The Castrati

nivek

As Above So Below
I was searching some sites in regards to lost recorded music and came upon this interesting bit of history...

One type of music that is well known but practically unrecorded is the singing of Italy’s famed Castrati, who were men who had been castrated at a young age to prevent them from undergoing puberty and thus allowing them to keep a high soprano voice throughout adulthood.

The Castrati were widely renowned for their angelic, haunting voices, yet for as widely regarded and famous as they were we have almost no idea of what they actually sounded like, as the Catholic Church would eventually put an end to the practice of creating Castrati before sound recording devices could be invented.


The only recording of a Castrati, Alessandro Moreschi:



Pope Leo XIII, turns out had a burgeoning interest in sound recording equipment when it came out. Because of this interest, he managed to record one Castrati singer named Alessandro Moreschi.

Although Moreschi was over 50 years old at the time and his voice had seen better days, it is the only known recording of a Castrati singing, and an important piece of musical history and heritage immortalized before it became extinct.
 

CasualBystander

Celestial
Well, if we really want to hear what they sound like we could start castrating the kids of progressive parents.

He doesn't exactly sing like a girl, but it is pretty close.
 

Sheltie

Fratty and out of touch.
He still sounds like a young boy. It's pretty amazing.
 
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