The castrato was a male singer castrated before puberty to retain a high, powerful voice. This practice, which happened primarily in Italy from the 16th to 18th centuries, created singers with the lung capacity of an adult male but the vocal range of a soprano, mezzo-soprano or contralto. The result was an ethereal, otherworldly sound that captivated European audiences.
The practice of castrating boys for singing roles likely dates back to Byzantine and Moorish traditions, but it became formalised in the Catholic Church during the late Renaissance, with the first documented castrato singing in the Sistine Chapel choir in 1552. In 1589, Pope Sixtus V banned women from singing in church choirs (“let women keep silent in the churches”; see I Corinthians, ch. 14, v. 34), and this increased demand for high-pitched male voices. Since falsettists (men who artificially sing in a high range) lacked vocal power, castrati became the ideal solution.
By the 17th century, castrati dominated opera and sacred music. The best-known composers, including Handel, Porpora, and Scarlatti, wrote intricate arias designed to showcase their abilities. Famous castrati like Farinelli, Senesino and Caffarelli became international celebrities, admired for their technical skill, range, and unique timbre.
In opera, castrati often played heroic male roles due to their vocal agility and commanding stage presence. By the early 18th century, they became central to opera seria, the dominant style of the time. Their voices, a mix of youthful purity and adult strength, were considered almost supernatural.
There’s a dark side to the story, and, unsurprisingly, it has to do with money. The creation of a castrato typically began with poor families selling their young sons to music conservatories, particularly in Naples. The operation was officially illegal but was often performed under the guise of medical necessity, such as treating an injury or illness.
Methods of castration involved using opium to medically induce a coma, then submerging the boy into an ice or milk bath where the procedure of either twisting the testicles until they atrophied, or complete removal via surgical cutting was performed. The procedure was usually done to boys around the age of 8–10. Gruesome … as reflected by the dead-eyed stare of singer Ariana Grande playing a castrato named Antonio in a 12 October 2024 Saturday Night Live sketch called “Castrati” that quickly went viral. Watch HERE.
By the late 18th century, changing musical tastes and growing moral opposition led to the decline of the castrati. The Enlightenment brought new philosophical perspectives on human rights and dignity, and the practice began to be seen as barbaric. In 1870, Pope Pius X officially banned the castration of boys for musical purposes.
The last known castrato, Alessandro Moreschi (1858–1922), known as the “Angel of Rome”, sang at the Sistine Chapel into the early 20th century. He was the only castrato to make solo recordings, providing us with the only direct evidence of this lost art form. While these early recordings from 1902 and 1904 are of poor technical quality and were made when Moreschi was past his prime, they remain invaluable historical documents.
The castrati's legacy endures in baroque opera revivals, historical recordings and in films like Farinelli (1994), which dramatised the extraordinary life of that particular castrato. The trailer for Farinelli ends with the tagline:
“They stole the gift that made him a man to give him the voice that made him a god.”
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References
Images
1. Still from the 1994 film Farinelli. Credit: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
2. Byzantine castrato from the 11th century
3. Castrato Farinelli, painted by Bartolomeo Nazari in 1734
4. Alessandro Moreschi in 1900
5. Video: Alessandro Moreschi sings Ave Maria
6. Poster for Farinelli, 1994
7. Video: Farinelli Trailer
8. Ariana Grande as Antonio the castrato, Saturday Night Live, 12 October 2024. Watch.
