Matteo Antonio Babini (19 February 1754 – 22 September 1816), also known by the family name of Babbini, was a leading Italian tenor of the late 18th-century, and a teacher of singing and stage art.
Matteo Babini played a key part in the recovery, towards the end of the 18th century, of the expressive character of operatic singing which, had been losing favour to the vocal acrobatics of the castrati and the higher notes of the sopranos.
Babini's main contributions to the renaissance of operatic art were through his role of actor-singer, and he became known for the exuberant style of his recitals, the realism of his acting, and his imposing stage presence – he was said to be tall, blond, and slender, and with a very fine countenance.
According to Giovanni Morelli,[4] Babini's repertoire developed following his stays in Paris during the crucial moments of the French Revolution, in the years 1787 to 1789, and in 1792, and shifted towards the new-fashioned historical drama and the Rousseau monodrama cantata, especially Pimmalione, which he performed around the major Italian theatres with a huge success.
In his interpretations, Babbini endeavoured to portray "peoples' customs and heroes' vicissitudes",[5] and in the Venetian premiere of Cimarosa's Oriazi he went on the stage wearing historical costume, "which the audience remained so much satisfied with, that thenceforth theatres turned it into an invariable standard".