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TOC
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music; but the first day he performed
before the king and queen of Spain, it
was determined that he should be taken
into the service of the court, to which
he was ever after wholly appropriated,
not being once suffered to sing again in
public. A pension was then settled on
him of upwards of 2000 £. sterling a
year.
He told me, that for the first ten years
of his residence at the court of Spain,
during the life of Philip the Vth, he sung
every night to that monarch the same
four airs, of which two were composed
by Hasse, Pallido il sole, and Per questo dolce
amplesso. I forget the others, but one
was a minuet which he used to vary at
his pleasure.
After the death of Philip the Vth, his
favour continued under his successor Fer-
dinand the VIth, by whom he was dig-
nified with the order of Calatrava in
1750; but then his duty became less
constant and fatiguing, as he persuaded
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