Castration as a means of subjugation, enslavement or other punishment has a very long history, dating back to ancient Sumer. In a Western context, eunuch singers are known to have existed from the early See more

Castrati first appeared in Italy in the mid-16th century, though at first the terms describing them were not always clear. The phrase soprano maschio (male soprano), which could also mean falsettist, occurs in the Due Dialoghi della Musica (Two dialogues … See more

So-called "natural" or "endocrinological castrati" are born with hormonal anomalies, such as Klinefelter's syndrome and Kallmann's syndrome, or have undergone unusual physical or medical events during their early lives that reproduce the vocal effects of castration … See more

• Cry to Heaven
• The Alteration
• Farinelli (film) See more

Although the castrato (or musico) predates opera, there is some evidence that castrati had parts in the earliest operas. In the first performance of See more

By the late 18th century, changes in operatic taste and social attitudes spelled the end for castrati. They lingered on past the end of the See more

• Loreto Vittori (1604–1670)
• Baldassare Ferri (1610–1680)
• Atto Melani (1626–1714) See more