Common vocal ranges represented on a musical keyboard

Soprano Alto Tenor Bass

A castrato is a male soprano, mezzo-soprano, or alto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity. Human voices may be classified according to their vocal range — the highest and lowest pitches that they can produce. ... The layout of a typical musical keyboard A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers on a musical instrument which cause the instrument to produce sounds. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... This article is about the singing voice part. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... This article is about the voice-type. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... This article is about Tenor vocalists in music. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... A bass (or basso in Italian) is a male singer who sings in the deepest vocal range of the human voice. ... This article is about the singing voice part. ... A mezzo-soprano (meaning medium soprano in Italian) is a female singer with a range usually extending from the A below middle C to the F an eleventh above middle C. Mezzo-sopranos generally have a darker (or lower) vocal tone than sopranos, and their vocal range is between that... In music, an alto or contralto is a singer with a vocal range somewhere between a tenor and a mezzo-soprano. ... The human voice consists of sound made by a human using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying and screaming. ... Castration (also referred as: gelding, neutering, orchiectomy, orchidectomy, and oophorectomy) is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which a male loses the functions of the testes or a female loses the functions of the ovaries. ... For other uses, see Singer (disambiguation). ... Puberty refers to the process of physical changes by which a childs body becomes an adult body capable of reproduction. ... Endocrinology is a branch of medicine dealing with disorders of the endocrine system and its specific secretions called hormones. ...

Castration before puberty (or in its early stages) prevents a boy's larynx from being transformed by the normal physiological events of puberty. As a result, the vocal range of prepubescence (shared by both sexes) is largely retained, and the voice develops into adulthood in a unique way. As the castrato's body grew, his lack of testosterone meant that his epiphyses (bone-joints) did not harden in the normal manner. Thus the limbs of the castrati often grew unusually long, as did the bones of their ribs. This, combined with intensive training, gave them unrivalled lung-power and breath capacity. Operating through small, child-sized vocal cords, their voices were also extraordinarily flexible, and quite different from the equivalent adult female voice, as well as higher vocal ranges of the uncastrated adult male (see soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, sopranist, countertenor and contralto). Listening to the only surviving recordings of a castrato (see below), one can hear that the lower part of the voice sounds like a "super-high" tenor, with a more falsetto-like upper register above that. The larynx (plural larynges), colloquially known as the voicebox, is an organ in the neck of mammals involved in protection of the trachea and sound production. ... The word epiphysis can mean: The pineal gland, one of the endocrine glands. ... Look up Limb in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The human rib cage. ... This article is about the singing voice part. ... A mezzo-soprano (meaning medium soprano in Italian) is a female singer with a range usually extending from the A below middle C to the F an eleventh above middle C. Mezzo-sopranos generally have a darker (or lower) vocal tone than sopranos, and their vocal range is between that... In music, an alto or contralto is a singer with a vocal range somewhere between a tenor and a mezzo-soprano. ... A sopranist is a male singer who sings in the soprano vocal range. ... A countertenor is an adult male who sings in an alto, mezzo or soprano range, often through use of falsetto, or sometimes natural head voice. ... In music, an alto is a singer with a vocal range somewhere between a tenor and a soprano. ... Falsetto is a singing technique that produces sounds that are pitched higher than the singers normal range, in the treble range. ...

Castrati were rarely referred to as such: the term musico (pl musici) was much more generally used; another synonym was evirato (literally meaning "unmanned").

History of castration

Castration as a means of subjugation, enslavement or other punishment has a very long pedigree, dating back to ancient Sumeria (see also Eunuch). In a Western context, eunuch singers are known to have existed from the early Byzantine Empire. In Constantinople around 400 AD the empress Eudoxia had a eunuch choir-master, Brison, who apparently established the use of castrati in Byzantine choirs. Whether Brison himself was a singer, and whether he had colleagues who were eunuch singers, has not been definitely established. By the ninth century, eunuch singers were well-known (not least in the choir of Hagia Sophia), and remained so until the sack of Constantinople by the Western forces of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. Their fate from then until their reappearance in Italy more than three hundred years later is by no means clear, though it seems likely that the Spanish tradition of soprano falsettists may have "hidden" castrati (it should be remembered that much of Spain was under Arab domination at various times during the Middle Ages, and that eunuch harem-keepers and the like, almost always taken from conquered populations, were a commonplace of that society: by sheer statistics, some of them are likely to have been singers). European illustration of a Eunuch (1749) Chief Eunuch of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II at the Imperial Palace, 1912. ... European illustration of a Eunuch (1749) Chief Eunuch of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II at the Imperial Palace, 1912. ... Hagia Sophia The patriarchal basilica Hagia Sophia (Greek: ; Holy Wisdom), now known as the Ayasofya Museum, was the culmination of early Christian architecture. ...

A Byzantine castrato from the 11th century

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Castrati in the European Classical tradition

Castrati, many of them having Spanish names, first appeared in Italy in the mid-sixteenth century. Alfonso II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, was an early enthusiast (by 1556). There were castrati in the court chapel at Munich by 1574, where the Kapellmeister (music director) was Orlando di Lasso, and it is likely that Palestrina, director of the choir of St Peter's from 1576 to 1594, would have been keen to emulate his famous contemporary. In 1589, by the bull Cum pro nostri temporali munere, Pope Sixtus V re-organised that choir specifically to include castrati, and in 1599, they were first admitted into the Pope's personal choir of the Sistine Chapel: Pietro Paolo Folignato and Girolamo Rossini (it is likely that others, such as Padre Soto, appointed in 1562, joined earlier under the euphemism "falsettist"). Thus the castrati came to supplant both boys (whose voices broke after only a few years) and falsettists (whose voices were weaker and less reliable) from the top line in such choirs. Women were of course banned by the Pauline dictum mulier taceat in ecclesia ("let your women keep silent in church"; see I Corinthians, ch 14, v 34). Ferrara is a city in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, capital city of the province of Ferrara. ... A Kapellmeister is nowadays the director or conductor of an orchestra or choir. ... Orlande de Lassus, a. ... Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (between 3 February 1525 and 2 February 1526[1] - 2 February 1594) was an Italian composer of the Renaissance. ... Pope Sixtus V (December 13, 1521 – August 27, 1590), born Felice Peretti, was Pope from 1585 to 1590. ...

Castrati in opera

Castrati had parts in the earliest operas: in the first performance of Monteverdi's Orfeo (1607) they played subsidiary roles, including that of Euridice. By 1680, however, they had supplanted "normal" male voices in lead roles, and retained their hegemony as primo uomo for about a hundred years; an opera not featuring at least one renowned castrato in a lead part would be doomed to fail. Because of the popularity of Italian opera throughout 18th-century Europe (except France), singers such as Ferri, Farinelli, Senesino and Pacchierotti became the first operatic superstars, earning enormous fees and hysterical public adolation. The strictly hierarchical organisation of opera seria favoured their high voices as symbols of heroic virtue, though they were frequently mocked for their strange appearance and bad acting. For the composer see Claudio Monteverdi For the Swiss automobile brand created by Peter Monteverdi, see Monteverdi (car) Monteverde Monte Verde Category: ... Farinelli, by Wagner after Amigoni 1735 Farinelli (January 24, 1705 – September 16, 1782), was the stage name of Carlo Broschi, one of the most famous Italian soprano castrato singers of the 18th century. ... Senesino (Francesco Bernardi) (1690?-1750?) was a celebrated Italian castrato who worked in London for some time. ... Opera seria is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and serious style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1720s to ca 1770. ...

a caricature of Farinelli in a female role, by Pier Leone Ghezzi 1724

Castration "for music" was an almost totally Italian practice, and under the Catholic church's Canon Law, strictly illegal: it was mutilation, and thus punishable by excommunication. The music historian Charles Burney was sent from pillar to post in search of places where the operation was carried out: "I enquired throughout Italy at what place boys were chiefly qualified for singing by castration, but could get no certain intelligence. I was told at Milan that it was at Venice; at Venice that it was at Bologna; but at Bologna the fact was denied, and I was referred to Florence; from Florence to Rome, and from Rome I was sent to Naples... it is said that there are shops in Naples with this inscription: 'QUI SI CASTRANO RAGAZZI' ("Here boys are castrated"); but I was utterly unable to see or hear of any such shops during my residence in that city."^[1] Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Charles Burney by Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1781 Charles Burney (April 12, 1726 – April 12, 1814) was an English music historian and father of author Fanny Burney. ...

The training of the boys was rigorous. The regime of one singing school in Rome (c. 1700) consisted of one hour of singing difficult and awkward pieces, one hour practising trills, one hour practising ornamented passaggi, one hour of singing exercises in their teacher's presence and in front of a mirror so as to avoid unnecessary movement of the body or facial grimaces, and one hour of literary study; all this, moreover, before lunch. After, half-an-hour would be devoted to musical theory, another to writing counterpoint, an hour copying down the same from dictation, and another hour of literary study. During the remainder of the day, the young castrati had to find time to practice their harpsichord playing, and to compose vocal music, either sacred or secular depending on their inclination.^[2] This demanding schedule meant that, if sufficiently talented, they were able to make a debut in their mid-teens with a perfect technique and a voice of a flexibility and power no woman or ordinary male singer could match.

the castrato Carlo Scalzi, by Joseph Flipart c. 1737

In the 1720s and 1730s, at the height of the craze for these artificially-preserved voices, it has been estimated that upwards of 4000 boys were castrated annually in the service of art.^[3] Many came from poor homes, and were more or less sold by their parents to the church or to a singing-master, in the hope that their child might be successful and lift them from their lowly status in society (this was the case with Senesino). There are, though, records of some young boys asking to be operated on to preserve their voices (e.g. Caffarelli, who was from a wealthy family: his grandmother gave him the income from two vineyards to pay for his studies). Caffarelli was also typical of many castrati in being famous for tantrums on and off-stage, and for amorous adventures with noble ladies. Some, as described by Casanova, preferred gentlemen (noble or otherwise).^[4] Modern endocrinology would suggest that the castrati's much-vaunted sexual prowess was more the stuff of legend than reality. Not all castrated boys had successful careers on the operatic stage; the better "also-rans" sang in cathedral or church choirs, while some, trained as they were in acting, may have turned to the straight theatre, or perhaps even prostitution. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Senesino (Francesco Bernardi) (1690?-1750?) was a celebrated Italian castrato who worked in London for some time. ...

Decline

By the late eighteenth century, changes in operatic taste and social attitudes spelled the end for the castrati. They lingered on past the end of the ancien régime (which their style of opera parallels), and two of their number, Pacchierotti and Crescentini, even entranced the iconoclastic Napoleon. The last great operatic castrato was Giovanni Battista Velluti (1781-1861), who performed the last operatic castrato role ever written: Armando in Il Crociato in Egitto by Meyerbeer (Venice, 1824). Soon after this they were replaced definitively as the first men of the operatic stage by the new breed of heroic tenor as incarnated by the Frenchman Gilbert-Louis Duprez, the earliest "king of the high Cs", whose successors are singers like Caruso, Franco Corelli, and Luciano Pavarotti. Gaspare Pacchierotti Gaspare Pacchierotti (born Fabriano (Marche) 21 May 1740, died Padua 28 October 1821) was a great mezzo-soprano castrato, and one of the most famous singers of his time. ... Girolamo Crescentini (February 2, 1766–April 24, 1846) was a noted Italian male castrato mezzo-soprano. ... Giambattista Velluti. ... Giacomo Meyerbeer Giacomo Meyerbeer (September 5, 1791 – May 2, 1864) was a noted German-born opera composer, and the first great exponent of Grand Opera. ... Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (February 25, 1873 – August 2, 1921) was one of the most famous tenors in the history of opera. ... Franco Corelli. ... Luciano Pavarotti performing on June 15, 2002 at a concert in the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille Luciano Pavarotti, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI[1] (October 12, 1935 – September 6, 2007) was a man who celebrated Italian tenor in operatic music, who successfully crossed into popular music becoming one of...

After the reunification of Italy in 1870, castration for musical purposes was made officially illegal (the new Italian state had adopted a French legal code which expressly forbade the practice). In 1878, Pope Leo XIII prohibited the hiring of new castrati by the church: only in the Sistine Chapel and in other papal basilicas in Rome did a few castrati linger. A group photo of the Sistine Choir taken in 1898 shows that by then only six remained (plus the Direttore Perpetuo, the fine soprano castrato Domenico Mustafà), and in 1902 a ruling was extracted from Pope Leo that no further castrati should be admitted. The official end to the castrati came on St. Cecilia's Day, 22 November 1903, when the new pope, Pius X, issued his motu proprio, Tra le Sollecitudini ('Amongst the Cares'), which contained this instruction: "Whenever . . . it is desirable to employ the high voices of sopranos and contraltos, these parts must be taken by boys, according to the most ancient usage of the Church." The last Sistine castrato to survive was Alessandro Moreschi, the only castrato to have made recordings. On Moreschi, critical opinion varies between those who think him mediocre and only interesting as an historical record of the castrato voice, and others who regard him as a fine singer, judged on the practice and taste of his own time. He retired officially in March 1913, and died in 1922. Pope Leo XIII (March 2, 1810—July 20, 1903), born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903, succeeding Pope Pius IX. Reigning until the age of 93, he was the oldest pope, and had the third longest pontificate... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Alessandro Moreschi c1900

A castrato singing Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Alessandro_Moreschi. ...

Alessandro Moreschi performs part of Eugenio Terziani's Hostias et preces This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Problems listening to the file? See media help.

The Catholic Church's involvement in the castrato phenomenon has long been controversial, and there have recently been calls for it to issue an official apology for its role. As long ago as 1748, Pope Benedict XIV tried to ban castrati from churches, but such was their popularity at the time that he realised that doing so might result in a drastic decline in church attendance.

There have also long been rumours of another castrato sequestered in the Vatican for the personal delectation of the Pontiff until as recently as 1959, but these have been definitively shown to be false. The singer in question was a pupil of Moreschi's, Domenico Mancini, such a skilful imitator of his teacher's voice that even Lorenzo Perosi, Direttore Perpetuo of the Sistine Choir from 1898 to 1956 and a lifelong opponent of castrati, thought he was a castrato. Mancini was in fact a moderately skilful falsettist and professional double-bass player. DON LORENZO PEROSI A Brief Biography by Leonardo Ciampa Monsignor Lorenzo Perosi was without question the most important composer of sacred music during the turn of the last century, and one of the greatest Catholic composers of all time. ... This article is about the stringed instrument. ...

Modern castrati and similar voices

So-called "natural castrati" are born with hormonal anomalies, such as Kallmann's syndrome, that reproduce the vocal effects of castration without the surgeon's knife. Javier Medina is an example of this type of high male voice. Others, like Michael Maniaci and Jorge Cano, have no hormonal or other anomalies, but for some reason, their voices did not "break" in the usual manner, leaving them still able to sing in the soprano register. Other uncastrated male adults sing soprano, generally using some form of falsetto, but in a much higher range than the more common countertenor. Examples are Aris Christofellis, Radu Marian, Jörg Waschinski, Vitas, and Ghio Nannini. All these are gifted performers, but it must be remembered that, having been born in the twentieth century, they and the few others like them have not undergone the type of rigorous training through adolescence endured by the castrati of the eighteenth century. Thus their technique is distinctly "modern", and they lack the tenorial chest register the castrati possessed. An exception is the remarkable jazz singer, Jimmy Scott, who uses only the low register, matching approximately the range used by female blues singers. Norepinephrine A hormone (from Greek όρμή - to set in motion) is a chemical messenger from one cell (or group of cells) to another. ... Kallmanns syndrome, first reported in 1856 by Franz Josef Kallmann, is also known as familial hypogonadism with anosmia or hypogonadotropic eunuchoidism. ... Jorge Cano is a young baroque opera singer native of Bogotá, who initiated his studies at the National University of Colombia. ... Falsetto is a singing technique that produces sounds that are pitched higher than the singers normal range, in the treble range. ... A countertenor is an adult male who sings in an alto, mezzo or soprano range, often through use of falsetto, or sometimes natural head voice. ... Aris Christofellis Coloratura Sopranista Aris Christofellis is a male soprano (sopranista) who was born in Athens on 5 February 1960. ... Radu Marian Soprano Radu Marian was born in the former Soviet Republic of Moldavia he comes from a family of Moldavian artists. ... Vitas (born February 19, 1981), is a Latvian-born Russian pop singer, composer, actor and fashion designer. ... Little Jimmy Scott (July 17, 1925 in Cleveland) is an American jazz vocalist. ...

Antonio Maria Bononcini: Vorrei pupille belle, sung by Radu Marian
Javier Medina Avila, including an audio sample (Riccardo Broschi: Ombra fedele anch'io)

In popular culture

• The Franco-Italian film Farinelli deals with the life, career, frustration and brother (a director-composer) of the castrato Carlo Broschi (stagename Farinelli). His voice was "reconstructed" by a mixture of counter-tenor and female soprano, and the film takes enormous liberties with history in the pursuit of cinematic effect.
• The disinterment of Farinelli's body in 2006 for scientific analysis was widely reported (see http://www.comune.bologna.it/iperbole/farinelli/italiano/testi/riesumazione_del_farinell.htm).
• Anne Rice's novel Cry to Heaven, although a romantic novel, is based upon solid research and, notwithstanding the novelization, captures a strong sense of the training and world of castrato singers in 18th Century Venice and Naples.
• Kingsley Amis's novel The Alteration deals in part with Hubert Anvil, a ten-year-old singer in the choir of St. George's Basilica, Coverley, whose mentors decide his voice is too precious to lose and that he should become a castrato (hence the title). The novel's setting is an imaginary Europe where the Reformation never took place.
• The Last Castrato is a psychological thriller about two young boys, fraternal twins, who must suffer castration for their art.
• In Russell T Davies' 2005 version of Casanova, Nina Sosanya played Bellino, a woman pretending to be a castrato, whose true sex was, however, eventually revealed.
• Jeanette Winterson's novel Art & Lies includes a subplot dealing with castration, eroticism, and the Church.
• A "castrato" accompanied a live orchestra, Foley Artists and an interlocutor (Crispin Glover or Isabella Rossellini in some performances) in viewings of the 2006 film, "Brand Upon The Brain!".

Farinelli, by Wagner after Amigoni 1735 Farinelli (January 24, 1705 – September 16, 1782), was the stage name of Carlo Broschi, one of the most famous Italian soprano castrato singers of the 18th century. ... Farinelli, by Wagner after Amigoni 1735 Farinelli (January 24, 1705 – September 16, 1782), was the stage name of Carlo Broschi, one of the most famous Italian soprano castrato singers of the 18th century. ... Anne Rice (born on October 4, 1941) is a best-selling American author of gothic and later religious themed books. ... Cry to Heaven is a stand-alone historical novel by Anne Rice copyrighted 1982. ... This article refers to the wide variety of writing called romantic. For literature from the European Romantic movement of the 18th and 19th centuries, see Romanticism: Art and Literature. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... For other uses, see Venice (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Naples (disambiguation). ... Sir Kingsley William Amis (April 16, 1922 – October 22, 1995) was an English novelist, poet, critic, and teacher. ... The Protestant Reformation was a movement which began in the 16th century as a series of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church, but ended in division and the establishment of new institutions, most importantly Lutheranism, Reformed churches, and Anabaptists. ... Russell T Davies (real name: Russell Davies, born April 27, 1963) is a television producer and writer. ... Giacomo Casanova (April 5, 1725 - June 4, 1798). ... Nina Sosanya is a British actress. ... Jeanette Winterson OBE (born August 27, 1959) is a British novelist. ... The Foley artist on a film crew is the person who creates and records many of the sound effects, (thesedays many often associate the Foley artist with the job of capturing the natural/everyday sounds leaving the the role of special (audio-) effects to the Sound_designer. ... An interlocutor (pronounced in-ter-lock-you-ter) describes someone who informally explains the views of a government and also can relay messages back to a government. ... For the Scarling. ... Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (born June 18, 1952 in Rome, Italy) is an Italian actress, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, and former supermodel. ...

Some famous castrati

• Baldassare Ferri (1610–1680)
• Antonio Maria Bernacchi (1685–1756)
• Francesco Bernardi (Senesino) (1686–1758)
• Carlo Broschi (Farinelli) (1705–1782)
• Gaetano Majorano (Caffarelli) (1710–1783)
• Giovanni Manzuoli (1720–1782)
• Gaetano Guadagni (1725–1792)
• Gasparo Pacchierotti (1740–1821)
• Luigi Marchesi (1754–1829)
• Girolamo Crescentini (1762–1848)
• Giovanni Velluti (1781–1861)

Baldassare Ferri (December 9, 1610 - September 10, 1680) was an Italian castrato singer. ... // Events January 7 - Galileo Galilei discovers the Galilean moons of Jupiter. ... Events First Portuguese governor was appointed to Macau The Swedish city Karlskrona was founded as the Royal Swedish Navy relocated there. ... Events February 6 - James Stuart, Duke of York becomes King James II of England and Ireland and King James VII of Scotland. ... 1756 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Senesino (Francesco Bernardi) (1690?-1750?) was a celebrated Italian castrato who worked in London for some time. ... 1686 (MDCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1758 (MDCCLVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Farinelli, by Wagner after Amigoni 1735 Farinelli (January 24, 1705 – September 16, 1782), was the stage name of Carlo Broschi, one of the most famous Italian soprano castrato singers of the 18th century. ... // Events Construction begins on Blenheim Palace, in Oxfordshire, England. ... 1782 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Caffarelli (March 8, 1710–July 4, 1783), an Italian castrato and opera singer. ... // Events April 10 - The worlds first copyright legislation became effective, Britains Statute of Anne Ongoing events Great Northern War (1700-1721) War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713) Births January 3 - Richard Gridley, American Revolutionary soldier (d. ... 1783 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... // Events January 6 - The Committee of Inquiry on the South Sea Bubble publishes its findings February 11 - Sweden and Prussia sign the (2nd Treaty of Stockholm) declaring peace. ... 1782 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Gaetano Guadagni c1780 Gaetano Guadagni (born Lodi or Vincenza 11 October 1729, died Padua 11 December 1792) was an Italian alto (though later soprano) castrato singer, most famous for singing the role of Orpheus at the premiere of Glucks opera Orfeo ed Euridice in 1762. ... Events February 8 - Catherine I became empress of Russia February 20 - The first reported case of white men scalping Native Americans takes place in New Hampshire colony. ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Gaspare Pacchierotti Gaspare Pacchierotti (born Fabriano (Marche) 21 May 1740, died Padua 28 October 1821) was a great mezzo-soprano castrato, and one of the most famous singers of his time. ... Events May 31 - Friedrich II comes to power in Prussia upon the death of his father, Friedrich Wilhelm I. October 20 - Maria Theresia of Austria inherits the Habsburg hereditary dominions (Austria, Bohemia, Hungary and present-day Belgium). ... Year 1821 (MDCCCXXI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Luigi Marchesi was a famous castrato singer. ... 1754 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1829 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Girolamo Crescentini (February 2, 1766–April 24, 1846) was a noted Italian male castrato mezzo-soprano. ... 1762 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1848 (MDCCCXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Giambattista Velluti. ... 1781 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1861 (MDCCCLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Notes

References

Bontempi, G: Historia Musica (Perugia, 1695)
Casanova, G: Memoirs (tr Machen, A., with additional tr by Symons, A (London, 1894)
Haböck, F: Die Kastraten und ihre Gesangskunst (Berlin, 1927)
Heriot, A: The Castrati in Opera (London, 1956)
Scholes, P (ed): Dr Burney's Musical Tours in Europe (London, 1959)
Pleasants, H: The Castrati ("Stereo Review", July 1966)
Rosselli, J: The Castrati as a Professional Group and a Social Phenomenon, 1550-1850, ("Acta Musicologica", LX, Basel, 1988)
Moran, N: Byzantine castrati ("Plainsong and medieval Music", vol 11, no 2, Cambridge, 2002, pp 99-112)
Tougher, S (ed): Eunuchs in Antiquity and Beyond (London, 2002)
Clapton, N: Moreschi, the Last Castrato (London, 2004)

External links

• Castrati Through the Ages
• Castrati Exhibition
• All you would like to know about Castrati
• Jorge Cano, A Contemporary Castrato
• Radu Marian, Male Soprano
• Castrados por amor al arte
• Singing Voice: Castrati
• Recordings:
  
  • Antonio Maria Bononcini: Vorrei pupille belle, sung by Radu Marian
  • 1904 Recording of Alessandro Moreschi singing Bach/Gounod Ave Maria
  • Javier Medina Avila, including an audio sample (Riccardo Broschi: Ombra fedele anch'io)
• Farinelli's disinterment: http://www.comune.bologna.it/iperbole/farinelli/italiano/testi/riesumazione_del_farinell.htm