In the mid-1700's, opera was the popular entertainment of the day, and the castrati were its undisputed superstars. Audiences wept and swooned at their performances. Women wore medallions painted with their portraits and garters embroidered with their names. Despite the adulation, they were often seen as mutilated and different. Some who applauded their voices at the theater wouldn't want to be seen with them in public. Others called them monsters.
The era of the castrati lasted until the dawn of the 19th century brought a new taste for more natural singing and fewer operatic embellishments. These ethereal singers were quickly forgotten and ended up as a footnote to musical history. In addition to being cracking good mysteries, I hope my books resurrect their stories through the character of Tito Amato.
1705-1782
Who were they? Boys who were castrated before puberty to preserve their soprano voices into adulthood. The practice was common in Italy during the 17th and 18th centuries.
How did the practice start? Various ancient cultures used castration as a means of punishment or control. Using adult male sopranos in Catholic liturgy became popular in Spain during the 16th century. The practice quickly spread to Rome and became the norm in many Christian countries. Combining the purity of boy sopranos and the lung power of fully grown men, the castrati were often compared to the angel choirs of heaven.
Why were they so popular? The vogue for high male voices followed the meteoric rise of early opera. Around 1600, a group of Florentine composers developed a new form of musical drama that took Europe by storm. The voices of the castrati seemed tailor made for this new spectacle which became increasingly focused on virtuoso arias.
What did they sound like? We can only guess. The last operatic castrato of note was Giovanni Velluti (1781-1861). His final stage appearance occurred in 1829. The sole existing recording of a castrato singer documents the voice of Alessandro Moreschi (1858-1922), one of the last eunuchs in the Sistine Chapel choir. Unfortunately, the early 20th century recording is of poor quality and Moreschi was never trained for the stage or considered a great singer.
Did they look different? Compared to other 18th-century men, yes. They were tall, beardless, with smooth, pale skin and plentiful scalp hair. They had a tendency to gain weight, especially around the hips and in the breast area. Their speaking voices were similar to women's.
Could they have sex? Their sexual appetite, preference and level of performance varied. A few, such as Cafferelli and Marchesi, were known as great lovers and had well-documented amorous escapades. Others, such as Tenducci and Finazzi, married, but always outside the Catholic Church. The Church forbade castrati to marry on the grounds that they were unable to procreate.
So who sings their roles in performances of today? The castrati roles in Baroque operas are sung by male countertenors or sopranists who have trained to sing in an operatic falsetto or by female altos or mezzo-sopranos in a "pants role." In the movie Farinelli (Sony, 1995, Golden Globe winner), directed by Gerard Corbiau, the voices of countertenor Derek Lee Ragin and soprano Ewa Mallas Godlewska were digitally melded to produce the thrilling re-creation.
