Thank you for sharing this important part of musical history. Absolutely haunting voice. Just a heads-up (no pun intended...) this video is likely about to get a swarm of comments from a recent animation.
Agreed, and I’m glad I was introduced to this from Beanbag! It’s so sad and beautiful, I just wanna cry but I love how it sounds! Beautiful and haunting!
@@niceguy6152 No. Castrati are men who were castrated (balls chopped off) before puberty to keep their high voice. Sure, those things will probably do the same as that, completely skipping puberty, but they are not Castrati, more like Drugfati or something. Castrati are theoretically possible to be made, but it's illegal to do so anyway.
I agree. And the church has no right to tell trans people they are wrong for living the way they want when the church literally castrated 7yr old boys for entertainment purposes.
@@SonderDAzeX I guess its just the irony of the church telling people they cant do something to themselves when routinely they did it for entertainment purposes.
@@Starfoxfan345no, it is NOT!! Modern countertenors sing everything in falsetto, but Moreschi had CHEST voice! You can clearly hear how he breaks into his higher head notes
Well the good thing is is unlike the church which regularly fucks with peoples genitals at birth This kind of thing wouldn't happen to anyone under 18. So you're not going to hear it anyway
The combination of knowing what he had to go through, knowing this happened more than a century ago during such obscure times, the fact that he is dead, and the scratching in the record makes it all extremely dark and disturbing, like something out of a horror movie.
Extremely uncanny. Without any context, in my opinion, this would still be terrifying. Aside from all the history and the new animation. It’s bone-chilling.
This song gives me that same feeling as that Kauaʻi ʻōʻō recording... It feels so eerie yet I'm absolutely fascinated with the sounds im hearing and I cant stop listening to it.
I didnt like it so much. Btw if you are blonde and you got blue eyes you should marrie someone like it to have blue eyed blonde babies cause its very rare
The castration to achieve this seems a little too extreme for me but we also have to remember that kids back in these times weren’t viewed how they are today. Back then, if kids weren’t sold into servitude , or married off, they would learn a respected trade- like this , if they were lucky. Faranelli amassed great wealth at a price
Did he amass great wealth? At this point castrati were viewed in a freakish light. It is far more likely that he, and those unfortunate ones of his ilk, died ignominious poverty
He was extremely wealthy, and one of the most famous in Italy. His biggest drawbacks were his social life, and his depression, but certainly not money.
This reminds me a lot everywhere at the end of time, Haunting yet beautiful and captivating. Its makes you just want to close your eyes and sit in peace while listening to it.
I can understand the popularity of the Castrato back in the day because there were no amplifiers available…this was a human Amplifier…just as powerful as a trumpet or any other musical instrument. It outshines the normal human singing voice.
Where’s your basis for saying that? Why would the vocal tract of a castrated male be so different from that of another child or adult as to be distinctly more powerful?
@@iolairmuinnmalachybromham3103 because the bones of the castrati did not mature as they would without the castration, so this allowed for larger rib cages for greater lung capacities
@@davidcohen4674 just because it was normal at the time, that doesnt make it okay, lobotomies were normal too back in the day, then people realised how messed up this procedure is
TOTALLY not worth the price that Castrati pay to achieve and retain this specialized and obscene talent. It is indeed a terrifying sound. I feel to jump out of my skin listening to it. It is horrific in EVERY way!!!
It's terrible to think how much suffering and rigorous training these poor men went through and you would STILL get a cleaner performance with less hiccups if the catholic church had just allowed a woman to sing this.
@@ermias75ermis2 Yes, it's something to do with how hormones affect the development of bones, isn't it? The ribs develop differently -- presumably in a way that they're less restrictive to the lungs, hence the breathing capacity and power.
@@ermias75ermis2Is there any data on castratis having larger vocal ranges that female singers? Both demographics seem to have an average of two and a half octaves. Besides, you must have a very weird taste to think that this type of singing is better that singing of a female opera singer of the period. Also, why would less power or smaller range be a good argument for not allowing women to sing in choires? Are you aware that the decision to not allow women to sing is not because of their range, or power, or anything like that? This decision is a result if pure misogyny and nothing else
Can anyone recommend a good book about castrato singers, a general historical guide rather than a technical discussion about voice quality and singing. Also saw mentioned a CD of Moreschi. How can l get it? Thanks
There was a movie in 1995 about one of the last castratos. Farinelli. Was how I found out about them in the first place. Was introduced to the movie by the then g/f of one of my best mates. We watched it at his place, I think he had gone out somewhere. Left us both in tears.
"Great" in terms of what? Most Italians can sing. His actual voice is beautiful, but maybe the recording was made past his prime. He's flat a lot, and taking too many breaths. Breath support tends to get more difficult with age, which could explain his intonation (19th century styling aside).
Yes he was in his forties,and the recordings techniques were bad.however technicality apart it’s the timbre of the voice it’s doesn’t sound human it’s not female nor male nor the adolescent type.A voice completely trained to one purpose only to evoke religious sentiments such as pain,need to be loved,give love,asking for forgiveness and a need for forgiveness.It’s inspire a sense of outwardly dread of been 2swallowed by the immensity that surrounds us.Now I know how my Labrador feels when is in front of a roast chicken 😊
Sounds like a musical saw, the wavering is so unpleasant, and the fact that they twist the nads off pre-pubescent boys in order to get this “great” voice is deeply distressing.
Which countertenors have you been listening to? I thought this voice sounded like a parody of a woman singing badly or being stangled. A good countertenor is capable of rich and authentic sounds.
Russel Oberlin was the first (in the US) and the last REAL COUNTERtenor (not alto or soprano falsettist)! He sounded the same as a tenor (in the beginning and later as an alto. One full voice, no falsetto or breaks@@Maisiewuppp
I don't like the sound. It's so unnatural. What were thinking in doing this to boys. And health complications. And we do this to dogs as well. Hormones are important.
Aside from the singing style, he has a beautiful voice, complete with high octave which would not be present had he not been castrated. Nevertheless, castration is not acceptable for the sake of retaining soprano range, tenor and bass ranges also have Beauty, boy treble range is so beautiful, all the stages of male singing have Beauty and relevance. 🌷🌳🌷🌺
I would very much have liked to hear Velutti it’s too bad recording abilities weren’t figured out in the late 18th century. Can you imagine how far it would’ve come in that time? Perhaps the ability to give us faithful representations of some of the greatest singers in history. Malibran, Patti, Tetrazzini etc etc. **Sigh** Oh well... 😔
There again, the catalogues of disc and cd recording companies are over full as far as current artists are concerned. Add another few hundred from the 19th century, and l can’t imagine how swollen our collections would be, but it is tempting to wonder what they had sounded like.
Listening to recordings of this period......Patti for example, show that Moreschi wasn't that great of a singer. He didn't have the training to technique to sing opera...he was essentially a church singer.
While this sounds like a woman to me, there is something chilling in that voice and despite knowing it isn’t a natural female voice, I can’t put my finger on what it is in the sound that is chilling.
It's extremely sad, somber, horrific, even. However; we should make sure not to condemn Moreschi himself, nor his work for any of this. It was monsters who did this to him; the worst kind: monsters who deluded themselves into believing they were doing good. A blight that, unfortunately, refuses to remain in the past. Evil always seems to hide wrapped in goodness. None the less, the tragedy of Moreschi, one which is still very much audible; is one we should do well never to forget. One we should listen to and remember. For if we forget, it can easily repeat itself, simply under a different name.
I fear I know what you're getting at, but I hope I'm wrong. If I'm right, that's an outrageous comparison wherein your logic might easily be reversed, as one might do in the case of poor David Reimer, whose story is so frequently misappropriated to vindicate gender essentialism where it just as might speak to the suffering caused when someone is forced to adopt an identity which they do not recognise as their own. In any case, I do so hope that you haven't decided that this 'different name' is something along the lines of 'transgenderism' or 'gender ideology'. That would be an unfortunate misunderstanding.
@@sinenomine2681 I do not write this with transgenderism or gender ideology in mind; I wrote this with the tragedy that many Castrato performers met in mind. A time where most of these young men, often from poorer backgrounds and destitute situations, were encouraged by their villages and the Church to be castrated for the prospect of fame. Often without anesthetic, or even proper care to their wounds. Often these men died due to non-existent healthcare and even the few who had the wealth or luxury of healthcare often found themselves beyond the treatment of what was medically available at the time. As for my "under a different name" statement? History has a habit of repeating itself constantly under a different name. Regardless of the evil it brings. We see this pattern all the time from the political, to the militaristic, to the everyday person. And every time, it's a tragedy when innocent people suffer due to the ignorance of vein of others. Regardless of circumstance.
@@BaronVonPurp Well, that's heartening to hear. Though I'm not quite sure I agree with you entirely. The treatment of the castrati is so bizarre, so unfathomably cruel and -- for want of a better term -- multiply stupid (in all of its causes and excuses) that I really cannot think that there is anything comparable that is happening or may happen soon in our modern world. Of course, there are acts of cruelty done for stupid and bizarre reasons; there are acts of medical irresponsibility -- the lure of fame is so often wielded by heartless and malicious people to attract the vulnerable... oh, but I digress. The only thing I can think of right now is the world of K-Pop. Their plight is very distinct from the castrati and, dare I say, far less harsh, but it has some thematic resemblance, I suppose. I didn't mean to assume your stance, I apologise if it appeared that way. I shouldn't have thought you were being cryptic. I see a lot of people going down that transphobic line and I take exception to it, which can perhaps lead me to be oversensitive to it.
Er singt jaulend und schief. Schade, dass es von wirklich guten Kastratenstimmen keine Aufnahmen gibt. Obwohl die Schicksale, die dahinterstehen, absolut nicht mit einer schönen Stimme aufgewogen werden können. Zitat aus einem spannenden Roman zum Thema Kastratensänger: „Alessandro Moreschi singt wie ein weinendes Baby. Seine Stimme klingt, als wäre sie gesprungen, wie eine alte Tasse. Wenn ich ihn höre, tut er mir unheimlich leid - weil er so schlecht singt und weil die große Epoche des barocken Gesangs schon vorbei war, als er lebte.“
This is thought to be the last castrato singer to have lived. Castratos were, as the name suggests, castrated at a young age - before puberty - to retain a high vocal register into adulthood and to pervert veridical development in other ways (related to bone joints) which would, in conjunction with training, behove their lung power and breath capacity. Simply put, they would have their balls removed so that their voice would be stuck a certain way forever. Their abilities would often be beyond that of any ordinary female vocalist, let alone male ones, in flexibility and power. Many castrati came from poor backgrounds, sent from their homes to be mutilated for the sake of the arts but, more importantly, in the hopes of elevating them from poverty. This practise was at its height in 18th century Italy, and was made illegal in Italy in 1861, although attitudes towards the practise had changed long before them. Their fame increased in parallel with the hatred of them, and were characterised in cruel and homophobic ways, where they were thought to lure men into homosexuality. This recording is a testament to this strange and depraved genre of cruelty. Looking into it, you'll find the castrati's tale is one wrapped up in a great many social injustices.
Check out Gregg Pritchard, Andrew di Leone, Michael Maniacci,Vitas and especially RADU. None of these men have been castrated but they are all modern male sopranos. Also Andreas Scholl, and Phillip Jarouski. They have a unique gift. They are making megabucks. Andrew de Leone and several others have children. He does a beautiful job too!
No falsettist has the same timbre and power as a castrato or female singer!! Even Moreschi's broken and out of pitch voice is much better than any modern "countertenor's"!!
Thanks for uploading this! Has anybody heard of Dimash Kudaibergen? He has a nearly 8-octave vocal range. And he has actually hit D-8, literally producing a whistle. His soprano notes are soprano notes, and he can go as deep as a base growl. He has legions of fans around the world, is a 6 ft 3” now almost 30-year old Khazak and sings in many languages. Give him a listen. He’s not any sort of castrato. He has sung with opera singers, and he does everything from crossover, to opera, to rap, writes his own music and produces his own mini movies to go with his songs - Story of One Sky. Castrati sound weird and the ones on recordings aren’t very good singers in terms of technique., vocal control, timbre etc. it’s like they were left to their own devices once they became of age. It’s also sad to me to hear them, because we know how they acquired their voices. Pitiful, really. Of course, Farinelli is supposed to have been able to break glass, but we don’t know what his highest registers were exactly. Anyway, give Dimash a look. Start with his 2017 first appearance outside of central Europe, in a singing competition, among established singers and bands, in China, “Singer.” The song you should listen to is the French classic pop song, SOS. It’s his purest version up to the last note. However, the following year, he also performed it at the Slavic bazaar and that’s another great version of it. His other songs, if you want to see /hear his range, are: Sinful Passion, Stranger, Know, Ave Maria, especially written for him, which is purely vocalization. Also, for fun, check out his version of the aria from the movie, Fifth Element, from his Bastau concert. Should be a fun ride! Best is to check out his own TH-cam channel, or you’re going to find him via hundreds of reaction channels, vocal analysis, channels, commentary channels, etc. Have fun!
Dimash is amazing, but I'm confused why you're commenting about him on a historic recording of the last living castrato, Alessandro Moreschi (1858--1922). There is very little to compare between a contemporary vocalist with a wide vocal range and a castrato recording from 1902. We can all agree that the process of making someone a castrato is horrific, of course, but castrati were also not "left to their own devices" when they came of age, as far as my admittedly amateur knowledge can tell. Moreschi was a professional vocalist for the majority of his life from 1873-1914, most notably in the Sistine Chapel Choir where he sang for thirty years, and he was the protege of professional musician Gaetano Capocci from 1870-1883. Moreschi's vocal technique may sound strange to some modern listeners but much of that impression is likely the result of the tastes and conventions around choral and operatic music of his time, not to mention the poor quality of these early recordings, rather than a lack of talent, training, or capability on his part. I really don't think Moreschi and Dimash are comparable in any particular way other than both being male vocalists capable of hitting higher-than-usual notes. I guess if it's your prerogative to spread Dimash fandom across the Internet, by all means go ahead, but for someone who seems very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about singing, I'm surprised you would do so by positioning Dimash's talents as superior to a vocal practice from a period and place and culture that is more than a century removed from us.
Moreschi may have been inferior to the famous castrati of the 18th century; however, this is unknowable since sound recording hadn't yet been invented. The last castrato to appear in opera (this was the 19th century!) said he was "the last to be dishonored." Castration is a barbaric practice regardless of the justification.
Many bishops in the church expressed there disdain for the practice but it was not abolished till 1871 by decree. It was tolerated but not approved. Lots of patients mainly fathers had there sons castrated to insure a much better life same as enuinchs in China. Most of the castrati came from VERY poor families and despite the emotional pain and possible health issues it may have caused they did by and lardge have more comfortable lives and were able to grace the world with amazing music.
Nah that would be somewhere between the sound of a woman and a man. Some people naturally have androgynous voices, and some have voices that sound more like what's typical of the opposite sex. There's a zone of overlap between the typical pitch, timbre, diction and inflection patterns of women's and men's voices, and if a voice operates within that zone then people will hear it as neither male nor female. Like Q, the gender neutral voice assistant created by a team that studied perception of gender in voices. Prepubescent children don't have much gender distinction in their voices- you could say we all start with nonbinary voices. The castrato voice is more of an eery bridge between a very young voice and an old voice, because it it is a child's voice that hasn't gone through the maturation than both male and female adults' voices have gone through, and yet in cases like this video, has simultaneously aged several decades.
Thank you for sharing this important part of musical history. Absolutely haunting voice.
Just a heads-up (no pun intended...) this video is likely about to get a swarm of comments from a recent animation.
another beautiful film from beanbag
Agreed, and I’m glad I was introduced to this from Beanbag! It’s so sad and beautiful, I just wanna cry but I love how it sounds! Beautiful and haunting!
I disagree,his voice was good
Just a heads up, nobody knows or cares what animation that is and it didn't lead to a massive influx of viewers. Smh, silly kids.
comments are about to be flooded about a floating head
Yep, i’m here! It’s a beautiful film!
Agreed, What a beautiful film!
Indeed
what?
@@trevorlawrence-xv4uu they're talking about "Enter Jimbly" by Hydraulic beanbag
This is the voice of a man In his late 40s… madness
A castrato
Don’t worry…with all the puberty blockers and hormones doctors now hand out there’s more to come
@@niceguy6152 pretty sure the history and everything about this video has little to do with what you said buddy
@@niceguy6152 No. Castrati are men who were castrated (balls chopped off) before puberty to keep their high voice. Sure, those things will probably do the same as that, completely skipping puberty, but they are not Castrati, more like Drugfati or something. Castrati are theoretically possible to be made, but it's illegal to do so anyway.
@@GodsTrueHand unless parents or the school district says otherwise
the snl skit was dark but the history of the castrati is so much darker omg
those poor boys
I agree. And the church has no right to tell trans people they are wrong for living the way they want when the church literally castrated 7yr old boys for entertainment purposes.
@@taylorrhyne502 what does this have to with trans and todays politics?
@@SonderDAzeX religion has a lot to do with politics
@@SonderDAzeX I guess its just the irony of the church telling people they cant do something to themselves when routinely they did it for entertainment purposes.
I love the magnificent singing jimbly
DONT.
NO
@@katrinsorokatkat1597 yes
Der Gesang ist furchtbar 😢
ew.
The fact you can hear his voice get deeper in the end is kinda terrifying
Yeah, I thought the same. It's really chilling. It's like for a moment we got a glimpse into what could've been.
It's more terrifying people had their balls lopped off so they could - checks notes - sing with an annoying voice.
Children can deepen their voices. I mean, singers do have range, even castrati. He probably couldn't have gotten much lower.
that is a falsetto
@@Starfoxfan345no, it is NOT!! Modern countertenors sing everything in falsetto, but Moreschi had CHEST voice! You can clearly hear how he breaks into his higher head notes
Imagine what others sounded like in an age where this was widely accepted.
Well the good thing is is unlike the church which regularly fucks with peoples genitals at birth
This kind of thing wouldn't happen to anyone under 18.
So you're not going to hear it anyway
The combination of knowing what he had to go through, knowing this happened more than a century ago during such obscure times, the fact that he is dead, and the scratching in the record makes it all extremely dark and disturbing, like something out of a horror movie.
Extremely uncanny. Without any context, in my opinion, this would still be terrifying. Aside from all the history and the new animation. It’s bone-chilling.
This song gives me that same feeling as that Kauaʻi ʻōʻō recording... It feels so eerie yet I'm absolutely fascinated with the sounds im hearing and I cant stop listening to it.
This absolutely breaks my heart and sends chills down my spine despite how beautiful it sounds
Literally makes me want to cry
I didnt like it so much. Btw if you are blonde and you got blue eyes you should marrie someone like it to have blue eyed blonde babies cause its very rare
@@flowrepins6663how about you remove yourself from the gene pool so we don't have any more of you running around
@@flowrepins6663...What?
@@flowrepins6663 bro.... chop it off, you're never going to use them.
@@flowrepins6663that was fucking random
This is truly haunting when you know the truth.
What truth, they cutted their balls, yes it's unfortunate but not as terrifying as the comment section say
@@abdelillahjaber2001 It's creepy that that childish voice comes from a man who is almost 50 years old.
The castration to achieve this seems a little too extreme for me but we also have to remember that kids back in these times weren’t viewed how they are today. Back then, if kids weren’t sold into servitude , or married off, they would learn a respected trade- like this , if they were lucky. Faranelli amassed great wealth at a price
bur most castrati end up poor.
Or just died from the castration. Or grew up with frail bones. I think the voice itself is great
Did he amass great wealth? At this point castrati were viewed in a freakish light. It is far more likely that he, and those unfortunate ones of his ilk, died ignominious poverty
He was extremely wealthy, and one of the most famous in Italy. His biggest drawbacks were his social life, and his depression, but certainly not money.
I'm not gonna cut off some boy' ball off to make him sound like this.
This reminds me a lot everywhere at the end of time, Haunting yet beautiful and captivating.
Its makes you just want to close your eyes and sit in peace while listening to it.
it's just a matter of time till singing jimbly is all the comments will be
I’m here
It's funny how most of the jimbly comments are from those who are warning that there will be jimbly comments!
Here!
It sounds like a haunted tree
Beautiful, innocent, pure and terrifying...♫︎♡︎
It's downright eerie.
I can understand the popularity of the Castrato back in the day because there were no amplifiers available…this was a human Amplifier…just as powerful as a trumpet or any other musical instrument. It outshines the normal human singing voice.
Still not of enough worth to cut off your balls
Oh wow
The voice is one of the greatest instruments
Where’s your basis for saying that? Why would the vocal tract of a castrated male be so different from that of another child or adult as to be distinctly more powerful?
@@iolairmuinnmalachybromham3103 because the bones of the castrati did not mature as they would without the castration, so this allowed for larger rib cages for greater lung capacities
I don't think his singing is so horrible, I think it is of his time.
Not sure why everyone is scared… this was considered normal at the time.
@@davidcohen4674 just because it was normal at the time, that doesnt make it okay, lobotomies were normal too back in the day, then people realised how messed up this procedure is
@@davidcohen4674 oh, well that makes it okay then
Is not the voice itself, is the implication
@@agusontoro sure, but there are plenty who say his voice sounds terrible, that his taste in singing is terrible.
If SNL brought you here: Before Antonio, there was Alessandro.
This is horrifying
And sad.
@@joshuagerthoffer2321extremely
TOTALLY not worth the price that Castrati pay to achieve and retain this specialized and obscene talent. It is indeed a terrifying sound. I feel to jump out of my skin listening to it. It is horrific in EVERY way!!!
Kids are doing it for fashion today here in the USA. If they're going to do that for those reasons, why not bring back the castrati?
@@OATMEALCMC yeahhhhh good point
@@OATMEALCMC what do you mean doing it for fashion?
it's terrifying for us living in the modern world,
but in their time,
they were the rockstars of their generation
@@OATMEALCMC bro what
It's terrible to think how much suffering and rigorous training these poor men went through and you would STILL get a cleaner performance with less hiccups if the catholic church had just allowed a woman to sing this.
Women have different voice signatures .
Not the same .
Less power and vocal range.
Any musicologist can attest to that fact.
Still cruel though.
@@ermias75ermis2 Yes, it's something to do with how hormones affect the development of bones, isn't it? The ribs develop differently -- presumably in a way that they're less restrictive to the lungs, hence the breathing capacity and power.
@@sinenomine2681 I am assuming lung capacity and vocal range.
This is just pure misogyny. It astounds me how men are ready to harm other men because they hate women so much
@@ermias75ermis2Is there any data on castratis having larger vocal ranges that female singers? Both demographics seem to have an average of two and a half octaves. Besides, you must have a very weird taste to think that this type of singing is better that singing of a female opera singer of the period. Also, why would less power or smaller range be a good argument for not allowing women to sing in choires? Are you aware that the decision to not allow women to sing is not because of their range, or power, or anything like that? This decision is a result if pure misogyny and nothing else
I've gotta admit, Jimbly is a really good singer.
lol
Remember Jimbly
So chilling sad and beautiful all at once. Lord have mercy 🙏🏼
Just wait until you see the miraculous singing Jimbly. "enter jimbly"
I feel like a nobleman while listening to this
Bellissimo! Haunting, intriguing. I can't take my ears off thisl
Precious testimony. Thanks
nice
This is so cool. He sounds so good in his own way.
He sounds good because he was castrated to keep his high pitch...
@@ekoopasetapart3933 thanks, I didn't have the balls to tell her.
Could’ve been a madhouse grunge singer 🦍🦍
@@jameshill7071Classic 🤣
The balls it must have taken to sing like this 😢😢
omfg that's brilliant
Moreschi was 64 years old when he died.
bro was a stack old
it's also sad too........😞
@@trevorlawrence-xv4uu he died from pneumonia.
@@marvinthemaniac7698 may he rest in peace.
Sounds like a sound track to horror movie
Like the sound of a long play while nobody is the room.
@@nycboy31 yessir
Beautiful ..
Can anyone recommend a good book about castrato singers, a general historical guide rather than a technical discussion about voice quality and singing. Also saw mentioned a CD of Moreschi. How can l get it? Thanks
th-cam.com/video/t6U8VZ6riNk/w-d-xo.html
its fiction but Ann Rice's Cry to Heaven may tell you something about it.
"The Castrati and their Art of Singing, published in Berlin in 1927" (mentioned on his Wikipedia article)
Them balls got chopped off!! That's what the book is about
There was a movie in 1995 about one of the last castratos.
Farinelli.
Was how I found out about them in the first place. Was introduced to the movie by the then g/f of one of my best mates. We watched it at his place, I think he had gone out somewhere. Left us both in tears.
"It is not a great voice" literally one of the greatest voices in the history of man but sure
"Great" in terms of what? Most Italians can sing. His actual voice is beautiful, but maybe the recording was made past his prime. He's flat a lot, and taking too many breaths. Breath support tends to get more difficult with age, which could explain his intonation (19th century styling aside).
Yes he was in his forties,and the recordings techniques were bad.however technicality apart it’s the timbre of the voice it’s doesn’t sound human it’s not female nor male nor the adolescent type.A voice completely trained to one purpose only to evoke religious sentiments such as pain,need to be loved,give love,asking for forgiveness and a need for forgiveness.It’s inspire a sense of outwardly dread of been 2swallowed by the immensity that surrounds us.Now I know how my Labrador feels when is in front of a roast chicken 😊
if you think about his story, it is not a great voice, and it's not because his voice is not beautiful 😭😭
Sounds like a musical saw, the wavering is so unpleasant, and the fact that they twist the nads off pre-pubescent boys in order to get this “great” voice is deeply distressing.
Says who? Just listen to it, it's awful singing. If you can't hear it, then turn off your radio and humbly start listening to good singers.
this song is sad......I want to cry.
His voice is so much different from a counter tenor. It has richness, whereas a counter tenor sounds "tinney."
Which countertenors have you been listening to? I thought this voice sounded like a parody of a woman singing badly or being stangled. A good countertenor is capable of rich and authentic sounds.
Russel Oberlin was the first (in the US) and the last REAL COUNTERtenor (not alto or soprano falsettist)! He sounded the same as a tenor (in the beginning and later as an alto. One full voice, no falsetto or breaks@@Maisiewuppp
Beautiful ❤️
This is horrific and terrifying.
Obviously the backstory is nasty, but that to me is an absolutely beautiful voice. He sounds like an angel, it’s wonderful.
Szkoda że nie bylo lepszych nośników do zapisu głosu.
Na szczęście te czasy minęły, przyszly nowe...czy lepsze ?
Aah the sacrifices made for the pleasures of music ❤
It sounds like a ghost floating and singing around an abandoned mall. Terrifying and sad.
Very sad part of history
Tiny tim vibes
No tiny tim was true falsetto
The marriage portrait brought me here
Poor man🥺
He lived his life kid
@basilkarlo1557 Surprisingly Happily at that.
But he's living the life though, do you think he can't afford photos in his time?
This sounds better than his Ave Maria at first glance.
I don't like the sound. It's so unnatural. What were thinking in doing this to boys. And health complications. And we do this to dogs as well. Hormones are important.
Aside from the singing style, he has a beautiful voice, complete with high octave which would not be present had he not been castrated. Nevertheless, castration is not acceptable for the sake of retaining soprano range, tenor and bass ranges also have Beauty, boy treble range is so beautiful, all the stages of male singing have Beauty and relevance. 🌷🌳🌷🌺
SNL brought me here
same!
Yep!!
Good, hope you know what a castrato is now..
Joe Rogan 😂
Justice for Antonio
So ....much.....pain in this voice😢
RIP jimbly
Did they not know that women can sing back then? They would rather ruin the life of a man to sound like a woman?
They allowed women to sing in secular contexts, I think, but not in Churches. Weirdos.
@@iolairmuinnmalachybromham3103 Cat lickers.
The male voice - boy treble included - was preferred for sacred liturgy unless you were a nun in a convent.
I would very much have liked to hear Velutti it’s too bad recording abilities weren’t figured out in the late 18th century. Can you imagine how far it would’ve come in that time? Perhaps the ability to give us faithful representations of some of the greatest singers in history. Malibran, Patti, Tetrazzini etc etc.
**Sigh** Oh well... 😔
There again, the catalogues of disc and cd recording companies are over full as far as current artists are concerned. Add another few hundred from the 19th century, and l can’t imagine how swollen our collections would be, but it is tempting to wonder what they had sounded like.
Gurrrrrl, please! Anyways! Bye, child!
Listening to recordings of this period......Patti for example, show that Moreschi wasn't that great of a singer. He didn't have the training to technique to sing opera...he was essentially a church singer.
@@baritonebynight That's the point of the castrati, they're meant to be choir singers for the Catholic Church...
While this sounds like a woman to me, there is something chilling in that voice and despite knowing it isn’t a natural female voice, I can’t put my finger on what it is in the sound that is chilling.
Came here because of a comment by an Opera Singer on the SNL Castrati sketch.
Listening in 2023
So creepy sounding.
Unique but creepy...i agree
😭😭😭🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺
Y lo peor es que sientes que la grabación para nada le hace justicia a como se debió oir en persona
Is this good regardless of the situation?
My dad said "he sounds like that cus he's still in pain"
Mielenkiintoinen versio AVE Marian laulajan A. Moreschin parhaalta 😊😅😮😢😂😂😂🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉😂😢😮😮😅😅😊😊😊luomiskaudelta.😊😅😮😢😢 2:47
What animation are yall talking about
Enter Jimbly by Hydraulic Beanbag.
He wasn’t in his prime here either. Believe he was in his late 40’s/50’s at this time
It's consider prime for a castra I read that on wiki (being 45).
Is that wind in the background
its a old recording (probably a phonograph) they often have these scratching sounds, its just a little edited here so its not so loud
fly high Jimbly
It's extremely sad, somber, horrific, even. However; we should make sure not to condemn Moreschi himself, nor his work for any of this. It was monsters who did this to him; the worst kind: monsters who deluded themselves into believing they were doing good. A blight that, unfortunately, refuses to remain in the past. Evil always seems to hide wrapped in goodness.
None the less, the tragedy of Moreschi, one which is still very much audible; is one we should do well never to forget. One we should listen to and remember. For if we forget, it can easily repeat itself, simply under a different name.
I fear I know what you're getting at, but I hope I'm wrong. If I'm right, that's an outrageous comparison wherein your logic might easily be reversed, as one might do in the case of poor David Reimer, whose story is so frequently misappropriated to vindicate gender essentialism where it just as might speak to the suffering caused when someone is forced to adopt an identity which they do not recognise as their own. In any case, I do so hope that you haven't decided that this 'different name' is something along the lines of 'transgenderism' or 'gender ideology'. That would be an unfortunate misunderstanding.
@@sinenomine2681 I do not write this with transgenderism or gender ideology in mind; I wrote this with the tragedy that many Castrato performers met in mind. A time where most of these young men, often from poorer backgrounds and destitute situations, were encouraged by their villages and the Church to be castrated for the prospect of fame. Often without anesthetic, or even proper care to their wounds. Often these men died due to non-existent healthcare and even the few who had the wealth or luxury of healthcare often found themselves beyond the treatment of what was medically available at the time.
As for my "under a different name" statement? History has a habit of repeating itself constantly under a different name. Regardless of the evil it brings. We see this pattern all the time from the political, to the militaristic, to the everyday person. And every time, it's a tragedy when innocent people suffer due to the ignorance of vein of others. Regardless of circumstance.
@@BaronVonPurp Well, that's heartening to hear. Though I'm not quite sure I agree with you entirely. The treatment of the castrati is so bizarre, so unfathomably cruel and -- for want of a better term -- multiply stupid (in all of its causes and excuses) that I really cannot think that there is anything comparable that is happening or may happen soon in our modern world. Of course, there are acts of cruelty done for stupid and bizarre reasons; there are acts of medical irresponsibility -- the lure of fame is so often wielded by heartless and malicious people to attract the vulnerable... oh, but I digress. The only thing I can think of right now is the world of K-Pop. Their plight is very distinct from the castrati and, dare I say, far less harsh, but it has some thematic resemblance, I suppose.
I didn't mean to assume your stance, I apologise if it appeared that way. I shouldn't have thought you were being cryptic. I see a lot of people going down that transphobic line and I take exception to it, which can perhaps lead me to be oversensitive to it.
Enter Jimbly.
The fact that this voice is coming from a fully grown man….
Antonio brought me here
Truly a HEAD of its time
Er singt jaulend und schief. Schade, dass es von wirklich guten Kastratenstimmen keine Aufnahmen gibt. Obwohl die Schicksale, die dahinterstehen, absolut nicht mit einer schönen Stimme aufgewogen werden können. Zitat aus einem spannenden Roman zum Thema Kastratensänger: „Alessandro Moreschi singt wie ein weinendes Baby. Seine Stimme klingt, als wäre sie gesprungen, wie eine alte Tasse. Wenn ich ihn höre, tut er mir unheimlich leid - weil er so schlecht singt und weil die große Epoche des barocken Gesangs schon vorbei war, als er lebte.“
40 year old man who never grew facial hair
Op dissing the last Castrati…shame.
Can someone please tell me what's so scary about this? It just sounds like the recording of a man or a woman singing..
Mainly the story behind it
This is thought to be the last castrato singer to have lived. Castratos were, as the name suggests, castrated at a young age - before puberty - to retain a high vocal register into adulthood and to pervert veridical development in other ways (related to bone joints) which would, in conjunction with training, behove their lung power and breath capacity. Simply put, they would have their balls removed so that their voice would be stuck a certain way forever. Their abilities would often be beyond that of any ordinary female vocalist, let alone male ones, in flexibility and power. Many castrati came from poor backgrounds, sent from their homes to be mutilated for the sake of the arts but, more importantly, in the hopes of elevating them from poverty. This practise was at its height in 18th century Italy, and was made illegal in Italy in 1861, although attitudes towards the practise had changed long before them. Their fame increased in parallel with the hatred of them, and were characterised in cruel and homophobic ways, where they were thought to lure men into homosexuality.
This recording is a testament to this strange and depraved genre of cruelty. Looking into it, you'll find the castrati's tale is one wrapped up in a great many social injustices.
The mans testicles were cut off to halt puberty at a young age, creating "castrato" (a sick name coming from "castration") range.
Why does their last name sound a lot like what happened to them?
Check out Gregg Pritchard, Andrew di Leone, Michael Maniacci,Vitas and especially RADU. None of these men have been castrated but they are all modern male sopranos. Also Andreas Scholl, and Phillip Jarouski. They have a unique gift. They are making megabucks. Andrew de Leone and several others have children. He does a beautiful job too!
Don't forget Samuel Marino. But Radu Marian is my favorite.
Dimash Kudaibergen also male sporanos
No falsettist has the same timbre and power as a castrato or female singer!! Even Moreschi's broken and out of pitch voice is much better than any modern "countertenor's"!!
A tragic practice which, if I’m being honest, sounds a bit like Aunt Bea from the Andy Griffith show singing opera.
Castrated for this? If they really enjoyed this back in the day they had some problems
Owful. Why they did it?
Einfach nur unterirdisch, sowohl die Stimme, als auch deren Ursache 😢😢😢😢
Thanks for uploading this!
Has anybody heard of Dimash Kudaibergen? He has a nearly 8-octave vocal range. And he has actually hit D-8, literally producing a whistle. His soprano notes are soprano notes, and he can go as deep as a base growl. He has legions of fans around the world, is a 6 ft 3” now almost 30-year old Khazak and sings in many languages. Give him a listen. He’s not any sort of castrato. He has sung with opera singers, and he does everything from crossover, to opera, to rap, writes his own music and produces his own mini movies to go with his songs - Story of One Sky.
Castrati sound weird and the ones on recordings aren’t very good singers in terms of technique., vocal control, timbre etc. it’s like they were left to their own devices once they became of age. It’s also sad to me to hear them, because we know how they acquired their voices. Pitiful, really. Of course, Farinelli is supposed to have been able to break glass, but we don’t know what his highest registers were exactly.
Anyway, give Dimash a look. Start with his 2017 first appearance outside of central Europe, in a singing competition, among established singers and bands, in China, “Singer.” The song you should listen to is the French classic pop song, SOS. It’s his purest version up to the last note. However, the following year, he also performed it at the Slavic bazaar and that’s another great version of it. His other songs, if you want to see /hear his range, are: Sinful Passion, Stranger, Know, Ave Maria, especially written for him, which is purely vocalization. Also, for fun, check out his version of the aria from the movie, Fifth Element, from his Bastau concert. Should be a fun ride!
Best is to check out his own TH-cam channel, or you’re going to find him via hundreds of reaction channels, vocal analysis, channels, commentary channels, etc. Have fun!
Dimash is amazing, but I'm confused why you're commenting about him on a historic recording of the last living castrato, Alessandro Moreschi (1858--1922). There is very little to compare between a contemporary vocalist with a wide vocal range and a castrato recording from 1902. We can all agree that the process of making someone a castrato is horrific, of course, but castrati were also not "left to their own devices" when they came of age, as far as my admittedly amateur knowledge can tell. Moreschi was a professional vocalist for the majority of his life from 1873-1914, most notably in the Sistine Chapel Choir where he sang for thirty years, and he was the protege of professional musician Gaetano Capocci from 1870-1883. Moreschi's vocal technique may sound strange to some modern listeners but much of that impression is likely the result of the tastes and conventions around choral and operatic music of his time, not to mention the poor quality of these early recordings, rather than a lack of talent, training, or capability on his part.
I really don't think Moreschi and Dimash are comparable in any particular way other than both being male vocalists capable of hitting higher-than-usual notes. I guess if it's your prerogative to spread Dimash fandom across the Internet, by all means go ahead, but for someone who seems very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about singing, I'm surprised you would do so by positioning Dimash's talents as superior to a vocal practice from a period and place and culture that is more than a century removed from us.
Schlimm so eine Stimme wegen einer Verstümmelung. 😮
Gruselig.
Moreschi may have been inferior to the famous castrati of the 18th century; however, this is unknowable since sound recording hadn't yet been invented. The last castrato to appear in opera (this was the 19th century!) said he was "the last to be dishonored." Castration is a barbaric practice regardless of the justification.
Some one put him or me out of misery
……….he’s been dead a long time
It should definitely be you.
He's been gone for over 100 years...
Voice cracks many times in this clip
Beautiful but not worth what it cost that poor guy to produce it.
Many bishops in the church expressed there disdain for the practice but it was not abolished till 1871 by decree. It was tolerated but not approved. Lots of patients mainly fathers had there sons castrated to insure a much better life same as enuinchs in China. Most of the castrati came from VERY poor families and despite the emotional pain and possible health issues it may have caused they did by and lardge have more comfortable lives and were able to grace the world with amazing music.
He doesn't sound like a man or woman THIS IS THE NONBINARY VOICE
Nah that would be somewhere between the sound of a woman and a man. Some people naturally have androgynous voices, and some have voices that sound more like what's typical of the opposite sex. There's a zone of overlap between the typical pitch, timbre, diction and inflection patterns of women's and men's voices, and if a voice operates within that zone then people will hear it as neither male nor female. Like Q, the gender neutral voice assistant created by a team that studied perception of gender in voices. Prepubescent children don't have much gender distinction in their voices- you could say we all start with nonbinary voices. The castrato voice is more of an eery bridge between a very young voice and an old voice, because it it is a child's voice that hasn't gone through the maturation than both male and female adults' voices have gone through, and yet in cases like this video, has simultaneously aged several decades.
I find this disturbing...😢😰😨
Poor jimbly…
The human theremin
This is terrible, but if someone told 18 yo me that I could achieve this through puberty blockers, I would have totally done it.
so you were mentally ill at 18?
@@mohsenafshan7908were you a retard since birth
@@mohsenafshan7908 don't insult the mentally ill like that, they clearly have more common sense than him /j
It sounds disturbing, would not follow into the woods
Why not just ask David Beckham to sing for you?
Így sok operaénekesnő is tudott énekelni. Ehhez felesleges volt fiúkat kiherélni. 🤷🤦
I'm glad that I live in civilized 21st century America. We would never allow minors to have their body parts cut off. Isn't that right?
oh god shut the fuck up nobody cares
nobody is giving minors bottom surgery you utter retard
You sure about that?
@@monsieur.Chipmunk I am being sarcastic in my post.
Heh heh heh, you rascal you...