Topic by Beto-Music

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Topic: Greatest singers ever were catrated as boys.

This documentary is about castrati, boys castrated to keep high pitch voice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8ZAraf5wMc

Their voice, however, have no match today, since they had a voice that was superior to normal man and women.

I think people in the XVIII century were musical fanatics, as had such barbaric method to produce high pitch in man.

Most people informed about music know about castration in the barroque era, but this documentary it's quite interesting.

Last edited by Beto-Music (11-04-2010 06:19)

Reply by Glenn NK

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Re: Greatest singers ever were catrated as boys.

That was very interesting - a bit upsetting perhaps - but interesting nonetheless.

I've known a bit about it and was familiar with the term and how it came about.

Glenn

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Reply by studio64

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Re: Greatest singers ever were catrated as boys.

I have heard that the same treatment can improve your piano playing.

Reply by feline1

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Re: Greatest singers ever were catrated as boys.

Since no recordings are available from that period, it's purely conjecture that castrati were better singers than ordinary people.

Reply by Beto-Music

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Re: Greatest singers ever were catrated as boys.

You should not say something like that in a forum with so many crazy piano players.

Háa háaa háaaaaa...

studio64 wrote:

I have heard that the same treatment can improve your piano playing.

Reply by Beto-Music

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Re: Greatest singers ever were catrated as boys.

You have reviews of the era, and medical specialists said their voice was potentionally superior to male and female voices, for the high pitch purpose.

There is a recordings made from 1902-1904 by the last castrati, but he had already aged at the time, wasn't the best of this kind, and was a church singer and not a baroque opera singer. Also the recording sound quality from that era was just awful.

Maybe Moddartt find the last segments of this documentary interesting, as show how they tried to synthetise the voice of castrati singers by digital softwares.

Please do not ask Modarrt for a castratiteq model. 
Há há háaa...


feline1 wrote:

Since no recordings are available from that period, it's purely conjecture that castrati were better singers than ordinary people.

Last edited by Beto-Music (12-04-2010 17:41)

Reply by Beto-Music

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Re: Greatest singers ever were catrated as boys.

By accident I found this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zQX2XqA...re=related

This singer, Philippe Jaroussky, have a very high pitch, (falsetto technic ?) and his voice speaking it's quite natural for a male.

Is the second high pitch (male soprano) singer that is said as a revelation.

Last edited by Beto-Music (12-04-2010 18:02)