Giacinto Fontana

Domenico Giacinto Fontana (1692–1739), also known as "Farfallino", was an Italian castrato singer active primarily in Rome from 1712 to 1736. He specialised in singing soprano female roles and earned the name "Farfallino" ("Little Butterfly") for his graceful stage appearance. He was born in Perugia and died there at the age of 47.^[1][2] At times he feared ridicule by performing certain roles, such as a pregnant primadonna.^[3]

Domenico Giacinto Fontana
Caricature of Fontana by Pier Leone Ghezzi, 1623
Born	1692 Perugia, Italy
Died	1739 (aged 47) Perugia, Italy
Nationality	Italian
Other names	Farfallino ("Little Butterfly")
Occupation	Castrato singer
Years active	1712–1736
Known for	Soprano female roles

Roles created

Fontana is known to have created the following roles:^[4]

• Olimpia in Giovanni Bononcini's Crispo (1721)
• Griselda in Alessandro Scarlatti's Griselda (1721)
• Hippolyte in Vivaldi's Ercole su'l Termodonte (1723)
• Marzia in Leonardo Vinci's Catone in Utica (1728)
• Semiramide in Leonardo Vinci's La Semiramide riconosciuta (1729)
• Mandane in Leonardo Vinci's Artaserse (1730)
• Cleofide in Leonardo Vinci's Alessandro nell'Indie (1730)