Anastasia Robinson
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BOOK IV. Guwaok., J.
R. Handel continued to fulfil his engagements with the direc
tors, until the year 1726, when, having compofed a new opera,
entitled Aleffandro, and engaged a new finger, namely Signora Fau-
ftina, he laid the foundation of a difpute, that terminated in the ruin
of the whole undertaking.
But before we proceed to relate the circumftances of this event, it
may be obferved that it feemed to be no more than the neceflary
confequence of that extravagant applaufe which the opera au-
dience had fhewn itfelf ever ready to beftow on their favourites among
the fingers. Senefino was one of the firft that difcovered this bene-
volent propenfity in the Englifh, and he laboured by a vigo~
rous exertion of all his powers, to cultivate and improve that good
opinion which had been conceived of him on his firft appearance
among us; and it was not long before he began to feel his own im-
portance. Handel was not a proud man, but he was capricious : In
his comparifon of the merits of a compofer and’ thofe of a finger, he
eftimated the latter at a very low rate, and affected to treat Senefino
with a degree of indifference that the other could but ill brook; in
fhort, they were upon very ill terms almoft from the time of their
firft coming together ; but in a year or two after Fauftina’s arrival,
the
Chap.1: AND PRACTICE OF MUSIC. 301
the flame of civil difcord burft forth, and all was diforder and confu-
fion. The two women were foon fenfible, from the applaufe beftow-
ed upon Senefino, that the favour of an Englith audience was worth
courting ; and in proportion as it appeared defirable, each of them
began to grow jealous of the other: Senefino had no rival, but each
of the women was poffeffed of talents fufficient to engage a very
ftrong party. To render the hiftory of this conteft a ee will
require a fhort digreflion,
‘ MRS.ANAS TASIA ROBINSON.
AFTERWARDS COUNTESS OF PETERBOROUGH.
Mrs. ANASTASIA RoBINSON was defcended from a good fa-
mily in the county of Leicefter; her father was brought up to the
profeffion of a portrait painter, and having, to perfect himfelf in
Vou. V. Mmm his
302 HISTORY OF THE SCIENCE BookIV.
his ftudies, travelled to Rome, he returned to England, and fet-
tling in London, married a woman of fome fortune, by whom he
had one only child, the fubje&t of the prefent article. In the in-
fancy of this his daughter, Mr. Robinfon had the misfortune to lofe
his wife. By a fecond marriage with a young gentlewoman of the
name of Lane, he had another daughter, who was baptized Margaret.
Mr. Robinfon had for fome time laboured under a diforder in his
eyes, which terminated in the lofs of his fight, and deprived him of
the means of fupporting himfelf and his family by the exercife of his
pencil. Under the heavy preflure of this calamity, he and: his
wife reflecting on their inability to make a provifion for them, re-
folved to bring up both the children to a profeflion : Anaftafia, the
elder, having difcovered in her childhood an ear for mufic, was de- -
figned by them for a finger; and other motives, equally cogent at
the time, determined them to make of Peggy a miniature painter:
The ftory of this younger daughter is but fhort, and is, againft the
order of precedence, here inferted, to prevent a digreffion in that
which is more to our purpofe, the hiftory of her fifter.
The fecond Mrs. Robinfon was poffefled of a fmall income, which,
under the direction of her hufband, was appropriated to the inftruétion
of the two children in the profeffions they were feverally intended for;
but all the endeavours of the parents in favour of the younger were in
vain; fhe flighted her ftudies, and, deviating into her fifter’s track,
would learn nothing but mufic: Yielding therefore to this {trong
propenfity, Mr. Robinfon placed her under Bononcini, and after-
wards fent her to Paris, where, being committed to the tuition of
Rameau, and having a moft delicate ear, and great powers of execu-
‘tion, fhe attained to fuch a degree of perfection in finging, as fether
upon a level with the moft celebrated performers of the time; but
having a natural bafhfulnefs, which fhe could never overcome, and
being befides lower in ftature than the loweft of her fex, the could
never be prevailed on to become a public finger, but {pent her life
in obf{curity. On the other hand, Anaftafia, who had been com-
mitted to the care of Dr. Croft, but was rather lefs indebted to na-
ture for the gift of a voice than her fitter, profecuted her ftudies with
the utmoft induftry. With the affiftance of her father the became
fuch a miftrefs of the Italian language, that fhe was able to converfe
in it, and to repeat with the utmoft propriety paflages from the poets.
To remedy fome defeats in her finging, to mend if poflible her thake,
which
OR OE ee ae ee
ee Ba i eS |
ee ee
Chap. 1. .AND PRACTICE OF MUSIC. 403
which was not altogether correct, and, above all, to make the Italian
modulation familiar to her, the affiftance of Sandoni, a celebrated
teacher *, was called in ; but all that could be done by him, and the
lady called the Baronefs, a finger in the opera, then greatly careffed,
in thefe refpects was but little ; fhe had a fine voice, and an extenfive
compafs, but fhe wanted a nice and difcriminating ear to make her
a perfect finger. Her firft public appearance was in the concerts
performed at that time in York-buildings, and at other places, in
which fhe fung, and generally accompanied herfelf on the harpfi-
chord. Her father had carefully attended to her education, and had
exerted his utmoft efforts in the improvement of her mind ; the ad-
vantages fhe derived from thefe inftances of his affe€tion, added to
her own good fenfe and amiable qualities, confifting in a ftritly vir-
tuous difpofition, a conduc full of refpect to her fuperiors, and
an undiffembled courtefy and affability to others, mixed with a chear-
fulnefs that diffufed itfelf to all around her, were vifible in the re-
ception fhe met with from the public, which was of fuch a kind, as
feemed to enfure her fuccefs in whatever fhe undertook. En-
couraged by the favour of the public to his daughter, and more
efpecially by the countenance and bounty of fome perfons of high
rank of her own fex, Mr. Robinfon took a houfe in Golden-fquare,
and had concerts, and alfo converfations on certain days in every
week, which were the refort of all who had any pretenfions to-
politenefs.
At the time when Mrs. Tofts and Margarita retired from the
ftage, {carce any female fingers worth hearing were left; Mrs.
Linfey, Mrs. Crofs, Signora Ifabella Girardeau, and the Baronefs
abovementioned, are the only names that we meet with, except the
two former, and Signora Maria Gallia, who-fung the part of Rofa-
mond in Mr. Addifon’s opera of that name, between the time of the
firft introdu@ion of the opera and the year 1718. Under thefe fa-
vourable circumftances, and the feveral others above enumerated, Mrs.
Robinfon was prevailed on to appear on the opera ftage: The firit
opera fhe fung in was that of Narciffus mentioned in a preceding page
to have been compofed by Domenico Scarlatti, and brought on the
ftage by Rofeingrave; in this fhe fung the part of Echo with great
applaufe. Inthe fucceeding operas of Mutius Scevola, Crifpus, Gri-
* Pier-Giufeppe Sandoni ; he publifhed, and dedicated to the countefs of Pembroke, a:
work of his entitled * Cantate da Camera e Sonate per il Cembalo.’
felda,,
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