Gaetano Berenstadt

Gaetano Berenstadt (7 June 1687 – buried 9 December 1734) was an Italian alto castrato who is best remembered for his association with the composer George Frideric Handel.

A pupil of Francesco Pistocchi, after singing at Naples and Bologna, Berenstadt visited London in 1717, where he performed the role of Argante in a revival of Handel's Rinaldo.

They are mostly concerned with his love of obscure books and fine arts: he was a frequent buyer and seller of both, and compiled an extensive library that contained many incunabula.

[1] The librettist and poet Apostolo Zeno described him as possessing "an excellent knowledge of our best authors and superb taste in the realms of Italian poetry and eloquence".

[1] The arias composed for him show that his voice possessed only a limited range but considerable vocal virtuosity.

A caricature of a performance of Handel's Flavio , featuring Berenstadt on the far right, the soprano Francesca Cuzzoni in the centre and Senesino on the left.