Although the procedure was completed clandestinely, cities like Bologna, Lecce, and Norcia became centers for the surgery where the surgeons were further called to other capitals in Europe. The surgery was said to be quick and painless; one description of the operation comes from a French work published 1707, later translated into English in 1717 titled Eunuchism Displayed, under the pseudonym of Charles d’Ancillon:
During the eighteenth century as many as 4000 boys were castrated in Italy to preserve their treble voices into adulthood. Voltaire writes a phrase in the Old Woman’s Tale Candide, “I was born in Naples he told me, where they caponize two or three thousand children every year; some die of it, others acquire a voice more beautiful than any woman’s, still others go on to become governors of kingdoms.” Castration was largely popular all across Italy; in an article, “The Castrati as a Professional Group and Social Phenomenon”, 1550-1850, John Rosselli, English historian and musicologist, surveys existing church records throughout Italy in an effort to clarify just how many boys were submitted for castration. Though he admitted a precise calculation is further impossible, he notes, “at any time between about 1630 and 1750 there must have been living several hundred castrati, nearly all Italians…. In Naples, Rome, Bologna, and Venice… and in some smaller towns (Padua, Assisi, Loreto), there were groups of castrati large and stable enough to be a feature of everyday life.” Disregarding legality, thousands of boys were castrated with hopes of becoming “super stars” in the performance world both in church and opera. Voltaire’s passage examines how many boys found no passion for music and later became rulers and governors of d...
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...itten for castrati. However, each singer played their part with their natural voice and contributed to the general transformation of opera in the nineteenth century.
Although the castrato maintained a 100 year long infamy, transition was bound to happen. The phenomenon was splendid and served well in the upbringing of opera through the eighteenth century, but various European events (i.e. French Revolutionary and Napoleon wars) changed the course of history for good. If not for those wars, women might still be sitting silently in the audience. However, opera really owes credit to the “barber surgeons” of Italy for disobeying the law and continuing their practice despite all consequences against their actions. Without their bravery, castrati may never have existed along with the moving operatic compositions of the early seventeenth century to the nineteenth century.
"History of Castrati in the Opera." By Irini Kotroni. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2014
A rediscover of their history and recognition of early Greek philosophers changed the way that the influential families and Princes, in Italy, considered themselves. Their way of thinking of the Devine and need to promote one’s own aspirations through sponsorship of the arts, as well as, civic duty became not only fashionable but important to progress in the city states. Although Donatello’s David and Botticelli’s Primavera are master pieces in their own right, their influence on future generations of artists cannot be ignored. The spark that ignited the fire which we call the Renaissance was a transformation of societies thinking and values to a Humanistic approach to one duties to society and the church. These two works are a reflection of the changing attitudes which would eventually change all of
castrato soprano, lovely to watch and to listen to however pitiful in plot and lightweight
Barry Millington, et al. "Wagner." The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, accessed March 23, 2014,
Many people may ask what is opera? Opera is a form of work that is very dramatic. It is sung by singers called opera singers who are known for their very beautiful voices. Opera began in the Baroque period, it originated in Italy and it quickly became popular spreading all over Europe. With this style, the singer has to have a certain type of voice, they have to be able to project their voices differently than normal singer. The opera singers were usually accompanied by orchestras and different instruments. In this paper I am going to tell you about Leontyne Price, Kathleen Battle, and Linda Maguire who are opera singers.
The history of opera companies in New York City may bring to mind the largesse of the Metropolitan Opera Company, but for years before that opera was alive and well, and even thriving, in New York City. High society in New York had long been envious of the elegance associated with European opera outings, but it wasn't until 1825 that the first production of an opera was performed on a New York stage – an Italian opera troupe performing the premiere of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. A review from the New York Evening Post reported, “the first-night house was full”, and noted with a “touch of relief” that “an assemblage of ladies so fashionable, so numerous… so elevated, so ‘European’” attended the performance. Accompanying the ladies of high
MONDELLI, PETER. "The Sociability Of History In French Grand Opera: A Historical Materialist Perspective." 19Th Century Music 37.1 (2013): 37-55. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 May 2014.
As a Chinese international student in Western Michigan University, it is a great opportunity for me to give the presentation to talk about the music – the Beijing Opera, which comes from my own country. The Beijing Opera has existed for over 200 years. It is widely regarded as the highest expression of the Chinese culture. It is known as one of the three main theatrical systems in the world. Although it is called Beijing Opera, its origins are not in Beijing but in the Chinese provinces of Anhui and Hubei province. Beijing Opera got its two main melodies, Xi Pi and Er Huang, from Anhui and Hubei operas. It then absorbed music and arias from other operas and musical arts in China. However, during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), Beijing Opera suffered along with other kinds of operas in China. All the traditional pieces reflecting the Old Societies were banned from performance. The famous Eight Model Plays, featuring the communist activities during the anti-Japanese war and the civil war with the Nationalists, as well as the class struggles after the founding of the People's Republic. In this presentation, I am going to talk about the features of both traditional and revolutionary Beijing Opera, and also some main differences between traditional and revolutionary opera.
Amateur voice teachers, amateur singers, and amateur listeners often associate straight-tone singing with correct Baroque performance practice (Almirena). This idea is probably an outgrowth of the way scholars understand correct d...
Serlio, Sabbattini, and Furttenbach. The Renaissance Stage: Documents of Serlio, Sabattini and Furttenbach. Trans. Allardyce Nicoll, John H. McDowell, and George R. Kernoodle. Ed. Barnard Hewitt. Coral Gables: University of Miami, 1958. Print.
One of the key figures in the history of opera, Wagner was largely responsible for altering its orientation in the nineteenth century. His program of artistic reform accelerated the trend towards organically conceived, through-composed structures, as well as influencing the development of the orchestra, of a new breed of singer, and of various aspects of theatrical practice. As the most influential composer during the second half of the nineteenth century, Richard Wagner's conception of music remains very much with us even a century after his death.
Meanwhile on the other side of the world, in Rome were beauty was highly valued, surgeons began practicing methods to alter the human body. They first started operating on gladiators whose faces had been severely damaged. Afterwards they began to use some breast reduction methods, but they mostly focused on reconstructing the ears, lips, and noses. After the Roman Empire fell the advancement of surgery was stalled for a couple hundred years. During the rise of Christianity in the Middle Ages and Renaissance period the church forbade anybody to have any surgical changes done to their body.
Harr, James. Essays on Italian Poetry and Music in the Renassisance: 1350-1600. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1986.
Though operatic practices had evolved greatly over a span of a hundred years, regardless the era, “Opera, by contrast, is notable for the multiplicity of forces that must be brought together openly for its making – for example, the financial powers that provide for its lavish needs; the diverse and often warring talents, drawn from a number of arts, who are expected to work together to create and perform its texts; the audiences who use it to satisfy both their aesthetic and their social cravings…The history of opera is thus not simply a conventional history of shifting period styles and competing national traditions, for it must accommodate countless “nonaesthetic” elements that help shape these styles and that these styles sometimes even shape in return.” (Lindenberger, Opera, The Extravagant Art, 1984, pp. 235-236)
The origin of opera was born in seventeenth century Italy. Wealthy Italian nobles had these “musical works” presented in their piazzas or courtyards. During this time extravagant entertainments, such as fireworks and other amazing effects along with music, singing, dancing and speeches were presented at regal weddings or to welcome important guests. These pre-op...