The Castrato Sacrifice: Was it Justified? Page: 47
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patron, and provides more details about Farinelli's life. Leeds commissioned at least two
portraits of Farinelli, and an inventory of Farinelli's collection revealed that he had paintings of
the Duke of Leeds. One such portrait of Farinelli is rather unusual. It was most likely painted by
Jacopo Amigoni. Instead of a formal pose with allegorical figures like most English portraits of
the time, he was portrayed in a much more informal and spontaneous manner with sheet music
and a dove in a white cloth. This is indicative of the intimate friendship that must have existed
between Farinelli and the Duke of Leeds. When tragedy struck the Duke's personal life in the
form of Lady Caroline Darcy, who refused his marriage proposal in favor of another, he turned
to Farinelli for healing. A letter to the Duke of Essex describes Leeds' choice of therapy:
The poor Duke of Leeds is, they say, retiring into Yorkshire, to endeavor to forget his
Disppointmt in Lady Caroline Darcy, who, I suppose, upon being nearly pressed by his
Grace, owned an Engagement with Lord Jedburgh... His Grace did certainly retire to
Weybridge on a Sudden, and the Town assigned this for the reason: He takes Farinelli
with him into the Country to sooth his Sorrows. (Heriot 1975)
Farinelli seemed to have a penchant for soothing the sorrows of those close to him and
forming friendships that lasted his whole life. When Leeds' son took his own Grand Tour in
1769 and encountered the singer for himself, it was reported that: "upon being told it was the son
of his patron and friend, the Duke of Leeds, he threw his arms round his neck, and shed tears of
joy in embracing him" (Burney). As with his old friend and "dear twin" Metastasio, it is
unlikely that Farinelli ever saw Leeds again after his farewell performance on June 11, 1737 in
London. But they remained friends, and would always have their correspondence and beautiful
portraits to immortalize their friendship (McGeary 2002).
With Farinelli's unprecedented success as a singer, one may have expected him to pursue
the opera stage fully until the end of his days. But after this farewell performance in London, he47
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Sowle, Jennifer. The Castrato Sacrifice: Was it Justified?, thesis, August 2006; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc5343/m1/50/: accessed May 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .