Francesco Bigottini
Encyclopedia
Francesco or François Bigottini (c.1717, Rome
- after 1794, probably in Paris
) was an Italian actor, playwright, set designer and grip
active in Italy, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland and Spain.
says he first met Bigottini in Rimini
in 1741, where the latter was playing harlequin
rôles. From the 1750s Bigottini appeared in the Netherlands
, Austrian Netherlands and France, playing in Rotterdam
in 1754, Brussels
in 1756, and in Paris
at the Théâtre-Italien in 1757. Gueullette
wrote "On Wednesday 26 April [1757], an Itlian harlequin called Bigottini made his début in "Arlequin Scanderberg" and "Arlequin Hulla"; in the former, he played a rôle as a master of music very well, and played very badly in "Arlequin Hulla"; he was sent packing shortly afterwards". Bigottini left for the French provinces and acted in Marseille
in 1760, where he put on his own play Coraline Protée (1761). He was in Geneva
from 1766 to 1768, where he printed his play L'Origine d'Arlequin, avec sa naissance (1766). The Mercure de France
wrote that he was the "first inventor of the machines used in the metamorphosis in the Fée Urgelle in Geneva" (that is, the transformation of a cottage into a splendid castle).
After playing in Lyon
, Bigottini travelled towards Spain
and spent three years playing at the Italian opera-house in Cádiz
, from which he negotiated to be taken on at Brussels
Théâtre de la Monnaie
. In one of his letters, he wrote to that theatre's heads, Vitzthumb
and Compain
"I have nearly all my sets and machines for my plays, and I would thus also furnish you with all that I have, sets, machines, ropes, pulleys, scrap and all the other "diableries", if you would be furnish me with the wood". They finally took him on as a harlequin for the 1774-1775 season, with his contract stipulating that he would "lend [the theatre] all his machines and sets".
On 18 February 1777, he made a second début at the Théâtre-Italien, in Arlequin esprit follet, a play he had written himself. The Mercure de France
wrote: "His metamorphoses are very numerous and very surprising. Mr Bigottini is admired for the variety of his changes, by their speed and attack with which he executes them, by the contrast he makes between his different rôles, and by the varied talents he develops. This actor sings, in a strong and pleasing manner, airs of his own composition.". However, after the suppression of the Italian theatrical genre in Paris at the start of 1780, Bigottini was dismissed with a compensation corresponding to his previous salary.
In January 1780, he collaborated with François Duval-Malter
, Louis Hamoir and Jean-Nicolas Le Mercier to head the Théâtre des Variétés-Amusantes
, but had to give up this post 11 months later due to his own financial difficulties. He left for the provinces and set himself up in Toulouse
, where he devoted himself to painting and had a child, the future dancer Émilie Bigottini
.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
- after 1794, probably in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
) was an Italian actor, playwright, set designer and grip
Grip (job)
In the U.S. and Canada, grips are lighting and rigging technicians in the filmmaking and video production industries. They constitute their own department on a film set and are directed by a key grip. Grips have two main functions...
active in Italy, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland and Spain.
Life
In his Mémoires, Carlo GoldoniCarlo Goldoni
Carlo Osvaldo Goldoni was an Italian playwright and librettist from the Republic of Venice. His works include some of Italy's most famous and best-loved plays. Audiences have admired the plays of Goldoni for their ingenious mix of wit and honesty...
says he first met Bigottini in Rimini
Rimini
Rimini is a medium-sized city of 142,579 inhabitants in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It is located on the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia and Ausa...
in 1741, where the latter was playing harlequin
Harlequin
Harlequin or Arlecchino in Italian, Arlequin in French, and Arlequín in Spanish is the most popularly known of the zanni or comic servant characters from the Italian Commedia dell'arte and its descendant, the Harlequinade.-Origins:...
rôles. From the 1750s Bigottini appeared in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Austrian Netherlands and France, playing in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
in 1754, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
in 1756, and in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
at the Théâtre-Italien in 1757. Gueullette
Thomas-Simon Gueullette
Thomas-Simon Gueullette was a French lawyer, playwright, scholar and man of letters, who also wrote fairy tales and works on the theatre itself.-Life:...
wrote "On Wednesday 26 April [1757], an Itlian harlequin called Bigottini made his début in "Arlequin Scanderberg" and "Arlequin Hulla"; in the former, he played a rôle as a master of music very well, and played very badly in "Arlequin Hulla"; he was sent packing shortly afterwards". Bigottini left for the French provinces and acted in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
in 1760, where he put on his own play Coraline Protée (1761). He was in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
from 1766 to 1768, where he printed his play L'Origine d'Arlequin, avec sa naissance (1766). The Mercure de France
Mercure de France
The Mercure de France was originally a French gazette and literary magazine first published in the 17th century, but after several incarnations has evolved as a publisher, and is now part of the Éditions Gallimard publishing group....
wrote that he was the "first inventor of the machines used in the metamorphosis in the Fée Urgelle in Geneva" (that is, the transformation of a cottage into a splendid castle).
After playing in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, Bigottini travelled towards Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and spent three years playing at the Italian opera-house in Cádiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
, from which he negotiated to be taken on at Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
Théâtre de la Monnaie
La Monnaie
Le Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie , or the Koninklijke Muntschouwburg is a theatre in Brussels, Belgium....
. In one of his letters, he wrote to that theatre's heads, Vitzthumb
Ignaz Vitzthumb
Ignaz or Ignace Vitzthumb was an Austrian musician, composer and conductor active in the Austrian Netherlands...
and Compain
Louis Compain
Louis Compain , also known as Compain-Despierrières, was a French actor and singer. He is notable as the co-director of the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels from 1772 to 1776, where he had made his debut in 1757. He also acted at Marseille , Bordeaux , La Haye , Metz , Toulouse , Nîmes and Nantes ....
"I have nearly all my sets and machines for my plays, and I would thus also furnish you with all that I have, sets, machines, ropes, pulleys, scrap and all the other "diableries", if you would be furnish me with the wood". They finally took him on as a harlequin for the 1774-1775 season, with his contract stipulating that he would "lend [the theatre] all his machines and sets".
On 18 February 1777, he made a second début at the Théâtre-Italien, in Arlequin esprit follet, a play he had written himself. The Mercure de France
Mercure de France
The Mercure de France was originally a French gazette and literary magazine first published in the 17th century, but after several incarnations has evolved as a publisher, and is now part of the Éditions Gallimard publishing group....
wrote: "His metamorphoses are very numerous and very surprising. Mr Bigottini is admired for the variety of his changes, by their speed and attack with which he executes them, by the contrast he makes between his different rôles, and by the varied talents he develops. This actor sings, in a strong and pleasing manner, airs of his own composition.". However, after the suppression of the Italian theatrical genre in Paris at the start of 1780, Bigottini was dismissed with a compensation corresponding to his previous salary.
In January 1780, he collaborated with François Duval-Malter
François Duval (dancer)
François Duval , known as Malter, was a French dancer.The son of Antoine Duval, a dance master in Paris, and of Henriette Brigitte Malter, two of his elder brothers were also involved in the theatre world - Antoine Jean François Duval left Paris in 1755 and worked as a dance master in...
, Louis Hamoir and Jean-Nicolas Le Mercier to head the Théâtre des Variétés-Amusantes
Théâtre des Variétés-Amusantes
-History:In 1778, Louis Lécluse , a former actor at the Opéra-Comique turned dentist, opened a theatre at foire Saint-Laurent, which shortly afterwards he transferred to the boulevard du Temple, at the corner of rue de Lancry and rue de Bondy .Unable to bear the hostility this new enterprise...
, but had to give up this post 11 months later due to his own financial difficulties. He left for the provinces and set himself up in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, where he devoted himself to painting and had a child, the future dancer Émilie Bigottini
Émilie Bigottini
Émilie Bigottini was a French dancer of Italian ancestry.The daughter of Francesco Bigottini, the famous harlequin at Paris's Comédie-Italienne de Paris, she entered the Opéra de Paris at 17 and led its company until her retirement in 1823, distinguishing herself in the ballets of Louis Milon...
.