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Music Amuses
Did you know that Farinelli, one of the most famous castrati who lived, was held responsible for the ruin and decline of many households in London during the eighteenth century? Farinelli was the renowned Italian castrato who wowed Europe in the eighteenth century. A castrato was a male singer who underwent castration before puberty in order to preserve his treble voice. Their male lung power, combined with superior singing techniques acquired through vigorous training, enabled them to sing long, complicated vocal passages in a single breath. Some of them had a range of four octaves. In fact castrati were pioneering singers in promoting operatic singing and those with the finest voices became operatic idols. Farinelli was the arguably the most celebrated castrato and the first superstar in music history. He had a phenomenal voice, a dazzling vocal technique and a charismatic stage presence that appealed to both men and women. As he soared birdlike to the high notes, audiences gasped, women swooned and rapturous applause erupted. His lady fans were passionate about him and pursued him the way youths people pursue rock stars today. He was particularly popular in London. When he sang there, one woman squealed “One God! One Farinelli!” Some women even starved their families in order to save money and buy tickets to hear Farinelli and buy him gifts ....!!!
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