The Castrato Sacrifice: Was it Justified? Page: 17
View a full description of this thesis.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
quite abundant, which may be seen as an advantage over their "normal" male contemporaries.
However, the differences did not stop with facial and hair characteristics. Castrati took on many
other feminine features such as roundness in the hips, and narrowing shoulders. They also had
more of a tendency towards obesity than normal men (Jenkins 1998).
The effect of castration on lifespan has been heavily debated. Some contend that the
castrati lived longer lives than their contemporaries, and some claim that there is no effect of
longevity. One study conducted by J.S. Jenkins of the Urological Sciences Research Foundation
supported the latter. He studied 25 documented castrato singers born between the years 1610 and
1762. The average lifespan found of these singers was 65.1 years. Comparatively, the mean
lifespan 25 intact male singers born between the years of 1605 and 1764 were discovered to be
64.9 years. This may suggest that castration had no real effect on the lifespan of the recipient.
However, this may prove inconclusive when comparing any male singers, intact or castrated, to
males of the period that held other occupations. In general, the male singers lived rather
pampered and coddled lifestyles in comparison to their male contemporaries. This possibly could
have accounted for this profession in general supporting a bit longer longevity- not just for
castrati, but for singers on the whole (Jenkins 1998).
Of course, the most relevant change brought about by castration is that of the voice itself.
The prevention of the release of testosterone inhibits a boy's Adam's apple form developing.
Although they all suffered through basically the same physical alteration, not all castrato voices
were the same. The voice of each castrato could differ from another castrato as much as a
female soprano and contralto voice could differ. There were alto as well as soprano castrati
(Keyser 1987). One castrato certainly was not merely replaceable with another. For example,
Handel very much favored the lower, alto-range castrato voices such as Siface and particularly17
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This thesis can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Thesis.
Sowle, Jennifer. The Castrato Sacrifice: Was it Justified?, thesis, August 2006; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc5343/m1/20/: accessed May 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .