Bordoni, Faustina

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Bordoni, Faustina [ Faustina Hasse] (b Venice, 1700; d Venice, 1781). It. mezzo-soprano. Début Venice 1716. Sang in Venice until 1725 in operas by Albinoni, Lotti, etc. Ger. début Munich 1723, Vienna 1725. First sang in London 1726 in Handel's Alessandro. Created 4 other Handel operatic roles 1727–8. Her rivalry with Cuzzoni led to a fight between them on stage in 1727. Returned to It. 1728–32. Married comp. Hasse in 1730 and thereafter sang chiefly in his operas after he became Kapellmeister at Dresden 1731. Retired from stage 1751.