Antonio Uberti

Antonio Uberti was an acclaimed Italian castrato soprano, born in about 1719 in Verona and died 20 January 1783 in Berlin. He studied voice under Nicola Porpora in Naples and became one of Porpora’s favourite pupils, thus acquiring the nickname “Porporino.” He sang at the Berlin court of Frederick the Great from 1741 and gained renown for his refined vocal technique, especially in adagio singing and ornamentation.

Born to a German soldier named Daniel Huber and an Italian mother, he was castrated at the age of thirteen after attracting the attention of a priest who worked as a church Kapellmeister, who then brought him to the Conservatorio Sant’Onofrio in Naples to study with Porpora. Before his engagement at the Prussian court, he performed in cities such as Rome, Messina and Palermo, developing the artistic maturity that later distinguished him in Berlin.

He was occasionally referred to by the German form of his name, Anton Hubert, and was not to be confused with Giovanni Bindi, another soprano castrato sometimes also called “Porporino.” His unwavering adherence to Porpora’s vocal principles, particularly in the noble delivery of adagio passages, earned him lasting admiration in Prussia, where he spent more than forty years of his career.

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