HIGH VOICES

Countertenors, who have the highest male vocal range, train for many years to develop their falsetto, or head voice, and sing the same notes as a soprano. The roles that countertenors perform in Baroque opera today, were traditionally written for castrati. Castrati were adult male singers who retained their pre-pubescent vocal range as a result of castration. Men who were castrated to serve specific social roles—often servants—are referred to broadly as eunuchs. The practice dates back to 2100 B.C. In the 16 th Century, castrati became popular in sacred and secular music, as women were not allowed to perform in public. Opera as an art form emerged at this time, and castrati roles were often written to portray the heroic lead— especially as performances were held outdoors and high voices could be heard more clearly over the orchestra. Castrati went out of fashion around the 1830s, when composers began to write for women on the stage, and the health hazards to castration became more widely known. Today, when we interpret Baroque opera, countertenors take on the heroic male leads, while women may play young men in a “pants role.”

Portrait of Carlo Maria Michelangelo Nicola Broschi, or “Farinelli,” portrait by Jacopo Amigoni, c. 1750

Castrati were be paid up to 3,000 guineas a year to perform. That is about $400,000 today! .