The Castrato Sacrifice: Was it Justified? Page: 39
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were alive with anecdotes about these singers, and certain castrato provided plenty of fuel for the
fires of gossip. Caffarelli in particular was deemed "the original badly behaved castrato- vulgar,
quarrelsome, and exhibitionistic." He was known to act out onstage by making obscene
gestures, demeaning his fellow singers by making fun of them with audience members during a
show, and even refusing to participate in the ensembles. He was even punished for this behavior
in 1741 and put under house arrest (Rosselli 1992). Marcello's satire also gives us a clear picture
of just how disconnected from the drama that some castrati could be onstage:
If he [the singer] has a scene with another actor, whom he is supposed to address when
singing an aria, he will take care to pay no attention to him, but rather bow the people in
the boxes...in order that the audience may clearly understand that he is the Signor Alipio
Forconi, Musico, and not the Prince Zoroaster, whom he is representing. (Heriot 1975)
Of course this was not the case for every castrato. Farinelli was renowned to be a rather talented
and sensitive actor. But situations such as that caused the castrati in general to have a rather bad
reputation for prima donna type behavior. Marcello goes on to humorously detail his
observations of a castrato singing solo:
All the while the ritornello of his aria is being played, the singer should walk about the
stage, take snuff, complain to his friends that he is in bad voice, has a cold, etc... (Heriot
1975)
As astonishing as this type behavior may be to modern opera audiences, in the 17th and 18th
centuries, when castrati were the undisputed stars of the Baroque stage, it was accepted. Today
such behavior can only be compared what readers might see in modern day tabloid magazines,
full of outlandish tales of film and music stars acting in such a manner. However, even the most
outrageous story of celebrity demands today can hardly be compared to famed soprano Luigi
Marchesi, originator of the aforementioned La bomba di Marchesi ornamentation. Marchesi is
very often described as the "Caffarelli" of the latter half of the 18th century because of his
volatile temperament and ridiculous demands. He was certainly one of the brightest stars of this39
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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/m1/42/: accessed May 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .