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TOC
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rehearsal; nor did the singers, though
they exerted themselves more, appear
to equal advantage: not one of the pre-
sent voices is sufficiently powerful for
such a theatre, when so crowded and so
noisy. Signora Bianchi, the first wo-
man, whose sweet voice and simple man-
ner of singing gave me and others so
much pleasure at the rehearsal, did not
satisfy the Neapolitans, who have been
accustomed to the force and brilliancy of
a Gabrielli, a Teiber, and a de Amici.
There is too much simplicity in her
manner for the depraved appetites of these
enfans gatés, who are never pleased but
when astonished.
As to the music, much of the clair-
obscure was lost, and nothing could be
heard distinctly but those noisy and fu-
rious parts which were meant merely to
give relief to the rest; the mezzotints
and back-ground were generally lost, and
indeed little was left but the bold
and coarse strokes of the composer's pencil.
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