The Castrato Sacrifice: Was it Justified? Page: 24
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time, Italy began to thrive in the castrato business, providing the singers themselves. By the start
of the 17th century, Italy became a veritable castrato factory, controlling the production as well as
the training of these singers. Italy produced so many castrati that there were plenty for both its
own use and for export. As widespread and privately accepted as this process was, it was still
publicly and lawfully condemned, although not at all effectively. Angus Heriot attests:
since anyone known to have been concerned with castration was punishable by
excommunication, as well as liable to civil penalties imposed by the various
governments, the business had to be carried out more or less clandestinely; and there has
been a good deal of discussion as to where it actually took place. (Heriot 1975)
The "blame" for the practice was shifted and passed, even among the Italians. According to
Venice, Bologna was the hub for the castration of young boys. Bologna pointed to Florence as
the epicenter of castrato surgery, Florence blamed Rome for the creation of these singers.
Finally, Rome cited Naples as the culprit, because the city contained four large musical
conservatories. Incidentally, Naples was the place that the majority of castrati trained and began
their careers (Finucci 2003). However, for the actual creation of these singers, Bologna seems
the most likely candidate, as there were Bolognese surgeons that were summoned even to
Germany to perform this illicit operation. Some German courts mirrored the Italian ones in their
use of castrati. For example, in 1752, the Duke of Wirtemburg's court boasted fifteen castrati,
although it is likely that they were of German descent. However, they were probably castrated by
none other than two Bolognese surgeons, called from Italy to the German court specifically for
the purpose of castrating singers for the Duke's service. These Italian doctors or their successors
remained there in the Duke's employ until at least 1772. This German prince was reported to be
quite an opera fanatic, going so far as to endanger the well-being of his subjects to pay for this
obsession. Rumor had it that a certain hospital even had a number of beds designated specifically
for the purpose of housing boys either awaiting or recovering from castration (Heriot 1975).24
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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/m1/27/: accessed May 12, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .