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Voices from Heaven
The male soprano in three forms
Gregory W. Warren
Vocal Pedagogy
May 8, 2003
High male singing voices have fascinated listeners for centuries. ... Of these unusual voices the castrati may be the most fascinating because today they are extinct. ... “The development of complex polyphonic church music, with the elaborate ornamentation much favored at this time, required voices in the higher register; for this purpose the church choir had used boys and adult male falsettists, mostly imported from Spain.”
The rise of the castrato was encouraged by the disadvantages of working with children’s voices and the particular tastes of the church audiences. Children’s voices lack power and only stay children for a short time, and the voice of the falsetto was considered inferior to that of the castrato. ... Famous voices like Carlo Broschi, known as Ferinelli, received a lot of attention from composers and audiences alike. ... The boys nearly all came from poor families in various parts of the Italy. ... Unfortunately, too many boys died from this practice and it was considered the least desirable. ... Aside from giving young children opium, there must have been risks from hemorrhaging and infection as well. ...
The voices of the castrati were different, but the appearance of them was also impacted by lack of testosterone. ... ”
Although the Castrati of the 18th Century are long gone, there are still men today who suffer from natural hypogonadism.
Approximate Word count = 1152
Approximate Pages = 4.6
(250 words per page double spaced)
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