Jane Barbier – Shrew’d Syren

Jane Barbier was in the first generation of English singers to sing Italian operas in London.

Noted for her ability to convince in both male and female roles, Barbier sang parts in Handel’s Rinaldo, Il Pastor Fido, and Teseo, before moving to Drury Lane and Lincoln’s Inn Fields, where musical entertainments were sung in English. Handel’s German contemporaries – Pepusch and Galliard – were the chief composers and furnished Barbier with several superb arias which made her famous.

Her long career also brought her into contact with the next generation of English composers, including Arne and J.C. Smith. She led a lifestyle which made her the talk of the town; eloping; returning unmarried; gambling in South Sea stock; winning; retiring; and returning to the stage. Opera Settecento perform pieces which made Barbier famous and tell the story of her infamous life.