Pellegrini, Valeriano

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Pellegrini, Valeriano

Pellegrini, Valeriano , Italian castrato soprano and composer; b. Verona, date unknown; d. after 1729. He was in the service of the elector palatine in Düsseldorf from about 1705 until 1716. He also was active in London, where he made his concert debut on April 9, 1712, and was principal castrato at the Queen’s Theatre, where he created Handel’s Mirtillo in II pastor fido (Nov. 22, 1712) and Teseo (Jan. 10, 1713). From 1716 he pursued his career in Italy. He spent his last years in Rome as a priest.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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