Previous posts for August 17 are here: Nicola Porpora (2019), (2020), Nicola Porpora; Mae West (2021), and Nicola Porpora (2022)
Nicola Porpora (17 August 1686 – 3 March 1768) was a fine composer and a great singing teacher.
Rivals
In 1729 the anti-Handel clique led by the Prince of Wales invited Porpora to London to set up the Opera of the Nobility as a rival to Handel's, but even the presence of his pupil, the great Farinelli, failed to save the dramatic company from bankruptcy. – Wikipedia
The Opera of the Nobility went bankrupt and was dissolved in 1737, but not before it had poached some of Handel's best singers and forced his company into bankruptcy too. – adapted from Wikipedia, s.v. “Opera of the Nobility”
London’s Anti-Handel clique
Looked around and made their pick,
And Porpora was duly hired
With all the singers he required,
But sadly without ticket sales
Any public venture fails,
Though bolstered by the Prince of Wales,
And so this troupe of such renown
Went bankrupt in Old London Town,
But also brought Herr Händel down.
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