castrato

Also known as castrato voice, evirato

thumb|The 18th-century castrato Farinelli, painted by [[Bartolomeo Nazari]]

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Commons category: Castrati

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Article

10 sections

Contents

History
European classical tradition
Opera
Decline
Modern castrati and similar voices
Notable castrati
See also
References
Bibliography
External links

thumb|The 18th-century castrato Farinelli, painted by [[Bartolomeo Nazari]]

A castrato (Italian; : castrati) is a male singer who underwent castration before puberty in order to retain a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto. The voice can also occur in one who, due to an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.