num_pages: 272
description: This entertaining and authoritative study of the castrati during the baroque period explores the lives and triumphs of more than 60 singers over three centuries—their social origins, training, and relationship to society and church. Blending history and anecdote, it traces the course of a phenomenon that held Europe in its thrall. People were fascinated by these hybrids—part man, part woman, and part child—who became virile heroes on the operatic stage. The reader will learn of the horrors of castration, the nature of the strange castrato voice, and the conflicts these singers experienced.
language: English
title: The World of the Castrati: The History of an Extraordinary Operatic Phenomenon
titlecomplete: The World of the Castrati: The History of an Extraordinary Operatic Phenomenon
genres: Italy, Music, 17th Century, Nonfiction, 18th Century, History
ratings_count: 90
publisher: Souvenir Press