he was said to have 'one of the most extensive falsettos ever heard'. garrick took felice giardini to hear bannister's imitations of tenducci and champneys, and the composer observed that the mimicry was perfect, but the fault was that the mimic was better than the performers themselves. michael kelly refers to his appearance as polly in a travesty of "the beggar's opera" at the little theatre in the haymarket in 1781, in which he 'gave her tender airs with all the power of his deep and sonorous bass voice.' he brought it off not by mimicking feminine intonation or mincing gait, antics or 'superadded drolleries', but by the ridiculous incongruity of his deep voice and muscular frame, by an occasional display of ankle, and by the perfect judgement with which he sang polly's songs. this was heard with great disgust by the visiting italian male soprano ferdinando mazzanti, who did not realize it was a burlesque production.