The Castrato Sacrifice: Was it Justified? Page: 63
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to his early memories of these singers. The existence of the castrati was absolutely crucial to
opera history and helped shape what is arguable the premiere art form of today.
Was it worth it? As with many historical questions, we may never truly know the
answer. But the evidence of the miraculous lives that many of them led, their contributions to
society in general and particularly the field of music, and the escape from the oppressive
destitution that this operation afforded them suggests the affirmative. These ethereal musicians,
unique in so many ways, are one of music's greatest mysteries. A mystery that cannot be solved,
but merely studied in awe and their loss lamented. The stars of the golden age of opera shone
more brightly than we can ever imagine. The magnificent Rossini summarizes the glory of the
castrato singer that is past in musical history, yet everlasting in the soul of the art form that was
founded on their heavenly voices:
I have never forgotten them. The purity, the miraculous flexibility of those voices, and,
above all, their profoundly penetrating accent- all that moved and fascinated me more
than I can tell...63
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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/m1/66/?rotate=270: accessed May 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .