It is clear from the movie what sort of life Carlo Maria Broschi lived. He was a star with a horde fanatical followers that could only be rivaled by those of Franz Liszt (or maybe Justin Bieber, unfortunately). Perhaps we should bring back the castrato fad just this once for dear Mr. Bieber. I digress. The information in the film, though plumped up and twisted a bit for the theater, is pretty accurate. Opera was still, in the 1700s, a source of entertainment for all classes. The lower class people had the floor seats and the nobles had their own private boxes high above like Gods. Unfortunately, opera is thought of today as an exclusively bourgeois art form. This is not so much a choice of the lower class as a result of unreasonable ticket costs and greater separation of the audience and the performer.
But what concerns me as much as the fate of classical music is the daily life of a castrato. Upon reading the text concerning Farinelli's quite feminine ailments, I wondered about other possible changes to the man. Was he homosexual, asexual, bisexual, heterosexual? Did he experience mood swings or any other symptoms associated with hormonal imbalances? Having such a bizarre ritual performed upon one's body must have plenty of repercussions. Aside from the unusual lengthening of the limbs found in all castrati, what else could happen to these men? I think I will follow up on this assignment with a study of the lives of castrati.
For all the tech fans, I found a brief article on a medieval music website about how Farinelli's voice was reproduced for the movie. (Incredibly cool!)
Farinelli, or a comment on recreating the voice of a castrato by fusion of timbres
There will be more on Farinelli and other castrati at a later date. Good evening everyone.
(Some information about castrati mentioned was found here: Around Naples Encyclopedia)
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