July 19, 2006

Exhuming a castrato

Scientists have exhumed the body of the legendary 18th-century opera singer Farinelli to learn more about the castrati, male singers neutered in childhood to preserve their high-pitched voices.

Farinelli was the most popular and best-paid opera singer in Europe before his death in 1782. His remains were exhumed Wednesday from the historic Certosa cemetery in Bologna, said musicologist Carlo Vitali, a founder of the Farinelli Studies Center.

Read the rest here.

Posted by David on July 19, 2006 11:26 AM

Comments

I wonder why the castrati as a group were unusually tall. Is it that the lack of certain hormones "released" the growth hormone to be over produced? Did they receive better nutrition than children generally, growing strong like a hothouse flower?

Posted by: Sarah [TypeKey Profile Page] on July 19, 2006 4:17 PM
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