My old Music History professor played a recording of the fellow for us. His voice sounded eerie. The choral music of "the church" depended upon the castrati once upon a time, as they certainly didn't want the guys & dolls mixing it up-at least not while everybody was looking during church. Throughout history, people have not always been kind to their children, unfortunately. It was once normal that people had large families, & with that many mouths to feed, giving at least one or two to the church was common. The boy soprano was quite prized. In the history of the Theatre when women were not allowed, boys played the roles of females, & castrati were found there, too.