castrato

American  

[ka-strah-toh, kuh-, kah-strah-taw] / kæˈstrɑ toʊ, kə-, kɑˈstrɑ tɔ /

noun

PLURAL

castrati

1. a male singer, especially in the 18th century, castrated before puberty to prevent his soprano or contralto voice range from changing.

---

castrato British  

/ kæˈstrɑːtəʊ /

noun

1. (in 17th- and 18th-century opera) a male singer whose testicles were removed before puberty, allowing the retention of a soprano or alto voice

---

Etymology

Origin of castrato

1755–65; < Italian < Latin castrāt ( us ); castrate

Example Sentences

The only aural record of a castrato is of nine recorded selections of castrato Alessandro Moreschi, believed to be the last singer of his kind.

From Salon

Even by the time Moreschi was born, the castrato voice had long since gone out of fashion in the world of opera.

From The New Yorker

The repertoire for these singers was once limited mainly to baroque composers like Monteverdi and Handel, who wrote roles for male castrati.

From Seattle Times

Like many Handel operas, “Radamisto” involves lots of women playing men — roles often written for castrati, men who were castrated before their voices changed at puberty, giving them a distinctive, powerful high soprano.

From Washington Post

At one end is the treasury of parts written for castrato singers during the Baroque era; at the other, an explosion of contemporary music.

From New York Times