The Francesco
Borosini Homepage 
"Francesco Borosini: First Among Tenors" - Paper
Francesco Borosini (c.1688-c.1750) was arguably
the first tenor to achieve "superstar"
status in the operatic world of early 18th-century Europe.
Born in Modena, the son of a successful tenor, Francesco
was trained in the "family business" of
singing, and appeared in opera houses throughout northern
Italy early in his career. His appointment to the
imperial court of Charles VI in Vienna in 1712 marked the beginning of
a long association with Caldara, Fux, Conti, and Porsile, among others. He appeared in
many operas, oratorios and chamber works there.
In 1724, Borosini was engaged by Handel for a season with the King's
Theater, Haymarket, London. There he created Handel's two
greatest tenor roles, Bajazet in
Tamerlano, and Grimoaldo
in Rodelinda. Handel also re-scored the role of
Sesto for him in the 1725 revival of Giulio Cesare in
Egito. Later, Borosini became an impresario
himself.
While not quite a "household word" among aficionados of Baroque opera, he deserves to be as well-known as Farinelli, Senesino, Francesca Cuzzoni and Faustina Bordoni, each of whom was a colleague of Borosini's at one time or another. He was the first singer to challange the iron-clad dominance of the castrati and to compete with the sopranos as an expressive and technically gifted artist.
To read to the entire paper, "Francesco Borosini: First Among Tenors", click here.
For a list of operas in which Borosini appeared, click here.
