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Explore the fascinating world of male sopranos, known as castratti, who were the superstars of opera during the Baroque era. Discover the controversial practice of castration, the soaring voices that resulted, and the fame and fortune they achieved. Learn about the decline of castratti with changing attitudes towards the practice.
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“Castratti” No, it isn’t an Italian Pastry! BAM! Figaro, Figaro, Figaro…
THE BAROQUE ERA • NEOPOLITAN OPERA - 17th Century Okay, so it is Italian, but it’s definitely not about pastry. “Castratti” What does the beginning of word sound like? CASTRATI… BAM! You guessed it…
Male sopranos, or castratti, were the "superstars" of opera • For best results, a boy was normally operated on at around six to seven years and not older. • The castrati were born, as a general rule, of humble parents; for only those in fairly pressing need of money would have consented to the mutilation of their children. • The doctors most esteemed for the operation were those of Bologna: they were in demand for the express purpose of castrating boys • Clement VIII eventually authorized castration only ad glorium Dei, "for the Glory of God"
The voices that resulted soared to a stratospherically high range with a quality somewhat similar to the voice of an innocent choirboy
Performance = $$$ • They performed in the theater at a time when women were not permitted to do so. • As demand increased, so too did the salaries that a castrato could charge for his services. Contemporaries were shocked at the rapid rise in the salaries of castrati. In 1739, for example, Cafferelli, one of the most famous of the castrati, was paid 2,263 ducats for the opera season, while the composer of the opera, Nicola Porpora, was paid a mere 200 ducats
Baroque Rock Stars • For their part, the great castrati behaved very much like the rock stars of today, complete with individual moods and quirks that could easily reduce a hassled impresario to exasperation.
The Voice • It was the castrato's voice that sent audiences into raptures and made the tantrums and strange behavior tolerable. • The castrati had the high beautiful voices of women, and the strong powerful lungs and chest muscles of men. • Composers began to write music that could demonstrate these singers remarkable abilities.
The End of an Era • The triumph of the castrati was relatively short-lived. • French philosophers, among them Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, saw the practice of castration as an "offence against nature", unbecoming in a supposedly modern and enlightened society.
Giovanni Battista Velluti was reported to be the last known Castrati opera singer. His story is somewhat different from the other Castrati. He was meant to become a military officer by his parents, however, some ailment in childhood required a minor surgery. The doctor misunderstood what the parents were asking and castrated the child. He was not known to be the best singer, his training coming at the very end of the era. He was however, known to be one of the most handsome of the Castrati. His boyish looks lasted most of his life and his normal height and proportions made him more acceptable in public at the time. Giovanni Battista Velluti
The End • I mean…it really is…it’s against the law now. So guys, if you want to sing really, really, ridiculously high… Maybe Michael’s giving lessons.
