The Castrato Sacrifice: Was it Justified? Page: 27
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Haydn after his voice broke is the other interesting facet of this story. He was immediately
turned out of the Cathedral, despite his many years of service. The man that would become one
of the greatest composers of all time was living on the streets in poverty after losing his voice.
Haydn's talent eventually got him work and he was on his way to success. But for the many
others that were not blessed with Haydn's talent as a composer, poverty may have overtaken
them completely. So for the young boys of a church choir, castration may have seemed an
attractive alternative to life on the streets (Oxford 1996).
Once the process was completed, the boys began their education in earnest. In this
respect, most of them seemed to have a much improved quality of life over their peers and
siblings. They were sheltered in churches or conservatories and spared harsh work in the fields.
Castrati were considered much more "delicate" then their peers at these conservatories, so were
given rather special treatment. It was thought that their immune systems had been possibly
compromised due to their operation, so a close eye was kept on their health and general well-
being. They were treated to warmer quarters and beds, and given better food than their intact
male counterparts (Abbott 1999). This most certainly occasionally sparked jealousy and
resentment between the castrati and the normal students, which may account for the fact that a
marked number of castrato students eventually left and became runaways.
For whatever their place of origin, the city for young castrati to begin was undoubtedly
Naples. There were no less than four musical conservatories in Naples: Sant'Onofrio, Pieta dei
Turchini, Santa Maria di Loreto, and Poveri di Gesiu Cristo. Founded throughout the 16th century
as more general havens for the care and education of poor children, these institutions eventually
became purely musical conservatories. By around the year 1650, these organizations had
converted almost completely from simply charitable places of general education to an intensive27
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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/m1/30/: accessed May 12, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .