23/06/1685, Bologna, Italy ― 01/03/1756, same place
Italian opera singer-castrato (sopranist). He made his debut on the opera stage in 1703 in Genoa, then performed a lot in almost all the major cities of Italy, performing roles in operas by leading composers: Alessandro Scarlatti, Gasparini, Orlandini, Pallavicino, Vinci. From 1720 to 1727 he was a court singer at the Bavarian court. He performed in London in Alessandro Scarlatti's opera Pyrrhus and Demetrius. Admiring his skill, Georg Friedrich Handel, wrote three additional arias especially for him, and the following year Bernacchi sang in Handel's operas Rinaldo and Amadis. In 1729, at the invitation of Handel, Bernacchi returned to London, where he participated in the premieres of the operas "Lothair" and "Parthenope". In 1738, he left the stage, founding a singing school in Bologna, where among his students at various times were Tomaso Guarducci and Anton Raaf. In 1727, Farinelli took lessons from Bernacchi for some time. Since 1722 Bernacchi was a member of the Philharmonic Academy of Bologna, in later years he occasionally performed in private concerts in this city. Several of his compositions have been preserved: arias, duets, church music.
