Definitions for castrato
kæˈstrɑ toʊ, kə-; -ticas·tra·to

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. castratonoun

   a male singer who was castrated before puberty and retains a soprano or alto voice

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. castratonoun

   A male who has been castrated, especially a male whose testicles have been removed before puberty in order to retain his boyish voice.

2. castratonoun

   A male soprano or alto voice produced by castration of the treble singer before puberty, intended to conserve his voice; the singer.

3. castratoadjective

   Castrated; especially castrated prepubescently.

4. castratoadjective

   Having, using or containing the voice of a castrato (noun).

5. castratoadjective

   Originally composed for a castrato.

   Nowadays, either women or countertenors take the castrato roles.

6. Etymology: From castrato, from castro, likely from caedo.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Castrato

   A castrato (Italian, plural: castrati) is a type of classical male singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto. The voice is produced by castration of the singer before puberty, or it occurs in one who, due to an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity. Castration before puberty (or in its early stages) prevents the larynx from being transformed by the normal physiological events of puberty. As a result, the vocal range of prepubescence (shared by both sexes) is largely retained, and the voice develops into adulthood in a unique way. Prepubescent castration for this purpose diminished greatly in the late 18th century. Methods of castration used to terminate on the onset of puberty varied. Methods involved using opium to medically induce a coma, then submerging the boy into an ice or milk bath where the procedure of either severing the vas deferens (similar to a vasectomy), twisting the testicles until they atrophied, or complete removal via surgical cutting was performed (however the complete removal of the testicles was not a popularly used technique). The procedure was usually done to boys around the age of 8-10, recovery time from the procedure took around two weeks. The means by which future singers were prepared could lead to premature death. To prevent the child from experiencing the intense pain of castration, many were inadvertently administered lethal doses of opium or some other narcotic, or were killed by overlong compression of the carotid artery in the neck (intended to render them unconscious during the castration procedure). The geographical locations of where these procedures took place is not known specifically. During the 18th century itself, the music historian Charles Burney was sent from pillar to post in search of places where the operation was carried out: I enquired throughout Italy at what place boys were chiefly qualified for singing by castration, but could get no certain intelligence. I was told at Milan that it was at Venice; at Venice that it was at Bologna; but at Bologna the fact was denied, and I was referred to Florence; from Florence to Rome, and from Rome I was sent to Naples ... it is said that there are shops in Naples with this inscription: 'QUI SI CASTRANO RAGAZZI' ("Here boys are castrated"); but I was utterly unable to see or hear of any such shops during my residence in that city. As the castrato's body grew, his lack of testosterone meant that his epiphyses (bone-joints) did not harden in the normal manner. Thus the limbs of the castrati often grew unusually long, as did their ribs. This, combined with intensive training, gave them unrivalled lung-power and breath capacity. Operating through small, child-sized vocal cords, their voices were also extraordinarily flexible, and quite different from the equivalent adult female voice. Their vocal range was higher than that of the uncastrated adult male. Listening to the only surviving recordings of a castrato (see below), one can hear that the lower part of the voice sounds like a "super-high" tenor, with a more falsetto-like upper register above that. Castrati were rarely referred to as such: in the 18th century, the euphemism musico (pl musici) was much more generally used, although it usually carried derogatory implications; another synonym was evirato, literally meaning "emasculated". Eunuch is a more general term since, historically, many eunuchs were castrated after puberty and thus the castration had no impact on their voices.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. castrato

   A castrato is a type of classical male singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto. The voice is produced by castration of the singer before puberty, or it occurs in one who, due to an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity. This practice was common during the 16th and 17th centuries, especially in Italy, for singing in church choirs and opera. It declined and ultimately ended in the late 18th century.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Castratonoun

   a male person castrated for the purpose of improving his voice for singing; an artificial, or male, soprano

2. Etymology: [L., properly p. p. of castrare. See Castrate.]

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Castrato

   A castrato is a type of classical male singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto. The voice is produced by castration of the singer before puberty, or it occurs in one who, due to an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity. Castration before puberty prevents a boy's larynx from being transformed by the normal physiological events of puberty. As a result, the vocal range of prepubescence is largely retained, and the voice develops into adulthood in a unique way. Prepubescent castration for this purpose diminished greatly in the late 18th century and was made illegal in Italy in 1870. As the castrato's body grew, his lack of testosterone meant that his epiphyses did not harden in the normal manner. Thus the limbs of the castrati often grew unusually long, as did the bones of their ribs. This, combined with intensive training, gave them unrivalled lung-power and breath capacity. Operating through small, child-sized vocal cords, their voices were also extraordinarily flexible, and quite different from the equivalent adult female voice. Their vocal range was higher than that of the uncastrated adult male. Listening to the only surviving recordings of a castrato, one can hear that the lower part of the voice sounds like a "super-high" tenor, with a more falsetto-like upper register above that.

Matched Categories

1. • Singer

How to pronounce castrato?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say castrato in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of castrato in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of castrato in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=castrato
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Castrato
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castrato
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/castrato
6. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=castrato