The Castrato : a Baroque phenomenon

Abstract

Castrati were virtually inexistent in the Europe of the early 1500’s, but by the eighteenth century, the most successful of these singers had become powerful members of Baroque society, dominating the European music scene. By the nineteenth century, castrati had all but vanished. This dissertation will seek to determine what made the castrato a phenomenon particular to the Baroque. The point of departure for this investigation will be the negative Enlightenment perspective of castrati as both ambiguous and artificial. In opposition to this view, this study will examine the positive perception of these two characteristics within Baroque culture. The first chapter will offer a brief overview of the activities of castrati, demonstrating the extent to which these singers had become integral to Baroque cultural practices. The second chapter will relate the appearance of the ambiguous castrato to the emergence of a politics of absolutism. Locating the castrato within Baroque mechanisms of power, it will argue that the ambiguity of this figure served political strategies that were mobilised in reaction to forces of destabilisation. The third chapter will join this political discussion with an examination of the aesthetic means by which such strategies were advanced. It will be argued that the castrato embodied the highly artificial aesthetic that was employed in musical performances under the patronage of those in power. The fourth chapter will link the discussions of the previous three chapters in an exploration of the themes of ambiguity and artifice in Baroque Malta. The employment of increasing numbers of castrati throughout the Baroque in Malta will be related to the growing tendency by local governing bodies to project an absolutist image. The discussion will conclude with an appraisal of the last Baroque castrato and his failure to successfully bridge the gap between Baroque and post-Baroque worlds.