What is a castrato?
Q: What is a castrato?
A: A castrato was a type of male singer with a very high voice, produced either through castration or because of some hormonal problems. The word "castrato" literally means "castrated".
Q: When were castrati singers popular?
A: Castrati singers were very sought after in the early days of the opera, and most of the main soprano roles in operas by Handel and other composers of that time were written for them. However, their popularity died out in the 19th century when operas became less artificial and more like real life.
Q: How did families benefit from having their children castrated?
A: Many families who were poor had their children castrated because it might give them a better future. Once a boy was castrated he would go to a special music school where they could learn singing and musical instruments, and if they proved to be good enough they could have successful careers as opera singers.
Q: Who was Farinelli?
A: Farinelli was an Italian castrato singer who gained fame in England due to German-born composer Georg Friderich Händel's move there in 1709 and his writing lots of Italian operas. He was one of the most famous opera stars during his day.
Q: When did the practice of using castratos end?
A: By the mid-19th century there were no opera castratos left, although some still sang in church choirs until 1922 when Alessandro Moreschi -the last known surviving one- died at age 64.
Q: What effects does being castrated before puberty have on vocal cords?
A: When someone is castrated before puberty, their vocal cords will not enlarge or grow bigger as they normally would during puberty which results in their voice staying high pitched instead of getting deeper over time.
Q: Is there any way we can hear what these great voices sounded like today?
A: There is a recording made in 1902 by Alessandro Moreschi -the last known surviving one-, but since he may not have been a good singer and he was old when he made it, it's impossible for us to judge whether the original sound quality of these great voices remained intact or not from this recording alone.
