Only known recording of castrato singer

Subject: Only known recording of castrato singer
From: Maryrrf
Date: 01 Apr 06 - 05:00 PM

This came up on another Forum I post to. I read the article and listened to the recording - I found it disturbing. I'd known the "castrati" existed but didn't realize it was so relatively recent. This recording was made in 1902, and Alessandro Moreschi was the last performing "castrato".   Apparently a number of parents had their sons castrated in the hopes that they would find fame and fortune as opera singers but most of the unfortunate boys never achieved success. Here's the link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4853432.stm

Subject: RE: Only known recording of castrato singer
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 01 Apr 06 - 06:42 PM

There was the film Farinelli about another of the castrati referred to in the article. IIRC they simulated the sound by digitally splicing parts of the ranges of a soprano with a tenor to get a suitable effect.

Mick

Subject: RE: Only known recording of castrato singer
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 01 Apr 06 - 06:51 PM

How sad. The parallel drawn in the article with contemporary pop "manufactured" artists is fascinating.

I tried to put myself in the position of the castrati's parents. Let's say someone guaranteed to me that if I castrated my son he would automatically get hundreds of millions - would I do it? Not till hell freezes over, is my answer.

What drives parents to such idiotic acts - then and now?

Subject: RE: Only known recording of castrato singer
From: GUEST,Jack Campin
Date: 01 Apr 06 - 07:14 PM

There are still hundreds of castrato singers actively performing - the hijras of India. There is a film "Street Musicians of Bombay" with extensive footage of them (I saw it in German but imdb knows about an English version).

Given what the Russians have done to their own country since 1989 I'm expecting a revival of the Skoptsy any day now.

Subject: RE: Only known recording of castrato singer
From: GUEST,practical Phil
Date: 01 Apr 06 - 07:15 PM

..hundreds of millions ????!!!!!


with that kinda guarantee you could always pop his severed nads
in cryogenic freeze until his singing career was over,
then hope medical science had evolved far enough to sew 'em back on
successfully !

Subject: RE: Only known recording of castrato singer
From: Little Hawk
Date: 01 Apr 06 - 07:31 PM

The tendency of parents to use their chidren to live out the parents' own dreams is a very common problem in society, and always has been.

Subject: RE: Only known recording of castrato singer
From: Peace
Date: 01 Apr 06 - 07:40 PM

More here.

Sound sample available on that link, FYI.

Subject: RE: Only known recording of castrato singer
From: GUEST,Cletus Harddinger
Date: 01 Apr 06 - 07:51 PM

"The tendency of parents to use their chidren to live out the parents' own dreams is a very common problem in society, and always has been."

Geeziz Hawk.....You mean there are parents who WANT to be castrated???? But then they castrate their kids instead? Holy sheepshit!!!

CLETUS

Subject: RE: Only known recording of castrato singer
From: GUEST,Jack Campin
Date: 01 Apr 06 - 07:58 PM

For the hijras, parental control doesn't seem to come into it. If anything, the one most extensively interviewed in that film got himself castrated as an act of rebellion.

Upstairs (where I can't get at it just now) I have a book "The Human Testis and its Diseases" which as a chapter on castration. It describes one of the Russian Skoptsy whose father converted as an adult.   Dad had a special treat for him on his his fifteenth birthday. (I have never read that the Skoptsy ever sang - probably regarded it as sinful).

Subject: RE: Only known recording of castrato singer
From: Maryrrf
Date: 01 Apr 06 - 08:15 PM

That story led to my doing a google on the subject and one of the articles pointed out that, when the whole "castrati" phase started, there was no prevailing consensus that every human being was entitled to a fulfilling sexual life. On the contrary, it was considered very noble to renounce sex. In the latter part of that era it did become viewed as a questionable practice and the story would be that the child had been "injured" in an accident.   I still think it was horrific and sad.

Subject: RE: Only known recording of castrato singer
From: Peace
Date: 01 Apr 06 - 08:17 PM

Nothing funny about it at all.

Subject: RE: Only known recording of castrato singer
From: Kaleea
Date: 01 Apr 06 - 10:39 PM

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.

Subject: RE: Only known recording of castrato singer
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 02 Apr 06 - 05:21 AM

Certainly in mediaeval times the amount of children who were 'given to God' in various ways was distressingly high. The first son was to inherit, the second son to serve the lord (i.e., went into service as a page and then on to be a soldier for the landowner/gentry whose estates he lived on) and the third son to serve God as a priest. Any other sons were superfluous and the father ran the risk of having a feud on his hands trying to give each of his sons a parcel of land. If the father was a villein (or 'slave' for the landowner) and didn't own the land, it was even more difficult. Thus the monasteries were looked on as a sort of dumping ground for young sons. They were given as child oblates usually at around 5 or 6yrs old, and brought up as monks. Many of these child oblates would surely have starved or died young had they not been given to God.

If a boy were found to have a beautiful voice and could make his owner money, then certainly, the owner would have done what they could to keep that voice - a great singing voice before puberty is no guarantee of a good voice after it. Had Aled Jones had an orchidectomy when he was younger, he would still be a fantastic soprano, rather than the mediocre tenor he's become. (When I say mediocre, he still has a good voice and amazing technique, but he's no Placido Domingo.....)

A few years ago Channel 4 (UK) showed a film about the last castrati, called 'Il Castrati'. The first advert in the break was for a hand held cutting tool..... Ouch!

LTS

Subject: RE: Only known recording of castrato singer
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 02 Apr 06 - 09:57 AM

Liz - I wonder if the advertising person placed that ad deliberately

With their usual efficiency the Gooooooooooogle ads tell us about "Vocal tips, exercises - Method guarantees a full octave increase!" & "Vocal software reviews ... Buy smart, not scams!"

sandra