For a solid portion of musical history, castrato singers or ‘castrati’ had a prominent role in operas, churches and courts across Europe. But why were young boys forced to undergo the gruesome ...

Historians and scientists have exhumed the remains of the legendary castrato Farinelli in Italy, to study the anatomical effects of castration carried out on young boys to turn them into high-pitched ...

Everyone knows what a toll the rock-star lifestyle can exact. Drugs and alcohol are de rigueur, sexual promiscuity often comes with the territory, and loss of hearing is yet another occupational ...

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Cecilia Bartoli could have followed the path of least resistance. When the Italian mezzo-soprano burst onto the opera scene in the early '90s with a standard repertoire of ...

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts. A high-pitched voice, questionable sexuality, and ear-grabbing ...

Opera latecomer Vivica Genaux builds a reputation by singing music originally performed by castrated men. The New York Times names her solo debut CD — composed of the "greatest hits" of famed ...

See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. CASTRATO MUSIC ONCE sung by men castrated before puberty to force their ...

1 Photos: Frog and Peach Theatre Company's MACBETH Opens at The Cullum Theatre Lewis R. Baratz holds a Ph.D. in musicology. He researched the sacred music tradition in 18th-century Brussels as a ...