Tako wrote:
> I would think the "hearsay" argument works in both directions - how do > we know the castrati were *so* much louder than any other type of > singer? The hearsay tends to focus on the castrati's incredible > technique (the famous trumpet duel, descriptions of their florid > cadenzi). One sees some speculation about their larger, uncalcified > rib cages to explain breath capacity, but not too often about > super-human power. > > So all else being equal, why would we assume castrati had unusually > large voices? >
Tako and list,
Tako, I enjoyed your post very much- some excellent ideas. I just want to add a few things from a pedagogical standpoint.
It is largely indisputable that during their time, the castrati marked voice excellence of the highest order. You ask above, "how do we know the castrati were *so* much louder than any other type of singer?"
The answer to this question can be found in the effect castration had on vocal registration. Following castration, the vocal registers were conducive to the execution of the largest number of notes in the "chest-register." And fairly often however, the full range of the castrati was from A to high F, which means that from ten to thirteen notes could be sung in the pure "chest-register." This fact has serious implications when we consider that a capable female soprano voice of the time could produce only HALF that number of "chest- tones."
So, castration had it obvious advantages when one considers the innate vitality and power behind the tones emmited by the chest- register. The females singers of the time would often masquerade as castrati- using male names and all! They knew that at the time the female voice was much less desirable for operatic roles. So I guess they figured, "If we can't beat em--join em!"
For further reading on the subject of castrati- pick up Rodolfo Celletti's book, A History of Bel Canto.
Take Care All,
Taylor L. Ferranti DMA Candidate in Vocal Pedagogy Louisiana State University
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