ABSTRACT
Many years after his death, the Reminiscences of Michael Kelly scandalised Rauzzini’s reputation, stating that the castrato’s departure from his Bavarian court appointment was due to an unfortunate sexual liaison. The account is unsubstantiated, but twentieth- and twenty-first-century scholars had frequently recounted the tale, leading to unproven theories that Rauzzini was a ‘bed-hopping’ lover and perhaps was not even a castrato. Yet, during his life, Rauzzini was depicted as a kindly, generous and skilled musician and while he was named in one sexual scandal, his involvement was relatively underplayed. However, many of his students and colleagues were involved in public scandals that threatened their professional careers. Nancy Storace was publicly separated from her husband John Abraham Fisher (1744–1809), only to have a long-term relationship with another of Rauzzini’s students John Braham (c. 1774–1856). Her reputation was in tatters after it emerged that she and Braham had never married. Both Gertrud Mara’s affair with Charles Florio (c1768–1819) and Elizabeth Billington’s second marriage to a supposedly controlling Frenchman was frequently gossiped about in newspapers. This chapter considers how scandal could negatively impact on a singer’s reputation and career.
