The World of the Castrati

This entertaining and authoritative study of the castrati during the baroque period explores the lives and triumphs of more than 60 singers three centuries-their social origins, training, and relationship to society and church. Blending history and anecdote, it traces the course of a phenomenon that [...]
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This entertaining and authoritative study of the castrati during the baroque period explores the lives and triumphs of more than 60 singers three centuries-their social origins, training, and relationship to society and church. Blending history and anecdote, it traces the course of a phenomenon that held Europe in its thrall. People were fascinated by these hybrids-part man, part woman, and part child-who became virile heroes on the operatic stage. The reader will learn of the horrors of castration, the nature of the strange castrato voice, and the conflicts these singers experienced.