The Castrato Sacrifice: Was it Justified? Page: 12
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This difference in family culture did not stop with the common folk. The nobility shared
a similar family structure and unit as the peasantry. Focus for the nobility was on the family
dynasty rather than the family unit. Individual ambition was not really considered. Achievement
for the "house," rather than for the individual family members, was what mattered. Children
simply did not have the choices or variety of lives that they would enjoy during later periods of
history. The primary source of wealth at the time was by inheritance alone, which generally
solely took place within the family (Black 1990). The custom of "indivisible inheritance"
severely restricted the lives of a family's children, save that of the eldest son, the usual
benefactor of this practice. Through this concept, there was a sole heir to the family fortune
(usually the oldest living son), rather than a division of the family's assets among all of the
children. Therefore, the younger children, male and female alike, had a much less secure future.
They were left with very few options. If lucky, the daughters could marry with a good dowry,
but many joined convents, not necessarily to answer some divine calling, but as a means of
survival. The sons could possibly learn a trade, but at a rather great expense. The view of work
in that time period was vastly different that that of the modern western society. Such work was
looked down upon by the nobility, and by working, a son forfeited his rank and could never
really socially advance. This situation forced many of the younger children into a "sacred" or
"profane" celibacy. Celibacy in general was on the rise, as marriage was much more expensive
than single life. The younger sons lived on an extremely modest allowance, called apiatto.
Many of these young men preferred a life in a quiet monastery to the rush of traffic and
commerce, or certainly to the discomforts of military life (Black 1990). This rise in the interest
of the celibate life led to many new convents and monasteries, as well as new orders being
created. The number of the religious soared, although their reasons for entering monasteries and12
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Sowle, Jennifer. The Castrato Sacrifice: Was it Justified?, thesis, August 2006; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc5343/m1/15/: accessed May 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .