The World of the Castrati: The History of an Extraordinary Operatic Phenomenon
The practice of castrating boy sopranos continues to both repel and fascinate the modern audience. Reflecting these responses, this book vacillates between an up-to-date obsession with clinical details and a Victorian sense of shock. As Barbier (music history, West Catholic Univ., Angers) documents here, some of the castrasti were extraordinary singers and led interesting lives, both public and private. But the book adds few new details to what has previously been known, and it is neither scholarly enough to be a definitive study nor breezy enough to entertain. A more interesting treatment is still Angus Heriot's The Castrati in Opera (1956. o.p.).?Timothy J. McGee, Univ. of TorontoCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.