Castrato
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
| Revision as of 09:56, 1 May 2009 Jahsonic (Talk | contribs) ← Previous diff |
Current revision Jahsonic (Talk | contribs) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| + | {| class="toccolours" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 2em; font-size: 85%; background:#c6dbf7; color:black; width:30em; max-width: 40%;" cellspacing="5" | ||
| + | | style="text-align: left;" | | ||
| + | "of the nineteenth century , [[Schopenhauer]] could write in his diary , after hearing [[Girolamo Crescentini]] (1762 - 1846) in Vienna , " His supernaturally beautiful ..."--''[[The Gendering of Men, 1600-1750]]'' | ||
| + | <hr> | ||
| + | “His supernaturally beautiful voice cannot be compared with that of any woman: there can be no fuller and more beautiful tone, and in its silver purity he yet achieves indescribable power.” | ||
| + | |||
| + | —On Crescentini, from the diary of Arthur Schopenhauer, Vienna 1805 | ||
| + | <hr> | ||
| + | “supernaturally beautiful,” “silver purity” “indescribable power.”--[[Arthur Schopenhauer]] | ||
| + | |} | ||
| {{Template}} | {{Template}} | ||
| + | A '''castrato''' is a man with a [[human voice|singing voice]] equivalent to that of a [[soprano]], [[mezzo-soprano]], or [[contralto]] voice produced either by [[castration]] of the singer before [[puberty]] or one who, because of an [[endocrinology|endocrinological]] condition, never reaches sexual maturity. Castrati should not be confused with [[eunuch]]s, who are castrated after puberty and do not share the physical characteristics of someone castrated before puberty. | ||
| - | :''[[19th century music]]'' | + | In Europe, when women were not permitted to [[singing|sing]] in church or cathedral choirs in the Roman Catholic Church, boys were sometimes castrated to prevent their voices breaking at [[puberty]] and to develop a special high [[Register (music)|voice]]. The first documents mentioning [[castrato|castrati]] are Italian church records from the 1550s. In the baroque music era these singers were highly appreciated by Opera composers as well. Famous castrati include [[Farinelli]], [[Senesino]], [[Giovanni Carestini|Carestini]], and [[Caffarelli (castrato)|Caffarelli]]. [[Joseph Haydn]] was almost castrated. The last castrato was [[Alessandro Moreschi]] (1858-1922) who served in the [[Sistine Chapel Choir]]. However, in the late 1800s, the Roman Catholic Church, which had always considered castration to be mutilation of the body and therefore a severe sin, officially condemned the production of castrati; their castrations had been performed clandestinely in contravention of Church law. |
| - | :''[[List of Romantic composers]], [[Romantic music]], [[music history of the United States in the late 19th century]]'' | + | ==See also== |
| - | ==Tin Pan Alley== | + | *[[Eunuch]] |
| - | + | *[[Farinelli (film)|''Farinelli'' (film)]] | |
| - | In the later decades of the 19th century, the music industry became dominated by a group of publishers and song-writers in New York City that came to be known as [[Tin Pan Alley]]. Tin Pan Alley's representatives spread throughout the country, buying local hits for their publishers and pushing their publisher's latest songs. Song demonstrators were fixtures at department stores and music stores across the country, and traveling song demonstrators made circuits of rural areas. The industry was driven by the profits from the sales of [[sheet music]]. A [[piano]] was considered a must in any [[middle-class]] or higher home. Major 19th century Tin Pan Alley hits included "Only a Bird in a Guilded Cage" and "After the Ball Is Over". | + | |
| - | ==19th-century opera== | + | |
| - | In opera, the forms for individual numbers that had been established in classical and baroque opera were more loosely used. By the time [[Richard Wagner|Wagner's]] operas were performed, [[aria]]s, [[Choir|chorus]]es, [[recitative]]s and ensemble pieces often cannot easily be distinguished from each other in the continuous, through-composed music. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | The decline of [[castrati]] led to the heroic leading role in many operas being ascribed to the [[tenor]] voice. The chorus was often given a more important role. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | In France, operas such as [[Bizet]]'s ''[[Carmen]]'' are typical, but towards the end of the Romantic period, [[verismo]] opera became popular, particularly in Italy. It depicted realistic, rather than historical or mythological, subjects. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | ==19th-century classical music== | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | [[Sonata form]] matured during the Classical era to become the primary form of instrumental compositions throughout the 19th century. Much of the music from the nineteenth century was referred to as being in the [[Romantic music|Romantic]] style. Many great composers lived through this era such as [[Ludwig van Beethoven]], [[Franz Liszt]], [[Frédéric Chopin]], [[Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]] and [[Richard Wagner]]. The list includes: | + | |
| - | *[[Ludwig van Beethoven]] | + | |
| - | *[[Hector Berlioz]] | + | |
| - | *[[Georges Bizet]] | + | |
| - | *[[Alexander Borodin]] | + | |
| - | *[[Johannes Brahms]] | + | |
| - | *[[Anton Bruckner]] | + | |
| - | *[[Frédéric Chopin]] | + | |
| - | *[[Claude Debussy]] | + | |
| - | *[[Antonín Dvořák]] | + | |
| - | *[[Edvard Grieg]] | + | |
| - | *[[Scott Joplin]] | + | |
| - | *[[Gustav Mahler]] | + | |
| - | *[[Franz Liszt]] | + | |
| - | *[[Felix Mendelssohn]] | + | |
| - | *[[Modest Mussorgsky]] | + | |
| - | *[[Jacques Offenbach]] | + | |
| - | *[[Niccolò Paganini]] | + | |
| - | *[[Camille Saint-Saëns]] | + | |
| - | *[[Antonio Salieri]] | + | |
| - | *[[Franz Schubert]] | + | |
| - | *[[Robert Schumann]] | + | |
| - | *[[Gilbert and Sullivan]] | + | |
| - | *[[Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]] | + | |
| - | *[[Giuseppe Verdi]] | + | |
| - | *[[Richard Wagner]] | + | |
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
Current revision
|
"of the nineteenth century , Schopenhauer could write in his diary , after hearing Girolamo Crescentini (1762 - 1846) in Vienna , " His supernaturally beautiful ..."--The Gendering of Men, 1600-1750 “His supernaturally beautiful voice cannot be compared with that of any woman: there can be no fuller and more beautiful tone, and in its silver purity he yet achieves indescribable power.” —On Crescentini, from the diary of Arthur Schopenhauer, Vienna 1805 “supernaturally beautiful,” “silver purity” “indescribable power.”--Arthur Schopenhauer |
|
Related e |
|
Featured: |
A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity. Castrati should not be confused with eunuchs, who are castrated after puberty and do not share the physical characteristics of someone castrated before puberty.
In Europe, when women were not permitted to sing in church or cathedral choirs in the Roman Catholic Church, boys were sometimes castrated to prevent their voices breaking at puberty and to develop a special high voice. The first documents mentioning castrati are Italian church records from the 1550s. In the baroque music era these singers were highly appreciated by Opera composers as well. Famous castrati include Farinelli, Senesino, Carestini, and Caffarelli. Joseph Haydn was almost castrated. The last castrato was Alessandro Moreschi (1858-1922) who served in the Sistine Chapel Choir. However, in the late 1800s, the Roman Catholic Church, which had always considered castration to be mutilation of the body and therefore a severe sin, officially condemned the production of castrati; their castrations had been performed clandestinely in contravention of Church law.
See also
