VANINI, Francesca

Francesca Vanini-Boschi (died 1744) was an Italian contralto singer of the 18th century who was born in Bologna, Papal States. She is best remembered for her association with the composer George Frideric Handel, for whom she sang both in Italy and in London. Her two Handel roles were those of Otho in *Agrippina* and Goffredo in *Rinaldo*; these roles used only a limited range and tessitura. As well as singing for Handel, she also sang in operas by Alessandro Scarlatti and Giovanni Bononcini.

Vanini frequently sang alongside her husband, the bass Giuseppe Maria Boschi. Earlier, Giuseppe Felice Tosi had praised her for her ability to introduce "Graces without transgressing against Time". After *Rinaldo*, her voice began to decline. She died in Venice in 1744.