Castratos were male singers who had been castrated (had their testicles removed) to prevent their voices breaking (becoming deeper) as they went through
puberty. They had truly beautiful voices which combined the clarity and purity of a boy soprano with the power of the mature male voice. Understandably
the fashion for castratos died out some time ago and there is only one very poor recording of such a voice available.
Castrato singers were very popular in the 18th century, even though castration was illegal. In Italy poor families keen for their sons to make good
money in opera, would have their sons castrated. The usual age for castration was between seven and nine years of age. Some surgeons would do the
operation but often the village barber was called upon. Because castration was illegal in Italy many excuses were given for the sudden 'accidents'
that befell these young boys. Being struck by a wild boar was a frequently used excuse.
The first Italian castrato stars to visit England were Valentini and Nicolini. Nicolini sang the title role of Handel's Rinaldo
in 1711. Other major stars included Senesino and Farinelli.
Introduction
