For a solid portion of musical history, castrato singers or ‘castrati’ had a prominent role in operas, churches and courts across Europe. But why were young boys forced to undergo the gruesome ...

The following correction was printed in the Guardian's Corrections and clarifications column, Tuesday 13 April 2010 An editing change had us saying that Michael Maniaci and Radu Marian are both to ...

Most people think castrating choirboys is inhumane - but not singer Ernesto Tomasini. "I regret not having been castrated," he says. "I would have perfectly happily given up my masculinity for my art.

The following content is purely satirical and entirely fictional. The Princeton TestosterTones, the University’s premier and only all-castrato a cappella group, made a splash Monday night at their ...

When Alessandro Moreschi died on 21 April, 1922, the world thought it had felt the last stubbleless kiss of the voice of an angel on Earth — the boy castrato. The castrato tradition dictated that the ...

For centuries, their voices soared in gilded churches and candlelit concert halls - otherworldly, pure and achingly beautiful. But behind the ethereal sound of the castrato singers lay an unspeakable ...

The Trials of Tenducci was the colourful title of the Irish Baroque Orchestra's concert at the National Gallery on Friday. Peter Whelan conducted, and mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught sang in an unbroken ...