Why Castrati Were Pop Stars of Their Time

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Why castrati were pop stars of their time

The special quality of the castrato voice

By Louise Jury They were like the pop stars of today, Arts Correspondent according to Sarah Bardwell, director of the Handel House Museum in London, which is mounting the show next March. Many were great artists, some were great “The best castrati were superstars, lovers, and scandal seemed to follow admired by audiences, appreciated by them everywhere when they were at the composers and adored by female fans,” peak of their fame. But the very thought she said. “Their voices had a tremendous of the operatic castrati today is enough to emotional impact on the audiences of the make a grown man wince. day. In some ways, pop singers like Chris A new exhibition, however, is hoping Martin of Coldplay or Tom Chaplin of to overcome the Keane are the castrati of today. They, too, public’s squeamishness have legions of fans and can use the on the subject by telling highest register of their voices to deliver the stories of the band songs that go straight to the heart.” of castrati singers who So famous were the castrati of worked for the Handel’s time that while there were some composer George cartoons which mocked them, many more Frideric Handel. engravings, paintings and accounts of It will show that for their performances survive as testimony all the pain caused in to their hero status. the 17th and 18th The legendary Italian lover Casanova centuries, when up to famously fell in love with a castrato, 4,000 boys a year were although the object of his attentions castrated in the service actually proved to be a woman in of art, the rewards disguise. could be immense. The seven who worked regularly for They earned fortunes Handel were Senesino, Nicolini, far in excess of what Bernacchi, Carestini, Caffarelli, Conti and Handel himself earned Alessandro Moreschi Guadagni. and more than other (top), was the last Guilio Cesare, which is being singers of the time. known castrato, whose performed at Glyndebourne, was written emotional impact has One castrato, Caffarelli, been likened to pop for Senesino, whose likeness was a notoriously difficult singers such as Chris captured in an oil painting which will be man to work with, Martin of Coldplay on show at the exhibition. (bottom) accumulated sufficient The original scores of pieces they wealth to buy himself an Italian dukedom sang will be among the items at the on retirement. museum in Mayfair, alongside surgical

▬ www.havovwo.nl - 1 - www.examen-cd.nl ▬ Eindexamen Engels vwo 2009 - II havovwo.nl instruments used to perform the effects of puberty. As a consequence, the castrations. boys retained the vocal range of pre- Nicholas Clapton, the show’s curator pubescence and developed into adulthood and author of a biography of the last in a unique way. known castrato, Alessandro Moreschi, The result was a quality of voice said castration usually took place when unknown today when the parts are boys were placed in a warm bath and normally sung by women or by drugged with drink and opium. countertenors. Clues to the castrati sound Performed before puberty, it survive in a single recording, dating from prevented a boy’s larynx from being fully 1902, of Moreschi, which visitors will be transformed by the normal physiological able to listen to during the exhibition.

The Independent

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Tekst 9 Why castrati were pop stars of their time

“The special quality of the castrato voice” (onderkop) 1p 42 In welke alinea wordt de uitleg gegeven voor het bijzondere karakter van de stem van een castraat? Noteer de eerste twee woorden van deze alinea.

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