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100-415: Farinelli ( Italian pronunciation: [fariˈnɛlli] ; 24 January 1705 – 16 September 1782) was the stage name of Carlo Maria Michelangelo Nicola Broschi ( pronounced [ˈkarlo ˈbrɔski] ), a celebrated Italian castrato singer of the 18th century and one of the greatest singers in the history of opera . Farinelli has been described as having had soprano vocal range and as having sung

200-440: A hyphenated surname . In some cases, the individual may adopt a stage name to avoid confusion with other family members who have similar names. Actor Mark Harmon (Thomas Mark Harmon) uses his middle name professionally to avoid confusion with his father Heisman Trophy winner and former broadcaster Tom Harmon (Thomas Dudley Harmon). Stephen Nice , the birth name of the lead singer of Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel , took on

300-684: A Cornishman, he was probably the first European magician to dress in Chinese costume on stage. Commonly in the music world, especially those of heavy metal , punk rock , industrial , and hip hop , musicians will rename themselves with names more menacing or striking than their birth names. Every member of the punk band Ramones took the pseudonymous "Ramone" surname as part of their collective stage persona. Members of New Zealand art-rock band Split Enz all took their middle names as stage names, so as to keep their private image separate from their public personae. Other performers may assume stage names as

400-692: A boy singer, and was now introduced to the most famous singing-teacher in Naples, Nicola Porpora . Already a successful opera composer, in 1715 Porpora was appointed maestro at the Conservatory of S. Onofrio, where his pupils included such well-known castrati as Giuseppe Appiani , Felice Salimbeni , and Gaetano Majorano (known as Caffarelli), as well as distinguished female singers such as Regina Mingotti and Vittoria Tesi ; Farinelli may well have studied with him privately. Salvatore Broschi died unexpectedly on 4 November 1717, aged only 36, and perhaps

500-467: A career in which he had already achieved every possible success on every European stage, and, even in retirement in Bologna, was still regarded by every foreign dignitary visiting the city as the preferred music star to meet. Farinelli lived in Bologna from 1761 until his death. The Farinelli Study Centre ( Centro Studi Farinelli ) was opened in Bologna in 1998, Major events and achievements in which it

600-940: A child, children would often tease him by calling him " Master Bates "); he adopted the surname "Rhodes" after the keyboard manufacturer of the same name . Diana Dors was born Diana Fluck (one letter away from a profanity ); this prompted her to change her name to a more benign one in order to avoid an accidental obscenity (which could have been exacerbated by her status as a sex symbol ). Some types of music are more associated with stage names than others. For example, hip hop and EDM artists almost always use stage names, whereas "classical" composers and performers rarely do. Classical violinist Amadéus Leopold (born in South Korea as Yoo Hanbin) and opera singers Beverly Sills (born Belle Miriam Silverman), Nellie Melba (born Helen Porter Mitchell) and Jennifer Toye (born Jennifer Gay Bishop) are exceptions. Some Algerian raï musicians use

700-457: A city with a large Polish-American population, Polish-American media personalities typically work freely using their birth names. Sicilian-American actor Espera Oscar de Corti, who built his film career portraying Native Americans , reinvented himself as Iron Eyes Cody . He not only took his stage name as his legal name but eventually began insisting that he actually was Native American . Actress Bernadette Peters (born Bernadette Lazzara)

800-466: A collection of seven keyboard instruments in which he took great delight, especially a piano made in Florence in 1730 (called in the will cembalo a martellini ), inherited from Queen Maria Bárbara, and violins by Stradivarius and Amati (Achivio Notarile Gambarini Lorenzo 1782 BIS, 5/14, 17, Achivio di Stato di Bologna). Farinelli died in Bologna on 16 September 1782. His original place of burial

900-641: A common stage surname , the most notable arguably being the Ramones . Recent examples include The Donnas , Those Darlins , Los Campesinos! and Ween . Luca Antonio Predieri The son of Vitale Predieri and Maria Menzani, Predieri was born in Bologna to a prominent family of musicians which included organist and composer Giacomo Maria Predieri (1611–1695), singer Antonio Predieri (1650–1710), singer and composer Angelo Predieri (1655–1731), and singer and composer Giacomo Cesare Predieri (1671-1753). He studied

1000-666: A contemporary treatment in his 1995 work for radio, Four Songs Lost in a Wall , commissioned by New American Radio . That period in his life is also the setting for Farinelli and the King (the king in question being Philip V of Spain ), a play by Claire van Kampen , which premiered at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse from 11 February to 7 March 2015. It was transferred to the Duke of York's Theatre in London's West End in

1100-704: A duet in Orlandini's Antigona , Farinelli showed off all the aspects of the beauty of his voice and refinements of his style, executing a number of passages of great virtuosity, which were rewarded with tumultuous applause. Undaunted, Bernacchi repeated every trill, roulade, and cadenza of his young rival, but performing all of them even more exquisitely, and adding variations of his own. Farinelli, admitting defeat, entreated Bernacchi to give him instruction in grazie sopraffine ("ultra-refined graces"); Bernacchi agreed. In 1728, as well as performing in Torri's Nicomede at

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1200-423: A major element of the film's plot, and are totally spurious according to historians (primarily, Patrick Barbier's "Histoire des castrats", Paris 1989). The movie is largely fictionalized and bears little resemblance to the historical Farinelli. In opera: Farinelli is a character in the opera La Part du Diable , composed by Daniel Auber to a libretto by Eugène Scribe ; the title-role in the opera Farinelli by

1300-526: A me ti fidi" in Niccolò Conforto's La Pesca (1737) both have sustained C6. His low range apparently extended to F3, as in "Al dolor che vo sfogando", an aria written by himself and incorporated in a pasticcio called Sabrina, and as in two of his own cadenzas for "Quell' usignolo innamorato" from Geminiano Giacomelli 's Merope . Farinelli sang at Bologna in 1727, where he met the famous castrato Antonio Bernacchi , twenty years his senior. In

1400-649: A means of distancing themselves from publicly known childhood names that could be considered professionally embarrassing, outlandish, or otherwise inappropriate. Film director Duncan Jones (son of singer David Bowie ) was known publicly as a child as Zowie Bowie. Rappers are known to use stage names, such as Jay-Z (Shawn Carter), 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson), Diddy (Sean Combs), Ludacris (Chris Bridges), Lil Wayne (Dwayne Carter Jr.), and Soulja Boy (DeAndre Way). At times, these artists will use their real names to make some of their material seem more authentic or personal. Eminem (Marshall Mathers) took his stage name from

1500-524: A member of the House of Carafa , one of the most prestigious families of the Neapolitan nobility, honored Maestro Broschi by taking a leading part in the baptism of his second son, who was baptised Carlo Maria Michelangelo Nicola. [In later life, Farinelli wrote: "Il Duca d'Andria mi tenne al fonte" ("The Duke of Andria held me at the font")]. In 1706 Salvatore also took up the non-musical post of governor of

1600-504: A month later. Elisabeth Farnese , the Queen, had come to believe that Farinelli's voice might be able to cure the severe depression of her husband, King Philip V (some contemporary physicians, such as the Queen's doctor Giuseppe Cervi, believed in the efficacy of music therapy ). By royal decree Farinelli was named chamber musician to the king and queen on 28 August 1737; two days later the title criado familiar , or family servant, to

1700-480: A name identical to a name already familiar to the public (in any field of endeavor) may change their name in order to avoid having their name evoke the other person with the same name. Singer Katy Perry , born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, released her self-titled album under the name Katy Hudson, but later used her mother's maiden name to avoid confusion with actress Kate Hudson . A performer may also have had their stage name chosen for them by their agent – such

1800-436: A new name. SAG-AFTRA allows any new member to keep their legal name as their stage name, even if another member has the same stage name already, as long as they sign a waiver. Notable examples include: Nathan Lane , whose birth name (Joseph Lane) was already in use; Stewart Granger , born James Stewart; and Michael Keaton , born Michael Douglas. Diane Keaton , whose birth name is Diane Hall, took her mother's maiden name as

1900-401: A new surname, he looked across the street and saw a cinema advertising the film The Caine Mutiny . He later joked that he would be called "Michael The One Hundred and One Dalmatians " if he had looked in the other direction. Actor Pete Postlethwaite was advised to change his surname by peers who quipped that it "would never be put up in lights outside theaters because they couldn't afford

2000-485: A number of secular cantatas and instrumental pieces which have extant scores. Some of his works have received modern editions, including his Violin Concerto in B minor, a Stabat Mater , and the aria "Pace una volta". The following is a list of Predieri's principal works. In addition to the following, Predieri also composed numerous other masses and mass parts, antiphons , and psalms , for churches in Bologna and for

2100-464: A number of years appearing in minor roles before renaming himself Lon Chaney Jr . Likewise, Emilio Estevez and his sister Renee chose not to take their father Martin Sheen 's professional name and use their birth names. Their brother Carlos chose to use their father's professional name, and took the name Charlie Sheen . Some children born outside marriage to a (usually male) celebrity parent have done

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2200-842: A spelling error by the British Actors' Equity Association ; he preferred the mistake over his original name. In the past, a stage name was often used when a performer's real name was considered to denote a specific ethnicity that faced potential discrimination. In other cases, actors have reinvented themselves with a more ethnic identity, when that gave them an advantage in playing "ethnic" roles. Steven Tyler of Aerosmith changed his name from Steven Victor Tallarico "for more promotional appeal". Historically, Jews in Hollywood were encouraged to anglicize their names to avoid possible discrimination. Examples of such name changes are Danny Kaye and Mel Brooks , both of whom were born with

2300-615: A stage name after learning that there was already a registered actress named Diane Hall in the Actors' Equity Association . Ugly Betty actress Vanessa Williams officially uses "Vanessa L. Williams" because of SAG guidelines, although the other actress with same first and last name ( Vanessa E. Williams ) is arguably less notable. Similarly, David Walliams changed one letter in his surname owing to there being another "David Williams". Terry O'Quinn of Lost fame changed his surname from Quinn to O'Quinn as another registered actor already had

2400-455: A stage name because their birth name is difficult to pronounce or spell; fell into health and safety issues considerations; is considered unattractive, dull, or unintentionally amusing; or projects an undesired image. Sometimes a performer adopts a name that is unusual or outlandish to attract attention. Some individuals use a stage name because their birth name is already being used by another notable individual, including names that are not exactly

2500-553: A success during its first season of 1733–34. Farinelli, Porpora's most famous pupil, joined the company and made it financially solvent. He first appeared in Artaserse , a pasticcio with music by his brother Riccardo and Johann Adolph Hasse . He sang the memorable arias "Per questo dolce amplesso" (music by Hasse) and "Son qual nave" (music by Broschi), while Senesino sang "Pallido il sole" (music by Hasse). Of "Per questo dolce amplesso", Charles Burney reported: "Senesino had

2600-537: A theatre box, she famously exclaimed: "One God, one Farinelli!", and was immortalised in a detail of Plate II of William Hogarth 's " A Rake's Progress " (she may also appear in Plate IV of his series " Marriage A-la-Mode " of 1745). Though Farinelli's success was enormous, neither the Nobility Opera nor Handel's company was able to sustain the public's interest, which waned rapidly. Though his official salary

2700-402: Is Anna Marie Duke) had her stage name chosen for her by her first managers. Their choice of the name "Patty" was inspired by another child actress named Patty McCormack . Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach) had his name selected for him by Paramount Pictures . He had been using the name "Cary Lockwood", but the studio decided against it, deeming it too similar to another actor working at

2800-531: Is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a nom de plume ( pen name ). In radio, the term "radio name" or "air name" is used. Some performers eventually choose to adopt their stage name as a legal name . Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and may be similar or nearly identical to an individual's birth name or be inspired by nicknames or maiden names . Some people take

2900-517: The Cathedral of San Pietro . By the time he left Bologna in 1737 he had composed 25 operas, five oratorios, many pieces of church music, and several secular instrumental works. Predieri became known in Vienna through performances there of his operas, Amor Prigioniero in 1731, and Il sogno di Scipione , first performed in 1735 as part of the birthday celebrations for Emperor Charles VI . Following

3000-1157: The Munich court, Farinelli performed another concert before the Emperor in Vienna. In 1729, during the Carnival season in Venice , he sang in two works by Metastasio: as Arbace in Metastasio's Catone in Utica (music by Leonardo Leo ) and Mirteo in Semiramide Riconosciuta (music by Porpora). In these important drammi per musica, performed at the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo of Venice, at his side sang some great singers: Nicola Grimaldi, detto Nicolino, Lucia Facchinelli, Domenico Gizzi (aka Virtuoso della Cappella Reale di Napoli), and Giuseppe Maria Boschi. During this period it seemed Farinelli could do no wrong. Loaded with riches and honors, he

3100-399: The viola d'amore . He occasionally composed, writing a cantata of farewell to London (entitled Ossequiosissimo ringraziamento , for which he also wrote the text), and a few songs and arias, including one dedicated to Ferdinand VI. Farinelli is widely regarded as the greatest, most accomplished, and most respected opera singer of the "castrato" era, which lasted from the early 1600s into

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3200-438: The "h" from his original name, Stumph. It was still pronounced "stump", but the change ensured his audience would not think to pronounce it "stumf". Singer Jason Derulo (known for announcing his name in many of the introductions of his songs) uses the phonetic spelling of his given name, Jason Desrouleaux. Australian actress Yvonne Strahovski adopted a phonetic spelling of her surname Strzechowski as her stage name upon moving to

3300-625: The English composer John Barnett , first performed at Drury Lane in 1839, where his part is written for a tenor (this work is itself an adaptation of the anonymous Farinelli, ou le Bouffe du Roi , premiered in Paris in 1835). More recent operas include Matteo d'Amico's Farinelli, la voce perduta (1996) and Farinelli, oder die Macht des Gesanges by Siegfried Matthus (1998). Composer and performer Rinde Eckert gives Farinelli's time in Spain

3400-674: The English use of the French-language phrase for pen name. Some individuals who are related to a celebrity take a different last name so they are not perceived to have received undue advantage from their family connection . Actor Nicolas Cage , born Nicolas Coppola, chose a new last name to avoid comparisons with his uncle, director Francis Ford Coppola , who gave him his big break in the 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High . Conversely, individuals who wish to receive benefits from their family connections may take that person's first or last name. Lon Chaney Sr. 's son Creighton spent

3500-720: The Imperial chapel, Farinelli came to London in 1734. In London the previous year, Senesino , a singer who had been a part of George Frideric Handel 's "Second Academy" which performed at the King's Theatre , Haymarket , quarrelled with Handel and established a rival company, the Opera of the Nobility , operating from a theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields . This company had Porpora as composer and Senesino as principal singer, but had not been

3600-469: The SAG, to avoid confusion with James Garner , and retained the name for his writing career. In some cases, attaching a generational suffix is sufficient for guild rules; broadcaster David Lawrence is credited as David H. Lawrence XVII as a result of there being sixteen other David Lawrences in show business at the time he received his SAG card. A person hoping to become successful as an entertainer who has

3700-561: The United States. Andy Warhol dropped an "a" from his original name, Warhola, while couturier Yves Mathieu-Saint-Laurent dropped the first of his two surnames. Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Piero Filiberto Guglielmi adopted the stage name Rudolph Valentino in part because American casting directors found his original surname difficult to pronounce. Singer George Michael (the son of a Greek Cypriot restaurateur in North London)

3800-520: The acclamations of the audience" (to quote the music historian Charles Burney ). This account, however, cannot be verified, since no surviving work which Farinelli is known to have performed contains an aria for soprano with trumpet obbligato . In 1724, Farinelli made his first appearance in Vienna , at the invitation of Prince Luigi Pio di Savoia , director of the Imperial Theatre. He spent

3900-449: The age of fifteen, he made his debut a serenata by his master entitled Angelica e Medoro . The text of this work was the first by the soon-to-be-famous Pietro Trapassi (known as Metastasio), who became a lifelong friend of the singer. Farinelli remarked that the two of them had made their debuts on the same day, and each frequently referred to the other as his caro gemello ("dear twin"). In this Serenata "Angelica e Medoro",

4000-566: The aria "Pace una volta" from his 1740 opera Zenobia . By the end of Predieri's lifetime, his operas were no longer performed, having been superseded by the reforms to the genre initiated by Jommelli and furthered by Gluck . Most of the scores for his operas and oratorios have been lost or survive only in fragments. Today, his most well-known composition is the Stabat Mater he wrote in Vienna, but he also composed many other pieces of church music, both for choir and solo voice, as well as

4100-409: The cognoscenti and the public adored him. The librettist Paolo Rolli , a close friend and supporter of Senesino, commented: "Farinelli has surprised me so much that I feel as though I had hitherto heard only a small part of the human voice, and now have heard it all. He has besides, the most amiable and polite manners ....". Some fans were more unrestrained: one titled lady was so carried away that, from

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4200-556: The consequent loss of economic security for the whole family provoked the decision for Carlo to be castrated . As was often the case, an excuse had to be found for this operation, and in Carlo's case it was said to have been necessitated by a fall from a horse. It is, however, also possible that he was castrated earlier, since, at the time of his father's death, he was already twelve years old, quite an advanced age for castration. Under Porpora's tutelage, his singing progressed rapidly, and at

4300-517: The court operatic events at the Buen Retiro palace in Madrid and at the royal seat at Aranjuez , Farinelli gradually extended his work to the creation of extraordinary illuminations and firework displays, once involving 60 thousand candles, both as part of the operas and as independent events, for instance on the king's name day. He also became involved in the small fleet of royal vessels on which

4400-584: The death of Antonio Caldara in December 1736, Johann Fux (at the time Kapellmeister to Charles VI), invited Predieri to Vienna to serve as his assistant. Predieri arrived there towards the end of 1737 and in 1739 was officially appointed Vice Kapellmeister, the post previously held by Caldara. On Fux's death in 1741, he assumed to the duties of Kapellmeister, although he did not use the official title until 1746. During his time in Vienna he composed several more operas, often performed to mark special occasions at

4500-423: The difference that a well-thought-out name can make to their career. Often a person or group decides on a different name only after they realize that a poorly chosen name gives a bad impression. Actor Michael Caine was born Maurice Micklewhite and chose his new first name because he preferred the sound of it to the less glamorous-sounding "Maurice". He reputedly chose the surname "Caine" because, while deciding on

4600-553: The early 1800s, and while there were a vast number of such singers during this period, originating especially from the Neapolitan School of such composers as Nicola Porpora , Alessandro Scarlatti , and Francesco Durante , only a handful of his rivals could approach his skill as a singer. Caffarelli , Matteuccio , Siface , Senesino , Gizziello , Marchesi , Carestini , and some others were very famous and extremely gifted in their own right, with Caffarelli probably being

4700-426: The electricity", but he decided to keep it. In a similar situation, Doris Day (born Doris Kappelhoff) was told by a bandleader that her name would never fit on the marquee, and she thus took the surname "Day" because the song "Day By Day" had become one of her signature tracks. Ching Lau Lauro (1806?–1840) used a Chinese stage name to represent his stage image as a contortionist in Chinese costume. Believed to be

4800-519: The female lead in Sofonisba by Luca Antonio Predieri . (It was common practice for young castrati to appear en travesti ). All these appearances were greeted with huge public enthusiasm, and an almost legendary story arose that he had to perform an aria with trumpet obbligato , which evolved into a contest between singer and trumpeter. Farinelli surpassed the trumpet player so much in technique and ornamentation that he "was at last silenced only by

4900-521: The final months of 2015, with the role of Farinelli doubled between speaking and singing, with Iestyn Davies performing the latter. Van Kampen's Farinelli and the King was performed on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre from 5 December 2017, to 25 March 2018. Farinelli is portrayed by Raúl Ferrando in the episode "Fly Away" of the 2021 Netflix Original Series " The Cook of Castamar ". Stage name A stage name or professional name

5000-794: The first of which, La Partenope , inaugurated the Marsigli-Rossi theatre on 28 October 1710. Predieri's compositions gained him an appointment to the Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna in 1716. In 1723 he was elected its Principe (literally "Prince", but the Academy's traditional name for its presiding officer) In addition to his duties at the Accademia, Predieri served as the maestro di capella (music director) at various churches in Bologna including San Paolo Maggiore , Madonna di Galliera , Santa Maria della Vita , and lastly

5100-489: The following season in Naples . In 1726, he also visited Parma and Milan , where Johann Joachim Quantz heard him and commented: "Farinelli had a penetrating, full, rich, bright and well-modulated soprano voice, with a range at that time from the A below middle C to the D two octaves above middle C. ... His intonation was pure, his trill beautiful, his breath control extraordinary and his throat very agile, so that he performed

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5200-539: The former Robert Allen Zimmerman's legal name has been Robert Dylan ( Bob Dylan ) since he changed it in New York City Supreme Court in August 1962. Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight but changed his name by deed poll , making Elton Hercules John his real name. When he was knighted , he became Sir Elton Hercules John rather than Sir Reginald Kenneth Dwight. Similarly, Freddie Mercury

5300-507: The highest note customary at the time, C6 . Broschi was born in Andria (in what is now Apulia , Italy ) into a family of musicians. As recorded in the baptismal register of the church of S. Nicola in Andria, his father Salvatore was a composer and maestro di cappella of the city's cathedral , and his mother, Caterina Barrese, a citizen of Naples . The Duke of Andría , Fabrizio Carafa,

5400-503: The imperial court, two oratorios, a Stabat Mater , and many other pieces of sacred music. Predieri retired as Kapellmeister in 1751, but kept his title and his salary for the remainder of his time in Vienna even though Georg Reutter had taken over his duties. In 1765, he returned to his native Bologna where he died on 3 January 1767 at the age of 78. According to musicologist Anne Schnoebelen, Predieri's sacred music demonstrated his "mastery of vocal polyphony and polychoral writing" while

5500-407: The king or the queen on harpsichord. Sometimes the king played solo sonatas and Farinelli and the queen once sang a duet. By nightfall, the vessels would have returned to the riverbanks and the point of disembarkation all lit up by tens of thousands of candles, organized beforehand by Farinelli. On these evenings, Farinelli sang again in public, the star in an informal concert given on a gilded barge on

5600-404: The king was added. The decree provided Farinelli with an enormous salary, a coach with the necessary mules and residence wherever the king happened to be. For the remaining nine years of Philip's life, Farinelli was obliged to give nightly recitals, accompanied by other musicians, for King Philip, the Queen and some select company in the king's chamber. In 1738 he may have assisted in arranging for

5700-456: The king, the queen and most of the court made excursions on the Tagus at Aranjuez. These excursions were probably instigated in 1752 without Farinelli's participation, but it may have been he who added two gilded barges to the fleet in 1753. On the excusions from 1754 to 1757 Farinelli, who directed these royal excusions from 1755 onwards (if not earlier) sang arias on board the barge, accompanied by

5800-399: The medium-to-high register rather than the very high, thus enabling himself to convey emotion rather than to astonish by sheer technique (unlike most of his colleagues who preferred to startle audiences with vocal stunts). This "soft" approach to music no doubt helped him survive his 22-year private engagement at the court of Spain, after his theatrical career had ended when he was aged only 32,

5900-585: The most vocally proficient – but Farinelli was also admired for his modesty, his intelligence, his unassuming attitude, and his dedication to his work. He respected his colleagues, composers, and impresarios, often earning their lifelong friendship as a result, whereas Caffarelli was notoriously capricious, malicious, and disrespectful of anyone sharing the stage with him, to the point of cackling and booing fellow singers during their own arias. Farinelli's technical proficiency allowed him to be comfortable in all vocal registers from tenor to soprano; he himself favoured

6000-432: The musicologist Ralph Kirkpatrick acknowledges Farinelli's correspondence as having provided "most of the direct information about Scarlatti that has transmitted itself to our day"). Under Phillip V Farinelli had gradually assumed a role in the production of operas, encouraged by Queen Isabel Farnesio (Elisabeth Farnese), although having little or nothing to do with the musical side of the performances. When Ferdinand came to

6100-545: The name Jim Gardner because of the thought that there were too many people with Jewish last names on staff. Ramón Estévez changed his name to Martin Sheen as he felt it affected his job prospects owing to racial discrimination and bias, although he maintains his birth name for legal documents such as his passport; his sons made divergent choices: Carlos Irwin Estévez is now Charlie Sheen , while Emilio Estevez left his name unchanged. German-born actor Hans Gudegast adopted

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6200-540: The name Terrance Quinn. Long-time Simpsons writer and Futurama executive producer David X. Cohen changed his middle initial from S to X because there was already a David S. Cohen registered with the Writers Guild of America. Julianne Moore was born Julie Anne Smith but found that all variations of that name were already used by other actors. Former American football player Thomas Q. Jones added his middle initial to his name when he began acting, as his name

6300-578: The opera and discharged Farinelli but granted him his full salary for the rest of his life. Farinelli returned to Italy where he lived for the remainder of his life in his beautiful villa outside Bologna . He had acquired citizenship of Bologna and the land to build the villa in 1732. Though rich and still famous, visited by such notable figures as Charles Burney, Leopold Mozart and his son Wolfgang Amadeus , and Casanova , he would have been lonely in his old age, having outlived many of his friends and former colleagues. One distinguished friend of his later years

6400-598: The operas he composed in Vienna to texts by Metastasio and Giovanni Pasquini were marked by carefully set recitatives and arias with impressive dynamic colouring. The imperial court in Vienna made extensive use of trumpets for ceremonial occasions and employed 14 court trumpeters. In common with those of his predecessors at the court, Fux and Caldara , Predieri's Viennese operas and oratorios contained what Trevor Herbert has described as "spectacular high trumpet parts surpassing all others anywhere in terms of range and technical difficulty." An example of this can be seen in

6500-439: The part of a furious tyrant, and Farinelli that of an unfortunate hero in chains; but in the course of the first air, the captive so softened the heart of the tyrant, that Senesino, forgetting his stage-character, ran to Farinelli and embraced him in his own". "Son qual nave", on the other hand, was composed by Riccardo Broschi as a special showpiece for his brother's virtuosic skills. Burney described it thus: "The first note he sung

6600-501: The performer, such as Lady Gaga . At times the line may be blurred between the name of an act and the stage name of the lead. Many performers refer to their stage name as their "professional name". For instance David Jones became David Bowie in order to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of the Monkees but retained Jones as his legal name. In some cases, performers subsequently adopt their stage name as their legal name. For instance,

6700-544: The prefix Cheb (for men) or Chaba (Chebba) for women. Both Arabic words mean "young" (e.g. as in Cheb Khaled , or "Young Khaled"). John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin was born John Richard Baldwin. This is still his legal name. John Paul Jones being his professional name. Some performers take a series of different stage names. The British pop singer who was successful in the 1970s as Alvin Stardust previously went by

6800-827: The pronunciation of his initials (M and M), and later used his real name at various public events and as an alter ego after his real name gained recognition following the release of his multi-platinum album The Marshall Mathers LP . LL Cool J (James Todd Smith) referenced his real name on the albums Mr. Smith and Todd Smith . Queen Latifah (Dana Owens) released The Dana Owens Album after changing her focus from hip-hop to jazz. Xzibit (Alvin Joiner) has also been credited by his real name when acting in several television shows. Some performers and artists may choose to simplify their name to make it easier to spell and pronounce, and easier for others to remember. For instance, Fall Out Boy vocalist and guitarist Patrick Stump removed

6900-553: The river, his accompanists the king and queen. The last excursion took place in July 1757. Farinelli's last illuminations and his last operatic production were for the king's nameday in May 1758. Queen Maria Bárbara, who attended these final festivities, died at the end of August the same year; King Ferdinand died in August 1759. Ferdinand was succeeded by his half-brother Charles III in 1759. He had no time for music, so it seems: he disbanded

7000-721: The salary was better. Guilds and associations that represent actors, such as the SAG-AFTRA (formed from a 2012 merger between the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists ) in the United States and Equity in the United Kingdom , stipulate that no two members may have identical working names. An actor whose name has already been taken must choose

7100-403: The same but still too similar; many guilds and associations that represent actors mandate that no two members may have identical working names. Other performers use a stage name in order to retain anonymity, as is often the case for porn stars , especially if they intend on switching careers. The phrase nom de porn is sometimes used to refer to a pornographic actor's stage name, referring to

7200-436: The same: Jett Williams (née Antha Bell Jett) and Scott Eastwood (né Scott Clinton Reeves) each use their fathers' last names; while others have not: Joseph Baena , son of Arnold Schwarzenegger , chose not to use his father's last name. Women who achieve fame after marriage often use their married name as part of their professional name, while women who achieved fame before marriage may continue to use their maiden name or

7300-411: The stage name Steve Harley after realising that his on stage persona differed greatly from his real-life persona, and as a result feeling that he was no longer "Ronald and Joyce's [Harley's Parents] little boy" when on stage. Comedian Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz adopted the stage name Danny Thomas , largely because he did not want his friends and family to know he had gone back into working clubs where

7400-538: The stage name of Eric Braeden . Actors Anthony Quinn and Anne Bancroft were advised to anglicize their names because 'Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca' and 'Anna Maria Louisa Italiano', respectively, were considered too 'ethnic' for Hollywood and Broadway at the time. Eydie Gorme (born Edith Garmezano), Sophia Loren (born Sofia Villani Scicolone), Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky), and Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino), are four more well-known examples of this trend. Broadcaster Dave Roberts

7500-582: The stage name of Shane Fenton in the 1960s. He had been born Bernard William Jewry . Some performers will use different names in different settings. Charles Thompson, singer-songwriter for the alternative band the Pixies , was known in that band as Black Francis . He was called Frank Black as a solo performer and again called Black Francis in a reunited Pixies. Unlike Hollywood stage names, many musical artists' stage names are obviously not personal names, but they may still end up universally used to refer to

7600-575: The statutes of the order, and was interred in the cemetery of the Capuchin monastery of Santa Croce in Bologna. His estate included gifts from royalty, a large collection of paintings including works by Velázquez , Murillo , and Jusepe de Ribera , as well as portraits of his royal patrons, and several of himself, some by his friend Jacopo Amigoni and one by Corrado Giaquinto now in the Museo Civico di Bologna. The inventory of his estate includes

7700-605: The summer of 1737 when he received a summons, via Sir Thomas Fitzgerald, Secretary of the Spanish Embassy there, to visit the Spanish court. Apparently intending to make only a brief visit to the Continent, Farinelli stopped at Paris on his way to Madrid , singing on 9 July at Versailles to King Louis XV , who gave him his portrait set in diamonds, and 500 louis d'or . On 15 July he left for Spain, arriving about

7800-503: The surname Kaminsky, the original two lineups of The Three Stooges (born Moses Horwitz, Jerome Horwitz, Samuel Horwitz and Louis Feinberg) and Woody Allen (born Allen Konigsberg). Jon Stewart claims that he did not anglicize his name for career reasons, but because of his estranged relationship with his father. Israeli-American Natalie Portman , born Natalie Hershlag, changed her name allegedly to protect her privacy. James Goldman, retired television anchorman, has stated that he chose

7900-520: The throne in 1746, Farinelli was made Director of the Court Opera. His production of a magnificent opera in 1750 caused the king to dub him a Knight the Order of Calatrava. In the same year the king ordained that the house Farinelli shared at Aranjuez should be much enlarged and made more beautiful and that it should become Farinelli's residence just for himself and his staff. As producer and director of

8000-406: The time. Cary and the studio eventually settled on "Cary Grant" (Grant thought the letters "C" and "G" to be lucky: they had brought previous success for both Clark Gable and Gary Cooper ). Joan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, had her name changed as a result of a magazine poll organised by her studio, MGM . Gorden Kaye (born Gordon Kaye) had one letter in his first name changed owing to

8100-552: The town of Maratea (on the western coast of what is now Basilicata ), and in 1709 that of Terlizzi (some twenty miles south-east of Andria). From 1707, the Broschi family lived in the coastal city of Barletta , a few miles from Andria, but at the end of 1711, they made the much longer move to the capital city of Naples, where, in 1712 Carlo's elder brother Riccardo was enrolled at the Conservatory of S. Maria di Loreto, specialising in composition. Carlo had already shown talent as

8200-693: The two leading roles were entrusted to two highly acclaimed singers: Marianna Benti Bulgarelli (aka "la Romanina") and Domenico Gizzi , Musico Soprano in the Royal Chapel of Naples. The derivation of Broschi's stage name is not certain, but it was possibly from two rich Neapolitan lawyers, the brothers Farina, who may have sponsored his studies. Farinelli quickly became famous throughout Italy as il ragazzo ("the boy"). In 1722, he first sang in Rome in Porpora's Flavio Anicio Olibrio , as well as taking

8300-505: The violin with Abondio Bini and Tommaso Vitali , and counterpoint with Giacomo Cesare Predieri, Angelo Predieri, and Giacomo Antonio Perti . He is recorded as having been a viola player in the orchestra of the Basilica of San Petronio in Bologna at the age of 16 and later served as a violinist there from 1706 to 1711. By 1715 he had composed his first oratorio, Santi Cipriano e Giustina ( Saints Cyprian and Justina ), and five operas,

8400-471: The visit of an entire Italian opera company to Madrid, beginning a fashion for opera seria in Madrid. The Coliseo of the royal palace of Buen Retiro was remodelled. The operas given there were not public but attended by the king, the queen, the court and various important persons such as officers and ambassadors. On the accession of Philip's son, Ferdinand VI , Farinelli's influence increased. Ferdinand

8500-489: The wake of the summer of 2020 , to honor her Japanese heritage; she had originally used Bloom, an English equivalent to Sakura (meaning cherry blossom ) out of a fear of typecasting. Another consideration in choosing a stage name is the ease of use. The Actors' Equity Association (AEA) advises performers to select a name that is easy for others to pronounce, spell, and remember. Some performers, while paying great attention to their skills and abilities, give little thought to

8600-532: The widest intervals quickly and with the greatest ease and certainty. Passagework and all kinds of melismas were of no difficulty to him. In the invention of free ornamentation in adagio he was very fertile." Quantz is certainly accurate in describing Farinelli as a soprano, since arias in his repertoire contained the highest notes customarily employed by that voice during his lifetime: "Fremano l'onde" in Pietro Torri 's opera Nicomede (1728) and "Troverai se

8700-471: Was a keen musician, and his queen consort, Maria Bárbara of Portugal , was a highly accomplished harpsichordist for whom Domenico Scarlatti wrote most of his sonatas. Scarlatti had been her music master when she was a princess in Lisbon and followed her to Spain after her marriage to Prince Fernando in 1729. Scarlatti became the music master to both Maria Bárbara and Ferdinand and died in their service in 1757;

8800-416: Was already taken. The rumor that Michael Keaton changed his surname because of an attraction to actress Diane Keaton is incorrect; he chose Keaton because of an affinity for the physical comedy of Buster Keaton . A middle name may be adopted in preference to changing a name. American author James Finn Garner , born James Edward Garner, adopted his mother's maiden name for a middle name after joining

8900-462: Was born David T. Boreanaz but was known professionally as Dave Thomas and later Dave Roberts as ethnic surnames were discouraged when he first began his career during the 1950s; his son, actor David Boreanaz , chose not to adopt a stage name. The use of stage names for ethnic purposes may vary widely depending on the media market the personality is representing. For example, in Buffalo, New York ,

9000-559: Was born Farrokh Bulsara, but legally changed his name concurrently with the formation of Queen . Elvis Costello (born Declan MacManus), who had adopted his professional name as a legal name, changed it back to his birth name in 1986. Another example is Marvin Lee Aday, known by his stage name Meat Loaf . In a similar way, actress and singer Miley Cyrus was born Destiny Hope Cyrus but found "Miley" more comfortable, making it her legal name. Entire musical groups have been known to adopt

9100-467: Was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou. Some surnames may carry unfortunate connotations. Hal Linden , born Harold Lipshitz, adopted his stage name for fear that the embedded obscenity in his original surname could cost him work. Ralph Lauren 's brother (who was his guardian) changed their family name from Lifshitz for a similar reason: fear of mockery. Duran Duran 's Nick Rhodes , born Nicholas James Bates, changed his name to escape childhood ridicule (as

9200-494: Was destroyed during the Napoleonic Wars , and in 1810 Farinelli's great-niece Maria Carlotta Pisani had his remains transferred to the cemetery of La Certosa in Bologna. Maria Carlotta bequeathed many of Farinelli's letters to University of Bologna 's library and was buried in the same grave as Farinelli in 1850. Farinelli not only sang, but like most musicians of his time, was a competent harpsichordist . He also played

9300-653: Was encouraged as a child actress to use her father's first name, Peter as her last name by her mother to avoid being type-cast in Italian roles. Chloe Bennet had used her birth name, Chloe Wang, for her singing career in China, along with a short-lived TeenNick music series. She started using the surname Bennet, after her father's first name, when she failed to be welcomed by Hollywood agents . In reverse, Nichole Bloom, an actress with mixed Japanese-Irish parentage, changed her stage name to her birth name of Nichole Sakura in

9400-578: Was involved have included: Farinelli is represented in Voltaire 's Candide . A film, Farinelli , directed by Gérard Corbiau , was made about Farinelli's life in 1994. This takes considerable dramatic licence with history, emphasising the importance of Farinelli's brother and reducing Porpora's role, while Handel becomes an antagonist; the singer's 22 years spent in the Spanish court is only vaguely hinted at, as well as his brother being appointed minister of War. Farinelli's supposed sexual escapades are

9500-712: Was received by the Emperor Charles VI , on whose advice, according to the singer's first biographer, Giovenale Sacchi , Farinelli modified his style, singing more simply and emotionally. Sacchi's source for this must have been Charles Burney 's notes on his visit to Farinelli in 1770, published in London in 1773 in The present state of music in France and Italy... , here pp. 215-216. After further seasons in Italy, and another visit to Vienna, during which he sang in oratorios in

9600-569: Was so famous and so formidable as a performer that his rival and friend, the castrato Gioacchino Conti ("Gizziello") is said to have fainted from sheer despondency on hearing him sing. George Frideric Handel was also keen to engage Farinelli for his company in London , and while in Venice in January 1730, tried unsuccessfully to meet him. In 1731, Farinelli visited Vienna for a third time. There he

9700-488: Was taken with such delicacy, swelled by minute degrees to such an amazing volume, and afterwards diminished in the same manner to a mere point, that it was applauded for full five minutes. After this he set off with such brilliancy and rapidity of execution, that it was difficult for the violins of those days to keep pace with him." In 1735 Farinelli and Senesino also appeared in Nicola Porpora 's Polifemo . Both

9800-966: Was the case with Barbara Eden , born Barbara Jean Huffman – or, in the heyday of the Hollywood studios, by a movie studio. Joan Rivers (born Joan Alexandra Molinsky) went one step further and named herself after a former agent, Tony Rivers, after he told her to change her name. In the non-English-speaking world, an example is the Taiwanese Mandopop girl group S.H.E (composed of Selina Jen , Hebe Tian , and Ella Chen ), whose members' English names were chosen by their manager after taking personality tests . Rockabilly musician Glen Glenn (real name Orin Glen Troutman) had an involuntary name change bestowed upon him in 1956; while he originally performed as Glen Trout, he became Glen Glenn. Former child star Patty Duke (whose real name

9900-462: Was the music historian, Giovanni Battista (known as "Padre") Martini in Bologna. He also continued his correspondence with Metastasio, court poet at Vienna, dying a few months after him. In his will (Achivio Notarile Gambarini Lorenzo 1782 10 Gennaio - 23 Xbre, 5/14, Achivio di Stato di Bologna), dated 20 February 1782, Farinelli asked to be buried in the mantle of the Order of Calatrava , as ordained in

10000-435: Was £1500 for a season, gifts from admirers probably increased this to something more like £5000, an enormous sum at the time. Farinelli was by no means the only singer to receive such large amounts, which were unsustainable in the long term. As one contemporary observer remarked: "within these two years we have seen even Farinelli sing to an audience of five-and-thirty pounds". Nonetheless, he was still under contract in London in

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