Why Italy

Have there been famous Castratos throughout history or just the 1 set of Italian brothers?

Public Comments

1. There have been many. Farinelli (1705-1782) was among the most famous, and very popular with opera audiences. Senesino (1686-1758) was another - apparently with an excellent voice but very limited acting ability.
2. I believe the last one died in the 1920's.
3. There were many famous castrati; their popularity and fame was in the 16th through 19th centuries, and some became superstars of their time. Here are some: Antonio Bernacchi (1685 - 1756) Francesco Bernardi (Senesino) (1686 - 1758) Carlo Broschi (Farinelli) (1705 - 1782) Girolamo Crescentini (1762 - 1848) Baldassare Ferri (1610 - 1680) Gaetano Guadagni (1725 - 1792) Gaetano Majorano (Caffarelli) (1710 - 1783) Giovanni Manzuoli (1720 - 1782) Luigi Marchesi (1754 - 1829) Alessandro Moreschi (1858 - 1922) Domenico Mustafà (1829 - 1912) Gasparo Pacchierotti (1740 - 1821) Domenico Salvatori (1855 - 1909) Giovanni Velluti (1781 - 1861) "The physical results of the castration yielded this amazing voice with abnormally large range, abnormally fluid agility and abnormally powerful stamina. But this all lead to an abnormally developed chest, "Hence," as Boyden stated, "the freakish breath control demonstrated by the successful castrati, who were able to hold a single line of music for up to two minutes." This voice could also span three and a half octaves, which is virtually impossible for the natural human voice. Farinelli was to 18th century Europe what the Beatles were to the '60s and '70s. He was a musical genius with the capacity to make ladies faint and men marvel. He sang in opera for several years and later served in private for kings. He saw success in all of Europe's cultural centers, including Naples, Rome, Vienna and Munich." http://media.www.fsunews.com/media/storage/paper920/news/2003/04/07/ArtsAndEntertainment/Having.A.Ball.With.Castration-2364330.shtml Scroll down a bit here, and you can hear an old recording of the last castrato, Alessandro Moreschi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alessandro_Moreschi http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbV6PGAWaIU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv-S3uoeTXg