castrato

2 9.9

A male singer whose body was changed before puberty so his voice stays high like a soprano or alto

noun
/kəˈstrɑːtoʊ/

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: castrato

In the 18th century, a castrato could fill an opera house with his high, powerful voice, captivating audiences.
castrato voice

Examples

Farinelli was one of the most famous castrato singers of his time, renowned for his incredible vocal range.
Both baroque and Beijing opera favor artificially high male voices—countertenor and castrato for Europeans and a nasal falsetto for men in female roles for the Chinese.

Academic text (1997)
There in the alley, five minutes into the game, during the period of betting, he stopped the game and in a clear, high-pitched voice like a castrato rebuked the women.

Fiction book (1991)
"Julia Sholokov?" He spoke in a piping castrato tenor that lent his words an incongruous enthusiasm.

Fiction book (1994)
Italy: Farinelli was a famed 18th-century castrato, castrated at a young age to preserve his legendary voice (his voice spanned three octaves and he could hold a note for a full minute).

Academic text (2011)
Being a castrato meant experiencing a unique musical career, performing in various operas across Europe.

Surface Forms

castrato singular

castrati plural

Etymology

The word castrato comes from Italian and the root castrate, which means 'to make unable to have children'; boys were sometimes castrated before puberty to keep a very high singing voice. So a castrato is a male singer from the past who kept a high voice because of this.