CHRIST CHURCH that service at St Paul’s, declared that the BCP remains ‘a doctrinal standard for the Church and an indispensable part of our identity.’ of course, the Prayer Book doesn’t only serve the church today, it enables us to serve the nalast few years and with London becoming increasingly a cosmopolitan city, enriched by a multitude of distinctive narratives, there is a real desire for a new Island Story. By immersing us in the whole symphony of Scripture and opening up for us a treasury of ancient Christian devotion, the Book of Common Prayer offers us both noble beauty and digestible accessibility. As Bishop richard concluded at St Paul’s: ‘If our civilization is to have a future, the roots must be irrigated and the texts
FROM THE ARCHIVE which we choose to pass on to our children have the power to create a community which ting and spending, but which sees visions with prophets, pursues wisdom with Solomon and lives with the generosity of the God who so loved the world that he was generous and gave
Archivist, Jane MacAllan, recently received an intriguing enquiry from a musician searching for the resting place of composer Francesco Bianchi.
Lord.’ Cranmer quotes came from diarmaid Thomas Cranmer.
and relevance of the Book of Common Prayer, please join us at Christ Church, Victoria Road for an Evensong and Lecture on Thursday 18th October.
T
He musician, who had a particular interest in composers and music of the 18th century knew that the Francesco Bianchi, who was apparently well known in his day, had died in Hammersmith on 27th november 1810 composer’s last resting place.
Bianchi came to London in 1795 to direct a revival of La Vendetta di nino, performed 41 times in six seasons. Between 1795 and 1802 he prepared 14 other works for the King’s Theatre – six of them in collaboration with da Ponte, the poet there from 1793 to 1798. Between 1802 and 1807 Bianchi travelled between London and Paris, composing operas and directing revivals in both cities. on 15 november 1800 Bianchi married, but separated soon afterwards. Tragically his only
Francesco Guiseppe Bianchi was born in Cremona, Lombardy c1752, he studied with worked mainly in London, Paris and in all the major Italian operatic scenes, Venice, naples,
1807, aged 5. In 1810 The Morning Chronicle and the Gentleman’s Magazine reported that Bianchi had committed suicide at his home in Hammersmith. The burial services for both Bianchi and for his
He wrote at least 78 operas of all genres, mainly French opera too. These included the drammi per musica (opera seria) Castore e Polluce (Florence 1779), Arbace and Zemira (both naples, 1781), Alonso e Cora (Venice, 1786), Calto and La morte di Cesare (both Venice, 1788), and Seleuco, re di Siria (Venice, 1791), and the opera giocosa La villanella rapita (Süttör, 1784). 14
(30th november 1810 and 2nd February 1807 respectively) and they were interred together in the churchyard. Alas the tombstone no longer survives. The ‘olympic’ connection: in 1781 Bianchi
L’olimpiade - set at the olympic Games! 15