musical hubs of Dresden and Vienna, offers a grounded contrast to the often-tumultuous lives of their peers. As the decades pass, the reader sees them not as unreachable idols but as a "humdrum" aging couple visited by curious travelers, marking a quiet end to a career of immense public acclaim.

The focus then shifts to the high-drama personalities who dominated the European opera scene. We encounter the arrogant, sword-wielding castrato Caffarelli, whose vanity leads to public clashes, and the brilliant Sophie Arnould, whose sharp wit and intelligence make her a social force in pre-revolutionary Paris. Arnould’s story is particularly poignant, as she navigates the transition from the court-sanctioned operas of Rameau to the emotionally resonant works of Gluck. Her later life, scarred by the chaos of the French Revolution, highlights the precarious nature of an artist's status when the social order that sustained it crumbles. Through the benevolence of a former admirer, she finds a meager security in her final years, passing away in relative obscurity.

As the nineteenth century dawns, the narrative follows figures like Elizabeth Billington, whose technical precision is tested by the playful, sometimes spiteful competition of fellow performers like the tenor Braham. These accounts reveal the exhausting realities of constant touring and the relentless pressure to maintain a "perfect" public image. We see the rise of the temperamental yet immensely gifted Angelica Catalani, who manages her own career with a mixture of immense professional ambition and a naive, unshakable belief in her own divine right to success. Her life is a cycle of triumphs—marked by showers of diamonds and medals—and costly management blunders that force her back onto the concert stage.

The final arc follows the evolution of operatic tragedy through the legendary Giuditta Pasta and the serene, beloved Henrietta Sontag. Pasta’s ability to embody complex, powerful roles like Medea and Amina elevates the dramatic stakes of the art form, while Sontag represents the ideal of the "virtuous lady," a performer whose personal dignity matches her vocal grace. Sontag’s journey ends with the tragic irony of her final tour in Mexico, where she succumbs to cholera just as her goal of restoring her family’s fortune is within reach. Her funeral, marked by an outpouring of international artistic tributes, serves as a solemn coda to a volume defined by the transient nature of fame.

How It Unfolds

The birth of rivalry The book begins by establishing the intense, factional nature of early operatic culture through the fierce feud between Faustina Bordoni and Cuzzoni. It details how these singers became symbols of competing musical ideologies.

The domestic life of artists The narrative pivots to the surprisingly stable marriage between Faustina and Hasse. It provides a rare glimpse into the later, quiet years of a couple who once commanded the attention of European royalty.

The volatile stage The text explores the darker, more explosive side of the profession, detailing the ego-driven antics of singers like Caffarelli. These anecdotes illustrate the thin line between artistic passion and public scandal.

Revolution and loss The life of Sophie Arnould highlights the impact of political upheaval on the arts. Her story demonstrates how even the most celebrated idols were vulnerable to the shifting tides of the French Revolution.

The concert circuit The middle chapters document the grueling, high-stakes life of singers like Catalani as they travel across a continent eager for their presence. It shows the tension between artistic genius and the mercenary demands of management.

The evolution of tragedy The focus turns to the dramatic depth brought to the stage by Giuditta Pasta. It tracks how she transformed operatic roles into profound, modern displays of emotional realism.

The final curtain The volume concludes with the career and sudden death of Henrietta Sontag. Her story serves as a final reflection on the nobility and physical peril inherent in the life of a traveling prima donna.

The People

Faustina Bordoni and her husband, Adolph Hasse, anchor the narrative in a rare instance of professional and personal harmony, representing the transition from the height of fame to a dignified, if humble, old age. In contrast, Caffarelli stands as the archetype of the difficult, mercurial genius, whose volatile temperament frequently threatened his own standing. Sophie Arnould provides a bridge between the art of the old regime and the dawn of a new, more dramatic style; she remains defined by her sharp wit and her ability to survive the collapse of the world she knew.

Angelica Catalani and Elizabeth Billington represent the sheer, undeniable power of the diva. Catalani is driven by a profound, almost religious sense of her own importance, while Billington grapples with the exhausting demands of technical perfection and the petty jealousies of her peers. Giuditta Pasta appears as a transformative figure who moves the art of singing away from mere ornamentation toward deep, psychological characterization. Finally, Henrietta Sontag embodies the ideal of the artist as a moral and professional standard-bearer. Her life ends in a moment of poignant irony, serving as a reminder that the most disciplined, beloved figures were just as susceptible to the cruelties of fate as anyone else.

In Its Own Voice

"Signor Hasse soon entered the room; he is tall and rather large in size, but it is easy to imagine that in his younger days he must have been a robust and fine figure; great gentleness and goodness appear in his countenance and manners."

The author describes a visit to the elderly, retired couple, Hasse and Faustina, to show them in their quiet final years.

"For when God has given to a mortal so extraordinary a talent as I possess, people ought to applaud and honor it as a miracle; it is profane to depreciate the gifts of Heaven."

The singer Angelica Catalani explains her view of herself after receiving criticism for her vocal performances.

"The varied resources of the great art of tragedy were consummately drawn forth by her Desdemona, in this opera, though she was yet to astonish the world with that impersonation imperishably linked with her name in the history of art."

The author discusses the dramatic range of Giuditta Pasta as she masters the roles of the tragic stage.

What It's Really About

This book is a meditation on the fleeting nature of the performing arts and the immense, often hidden, labor required to sustain a public persona. It asks what it truly means to be "great" in a field where the only evidence of genius is the fading memory of an audience. By contrasting the public adoration of singers with their often lonely or tragic private lives, the author explores the tension between the artist as a divine conduit for beauty and the artist as a vulnerable human being. It questions how much of a performer's reputation is built on genuine skill versus the strategic, often ruthless management of a public image in an era of intense, fickle competition.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate the granular details of music history and the human stories behind the "great names" will find this volume deeply compelling. It feels like a long, immersive conversation with a well-read guide who has spent decades sifting through old diaries and dusty critiques. The prose is warm and atmospheric, avoiding the coldness of a formal catalog to favor the intimacy of a life story. However, modern readers should be prepared for the book's period-specific attitudes; the author writes with the certainties of the late nineteenth century, and the focus is strictly on the European classical tradition, which can feel narrow by modern standards.

The book does not shy away from the darker or more absurd aspects of the stage—including mechanical failures, petty rivalries, and the physical toll of constant travel. It is a slow, methodical read that requires patience, but it rewards it with a vivid sense of the past. What stays with the reader is the poignant contrast between the thunderous applause recorded in these pages and the inevitable silence that follows each performer, making the book a thoughtful reflection on what we choose to remember and how we define artistic legacy.