The Castrato Sacrifice: Was it Justified? Page: 56
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insistence that he not be physically examined upon his death. Yet his affable attitude seemed to
be a way of life for him, as shown in his behavior, not just in his writings as a singer. An
example of his general attitude was his tongue-in-cheek performance in Lyons, taking the French
style to the absurd.
Overall he did appear to enjoy his life of music and travel, never really leaning towards
the bitter in his writings, but keeping an ironic eye on every situation. His life ended peacefully,
in his final chosen vocation, combining his devotion to God and music.
Much like Farinelli, Balatri's life included other avenues besides music. Farinelli was
quite active in his political influence, and Balatri served as a Russian interpreter and type of
ambassador to numerous countries. However, both these men likely would not have achieved
nearly as much as they did had they not been castrati. Their talent and training as singers is what
opened the doors of opportunity for them. Both men kept music in their lives until the day they
died, even though they officially retired from the performance arena.
Despite the inherent hardships of a castrato, many doors were flung wide open for them
that would be closed to many of their intact contemporaries. Even for castrati that did not spend
a lifetime pursuing the opera stage, many successful paths were possible. Balatri's final
appointment at the church mirrors the life that some castrati led from the beginning, and some
eased into upon retirement. Life in the church was a fallback position for castrati, a type of
safety net. Those castrati that did not reach the heights of fame on the opera stage were not
completely lost. Angus Heriot gives a rather bleak view of a "failed" castrato:
...the poor wretch might then decline to the touring of small provincial opera-houses-
the "sticks" of eighteenth century Italy- or hide his head in some church choir; where, to
keep his spirits up, he would choose all the latest and flashiest operatic arias, have them
reset to sacred words, and with them startle the angels on the rederos and the martyred
saints on the frescoed ceiling. (Street 1987)56
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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/m1/59/: accessed May 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .