Giacinto Fontana

Domenico Giacinto Fontana
Caricature of Fontana by Pier Leone Ghezzi
Born	1692 Perugia, Italy
Died	1739 (aged 47) Perugia, Italy
Nationality	Italian
Other names	Farfallino ("Little Butterfly")
Occupation	Castrato singer
Years active	1712–1736
Known for	Soprano female roles

Domenico Giacinto Fontana (1692–1739), also known as "Farfallino", was an Italian castrato singer active primarily in Rome from 1712 to 1736. He specialised in singing soprano female roles and earned the name "Farfallino" ("Little Butterfly") for his graceful stage appearance. He was born in Perugia and died there at the age of 47.^[1][2] At times he feared ridicule by performing certain roles, such as a pregnant primadonna.^[3]

Roles created

Fontana is known to have created the following roles:^[4]

• Olimpia in Giovanni Bononcini's Crispo (1721)
• Griselda in Alessandro Scarlatti's Griselda (1721)
• Hippolyte in Vivaldi's Ercole su'l Termodonte (1723)
• Marzia in Leonardo Vinci's Catone in Utica (1728)
• Semiramide in Leonardo Vinci's La Semiramide riconosciuta (1729)
• Mandane in Leonardo Vinci's Artaserse (1730)
• Cleofide in Leonardo Vinci's Alessandro nell'Indie (1730)

References

1. Brumana, Biancamaria (1996). "Giacinto Fontana detto Farfallino e la sua carriera nei teatri di Roma" in Saverio Franchi (ed.). Il melodramma a Roma tra Sei e Settecento, pp. 75–112. Archivio Guido Izzi.
2. Markstrom, Kurt Sven (2007). The Operas of Leonardo Vinci, Napoletano, pp. 137–138. Pendragon Press
3. Strohm, Richard (1997). Drama Per Musica: Italian Opera Seria of the Eighteenth Century. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. p. 47. ISBN 0-300-06454-3.
4. Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Fontana's performances". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).