The Castrati

Castration in the service of music, its origins dating back in the West to the early Byzantine period, first became widespread in Italy in the mid-sixteenth-century. Although castration was forbidden under Canon Law, on pain of excommunication, it was still practiced clandestinely, and indeed Pope Clement VIII (1536-1605) became enamoured with the castrato voice, stating that this mutilation was "to the honour of God". Castrati were officially banned from the Vatican by Pope Pius X in 1903.

There were several reasons for the rise in popularity of castrati around 1600. Under St Paul's prohibition, women had long been banned from singing in church. In the Papal States, where the Church also had temporal authority, this ban was extended to the stage. In both arenas, the castrati, with their angelic but powerful voices, were preferable to less reliable falsettos (a male singer who sings notes higher than his normal range) and transitory boy sopranos, both as a replacement for women and as high-voiced heroes in their own right. The new form of opera, with its demands for flexibility and emotional expression, became their natural home. Families rightly viewed the operation as risky, but it was a potential ticket out of poverty, for famous castrati could earn astronomical sums. Boys as young as eight were put forward for castration, some even demanding it themselves. By undergoing the operation, they preserved their high and beautiful voices whilst their bodies grew, and in some ways outgrew, those of ordinary men in stamina and power.

Successful castrati, as well as becoming extremely rich, were famed for their star tantrums and amorous intrigues, as their success brought them into contact with the elite of society. Their careers generally started early, and were often over by their fifties. A comfortable but perhaps lonely retirement awaited them.

Handel and the Castrati

By the end of the seventeenth century, castrati were dominant in Italian-style opera, which was pre-eminent in Europe outside France. Handel wrote for the castrato voice for almost his entire career, from his first Italian opera (Rodrigo 1707) to the role of Didymus in Theodora (1750), first sung by Gaetano Guadagni.

This exhibition focuses on the eight castrati who performed for Handel most frequently in London, and includes biographies and repertoire examples for each singer. These remarkable men were:

Nicolini (1673-1732), Bernacchi (1685-1756), Berenstadt (1687-1734), Senesino (1686-1758), Carestini (c.1704-c.1760), Gizziello (1714-61), Caffarelli (1710-83), and Guadagni (1729-92). The great Farinelli (1705-82) is naturally also present: an éminence grise for Handel, who was never able to employ him.

With thanks to Nicholas Clapton, curator of Handel & the Castrati, for providing the above information.