"Lloyd W. Hanson" wrote:
>
> Vocalisters:
>
> >Wasn't the Florentine Camerata the dawn of the prima donna -- the early
> Baroque?
>
> Early opera used men in women's roles and, of course eventually
> castrati in these roles.
Sorry - not if Handel is anything to go by (and of course he may be an
exception: I'm still looking)
The original casts of all Handel's operas are well documented, and
there's scarcely a cross-dresser among them. Those that do are women
playing men.
cheers,
Linda
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