Though they had fame with a stunning voice, they didn't lead a normal, happy life. Isn't it miserable if you don't have joy that life gives?
Farinelli (1705-1782) was the stage name of Carlo Broschi. He was one of the greatest castrato singers of all time. He was born into a family of musicians in Italy. His father died unexpectedly and his family became economically unstable. This caused the young talented boy to be castrated presumably by his brother, Riccardo. (He was deprived of his manhood to be able to keep his angelic voice.) Carlo was told later to have fallen off a horse.
The 1720s to the 1730s was the height of the craze of these voices. More than 4,000 boys were annually castrated to preserve their high singing voices. Many came from poor families. They were castrated by their parents in the hope that their boys might be successful and escape from poverty.
There was also a dark side of their popularity. They were often hated by people as malign creatures who lured men into homosexuality. By the late 17th century, operatic taste and social attitude changed. In 1861, castration was made illegal. Pope also prohibited the hiring of new castrati by the church. The Catholic church's involvement in the service of art has long been controversial.
Translation of Lascia ch'io pianga
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