Raymond Radiguet

Boy Genius

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This precocious Parisian youth, born in 1903 was adopted by Jean Cocteau as his temperamental protégé and lover. He wrote his first French masterpiece 'The Devil in the Flesh' at the age of fifteen,  his second novel 'Count d'Orgel's Ball' at nineteen and  died from typhoid at twenty. Raymond Radiguet was cynical, pretentious and brilliant.  

A bad copy of a photo I took off the television decades ago before digital images were available. It shows Radiguet sunbathing naked on the beach.

Jean Cocteau Wrote: -

' Raymond Radiguet was born on June 18th, 1903; he died, without knowing it, on December 12th, 1923, after a miraculous life. The literary tribunal has found his heart arid. Raymond Radiguet's heart was hard, and like a diamond it did not react to the least touch. It needed fire and other diamonds, and ignored the rest. Do not accuse fate. Do not speak of injustice. He belonged to the solemn race of men whose lives unfold too quickly to their close. "True presentiments," he wrote at the end of The Devil In The Flesh, "are formed at a depth that the mind does not reach. Thus they sometimes make us do things that we misinterpret....A disorderly man who is going to die and does not know it suddenly puts his affairs in order. His life changes. He sorts his papers. He rises and goes to bed early. He gives up his vices. His friends are pleased. Then his brutal death seems all the more unjust to them. He would have lived happily." For four months Raymond Radiguet became meticulous; he slept, he sorted, he revised. I was stupid enough to be glad of it; I had mistaken for a nervous disorder the intricacies of a machine that cuts crystal.'

Here are Radiguet's last words:

"Listen," he said to me on December 9th, "listen to something terrible. In three days I am going to be shot by the soldiers of God." While tears choked me, as I invented other explanations: "Your explanations," he continued, "are not so good as mine. The order has been given. I heard the order."  Later, he said: "There is a colour that moves and people hidden in the colour."  I asked if he wanted them sent away. He answered: "You cannot send them away as you cannot see the colour." Then, he sank. He moved his mouth, he called us by name, he looked with surprise at his mother, at his father, at his hands. Raymond Radiguet  left three volumes. A collection of unpublished poems, The Devil In The Flesh, a masterpiece of promise, and the promise fulfilled : Count d'Orgel. One is frightened by a child of twenty who publishes a book that cannot be written at that age. The dead of yesterday are eternal. The author of Count d'Orgel was the ageless writer of a dateless book. He received the proofs in the hotel room where his fever consumed him. He intended to make no alteration to them. His death robs us of memoirs of his development; three short stories; a long appendix to The Devil In The Flesh; Ile de France; and Charles d'Orleans, an historical picture, imaginary in the same way as the false autobiography of his first novel. The only honour that I claim is to have given to Raymond Radiguet in his life the illustrious place won for him by his death.

Raymond Radiguet was born in Saint-Maur, a Parisian suburb, in 1903. He read much and began writing poetry in his mid teens, He abandoned his studies in favour of journalism and to leap into the Parisian literary circles where he mixed with  Picasso, Stravinsky  and Jean Cocteau who became his mentor and lover although their relationship was always difficult. In 1921 he completed 'The Devil in the Flesh' and also published a collection of poems. The first version of 'Count d'Orgel's Ball'  was finished in 1922 and revised in 1923, just a few months after the publication of The Devil in the Flesh and before he died of Typhoid at twenty, on the 12th December 1923 and was interred at Le Pere Lachaise in Paris.

Raymond Radiguet was a prodigy. The precocious boy wrote as if he had the experience of a much older man. However he said of himself:

"These premature prodigies of intelligence who become prodigies of stupidity after just a few years! Which family does not have its own prodigy? They have invented the word. Of course, child prodigies exist, just as there are extraordinary men. But they are rarely the same. Age means nothing. What astounds me is Rimbaud's work, not the age at which he wrote it. All great poets have written by seventeen. The greatest are the ones who manage to make us forget it.

When posed the question "Why do you write?" in a recent survey, Paul Valery answered "Out of weakness."

On the contrary, I believe that it would be weak not to write. Did Rimbaud stop writing because he doubted himself and wanted to take care of his memory? I do not think so. One can always do better. Timid writers who do not dare show their work until they have done better should not find in this an excuse for their weakness. For, in a subtler way, one can never do better and one can never do worse."

Portraits

 By Modigliani and two by Jean Cocteau

By Picasso

The book 'The Devil in the Flesh' was made into a film in 1986. Described as 'One of the most controversial Italians films of the 80s, DEVIL IN THE FLESH takes Raymond Radiguet’s classic novel and updates it to modern times.' It contains explicit sex, fine acting and is available uncut. It caused a critical uproar upon it’s release due to its highly-charged political and sexually frank subject matter.  

Special Music Videos

Another collection of unusual and outstanding original talents.
I do insist that I place videos here to give you a taste of what some may not have heard and do recommend getting hold of the CDs and DVDs where they are available. Some do take a lot of searching to find. You might think I have added too many superlatives in my descriptions but that is why I have added all the videos on this site. They are superlative.

Vitas

Hailing from Russia this beautiful and phenomenally original boy has a range that any self respecting soprano would envy. Incredibly popular in Russia and the East he seems to be relatively unknown in the West with only limited and often imported material. I have managed one CD and a DVD. It is the playing of this CD that began my dog's singing, Now I can not shut him up and he only sings to those singers who are my favourites and only opera except for Vitas who can sing opera arias and does although he is an extraordinary pop singer. Wait until you hear the stratospheric notes and s  a little nudity as a small bonus.

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Vitas Web Site

Yoshikazu Mera

Mera was born May 21, 1971, in Miyazaki, Japan and is a counter tenor with a range of three and a half octaves. Although I had collected recordings of counter tenors for a long time , including Jimmy Somerville who is much respected by his classical counterparts, Mera was the first I had found that I would call really sublime. I have a substantial collection of his sensitive Bach and beautiful Japanese Art songs. He did venture horribly into more schmaltzy and mundane music later on. He was an unusual looking boy somewhat pixi like, but apparently he has a congenital bone disease which I assume explains this. 

Bulgarian women's choir 'Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares'

Janis Joplin

For no other reason than she is brilliant and I discovered that some young people know the name, but not the extraordinary talent. This is from the year she tragically died and we lost a voice like no other. Watch and learn.

Yma Sumac
Some may be unaware of this remarkable and very beautiful Peruvian woman Yma Sumac who made recordings and films in the fifties and continued to perform into the nineties and died in 2008. She had a range of up to 5 octaves and this is one of her most striking recordings. It is badly lip synched as was done at the time, but the sounds are all hers.

Now this is Uber Uber Special.

The Unwritten Note.
It was High, It was Loud, It was Long

Maria Callas - La Divina

The finale of Act II of Aida recorded live in Mexico City on the 3rd. July 1951. (Sound only)

I once heard a tape of this bootleg recording and then again after years of searching I discovered a CD release of the entire opera. I thought I was a bit crazy paying $52 for a single note in a recording that is not exactly pristine. I then discovered many pages written about this one note in several books. The story goes that Callas had been told about a singer the previous century who had included this unwritten note at the end of Act 2 in Mexico. Callas however, a purist at heart, declined the offer to also sing it. The evening began and the tenor apparently tried to out sing Callas by holding onto his notes a little longer than he should and some other annoying interpretations. Friends noticed and asked her if she was about to tolerate this so as a surprise to the audience and the conductor at the finale of the scene above she threw in a show stopper. At the end she should drop down the notes and end in silence with just the chorus singing as Verdi wrote it and as is always sung, but instead she threw in a top F flat which was not only hellishly and unheard of high, but it was powerful and she held it for ages. The audience reacted like a soccer stadium. This is a repeat performance of that great note which she was fond of now in Mexico only. There is no visual, but listen right through to the end and be amazed. Not a single person I know, who may have never heard opera in their life, has failed to be stunned by this. Talent in any man's language is universally recognised.

Dance

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Rhythms for life. Movement of the body to reflect sadness, celebrate joy and reveal the essence of the subconscious where words are unnecessary. 

For the Ancient Egyptians music and dancing were an integral part of life. At parties, singers and dancers performed to the music of harps, lutes, drums, flutes, cymbals, clappers and tambourines. During festivals, priests and crowds chanted and clapped, carried along by the rhythm of orchestras, while dancers performed amazing feats, leaping twirling and bending their bodies in time with the music. Music and dance appeared early in the Pre-Dynastic periods (pre 3100 BC). Large numbers of musical instruments have been unearthed and banqueting scenes found in many ancient tombs include depictions of dancers and musicians. A satirical papyrus even depicts an ass playing a harp, a lion with a lyre, a crocodile with a lute, and a monkey with a double oboe. In the Pre-Dynastic period images of female figures dancing with their arms raised above their heads indicate its early role in ritual. Labourers worked in rhythm to the sound of songs and percussion, and street dancers entertained all.Troupes of musicians and dancers were hired for banquets and celebrations and even for the temples. A well-born Egyptian would however not dance in public. Others provided the entertainment. Priests danced in processions and the army had styles of dance. Muu-Dancers in kilts and reed crowns performed beside funeral processions. Men and women however were never shown dancing together. 

Around 3000 - 1400 BC the Minoan civilization of Crete developed music, song and dance, as part of their religious ritual as well as for entertainment. Dance was performed most often in open or closed circles around a tree, an altar, or special objects and later around a singer or a musician, but it also included couples and swaying dances of women choruses.

Young men always have and still do want to dance. In Ancient Greece dance taught balance to a youth and was a part of military training. Dance was also entertainment at banquets, just as it is at any festivity in most cultures. Men often dance together in the majority of cultures except in the English speaking West.

Beauty, physique and graceful strength still draw many to the art of dance. Youth has once again taken over the image of the dancer and high emotion as well as sex appeal draws more people to ballet then the gentle expression of once revered music. While the classic ballets still draw an old and a very young audience, it is the more energetic and modern Ballet in Australia that has always been popular and there are many national, state and regional companies that receive much deserved  acclaim. Choreographers abound and the works of the our companies fill our stages with works that honour our theatres and fire our imagination. 

In the history of modern dance there existed stars that inspired and their names remain legendary to this day. The Dance like all the arts had stars in the past, but like all facets of life, the age of the great personalities seems over and ensembles are the norm. Perhaps this is democratic, but without true heroes to inspire us I am not sure that greatness is achieved. There is often an ordinariness in art and the talents. Everyone wants to be ordinary (average?). There are great performers but their name is great today but surpassed tomorrow. The talent is there, but the grand personality is not. We in Australia call such things the 'tall poppy syndrome', where no one is allowed to be too great. They are admired, but if they get too popular we tend to knock them down, so once again everyone is average or at least seen to be. Perhaps it is only in Hollywood or teen music that heroes are still created by the media, but often too soon and within months as I said they fall by the wayside to be quickly replaced. Where are however those who deserved their own legend? Pride is perhaps not a great human quality, but I am willing to allow the occasional pompous personality to exist when their talent warrants it. I am not their spiritual judge, I just admire their talent and no more. Let there be more who know their superior rank in the arts.

Throughout history and contrary to modern imagery it has been vigorous male dancing that has been the centre of ritual and celebration. Women in many societies were banned from such activities. This is still found in many cultures. We often have the belief in the West particularly that as an art form it is feminine and gentle, but this appears to have been popularised in recent times, in part, by the influence of the French, particularly under the influence of the Jockey Club of the nineteenth century; a band of males who attended the theatre to talk and drink and admire the girls on stage The ballet was often added just to satisfy the voyeuristic needs of these, usually, young men of high society. This had little to do with the performance, but became part of the accepted fabric of entertainment. Even many Italian operas were re-written for the French to include a mandatory ballet sequence for the entertainment of the men. Vaudeville or burlesque for the mass entertainment, along with the rise of female liberation also led to the flirtatious prominence of female dance.

One American responsible for reasserting the status of the male dancer in the 30’s was Ted Shawn who founded an all male company which continued until 1940. He emphasised strong ‘masculine movement and subjects. The photo is of his students striking a pose naked in the open air.

On the return from Europe a few years ago and having spent the entire trip listening to a tape of Carmina Burana I was so excited to find it being performed here soon afterwards as a ballet. The evening of strong emotive and sensuous dance came to a climax as the full orchestra boomed and a curtain rose to show the 200 voice choir, white faced on black, mounted behind the dancers in a swirl of blinding red smoke as bodies soared on ropes into the sky. Just an image that has remained with me.

Another memory of great nights of Ballet was many years ago when the 52 year old Dame Margot Fonteyn danced act two of Swan Lake here. Fearing for her age we went with trepidation, but as she made her entrance on point and skimmed diagonally across the stage we left our seats to stand in the aisle so that no inch of her spectacular body in motion would be missed. As you might imagine the cheering was over the top.


I also saw Rudolf Nureyev Dance in Giselle which was a great and thrilling performance, but a tired old ballet for me. A ballet I have, in my life, seen far too many times, even in Shanghai. I do prefer modern and sensual dance.

James Dean having dance Lessons from Eartha Kitt

Eunuchs and Castrati

The emotive word 'eunuch' usually refers to a man or boy who was a harem attendant or a functionary in certain Asian courts and was derived from the Greek word eunoukhos, 'a castrated person employed to take charge of the women of a harem and act as chamberlain.' The Greek word is derived from eun, 'bed,' and ekhein, 'to keep'  Usually castration involves the removal of the testes before puberty thus preventing the physical changes of manhood; muscle mass never develops, the voice never deepens, the penis never grows larger, hence mostly useless as a sex organ, and facial and body hair does not develop.  The eunuch is likely to put on weight like a female, develop a thin layer of  fat under soft skin, and have extra weight around the hips and the stomach.  "Male Pattern Baldness" does not develop and they may live ten to fifteen years longer than other males.  He would face the problems of depression, as well as the threat of osteoporosis in older age. The term usually identified now for the pre-pubescent eunuch is the castrato. A male castrated after puberty will already have all of the secondary sexual characteristics of a man and will be indistinguishable from any other except for a lack of testes but he would experience "hot flushes" as his body withdraws from the hormone testosterone.  Another difference in the Castrato/Eunuch is, according to a modern day eunuch, a total lack of interest in sex although some, especially those castrated after puberty, sometimes retained their sex drive and the ability to achieve a long-lasting but orgasm-less erection.

The process for creating a eunuch remained relatively unchanged. The boy or man was strapped spread-eagled to a table. A thin cord was knotted tightly around his genitals, and, with a sharp razor, the organs were amputated. The wound was then cauterised by the application of either a red-hot poker or molten tar. He was deprived of water for several days to prevent urination, which could cause infection. Then he was forced to drink enormous amounts of water, until the pressure in his bladder punctured a hole in the layers of scar tissue. The fatality rate was as high as 90 %.Chinese eunuchs often also had their penis as well as there testicles, completely "shaved off", which was considered more effective. Using only hot chilli sauce as a local anaesthetic, the Chinese operation was one swoop, using a small, curved knife.

The custom of employing eunuchs in royal households is ancient. In Egypt the term was applied to any court official, castrated or not. Their power, influence and courage is amply shown in the histories of Iran, India, and China, where they were often involved in public affairs. In China the practice of using castrated men as guardians of the emperor's Inner court began over 2,000 years ago. Aside from the emperor, eunuchs were generally the only men allowed in the inner courtyards of the palace, where the women and harem lived. All other men left the palace at night. The employment of eunuchs reached its height in the courts of the Byzantine emperors at Constantinople, from whom the Ottoman sultans adopted the practice. Eunuchs often rose to high positions. Muslim rulers employed eunuchs mainly as harem officials but this was far less common than is generally believed; however, the sale of young males to be eunuchs was an important element of African trade. The voluntary practice of castration for religious celibacy appeared early in Christian history particularly in the third century, but it was not officially approved of by the church and was eventually denounced, however from Constantinople spread the custom of using eunuchs in choirs. In the opera seria of the eighteenth century the male heroes' roles were sung by castrati, and the papal choir used castrati until the beginning of the nineteenth century.

‘...neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my Sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.’ Isaiah 56:3b-5

King Ashurnasirpal II and a eunuch, the "beardless one," carrying a fly whisk and a ladle.

History and the Eunuch

In Egyptian creation stories the first god is the male and female Atum who divides and creates Shu and Tefnut who in turn produce Geb and Nut. Finally they produce two pairs, Isis, the reproductive female, and Osiris, the reproductive male, and also Seth, the nonreproductive eunuch (who represented the dry desert), and Nephthys, the unmarried virgin who did not associate with men. Seth followed after Osiris and eventually murdered him and then had sex with Osiris' son Horus who catches Seth's ejaculation in his hand and brings the semen to Isis who sprinkles it on a lettuce, which Seth eats. They appear before the judges to determine primacy among the gods. Seth tells the judges to call to the semen and to his surprise, the semen responds from his own belly. Seth is disgraced and Horus assumes the role as prime archetypal being. Pottery from Thebes from 2000-1800 BCE, contain a listing of three genders of humanity: males, eunuchs, and females.

Semiramis (founder of Babylon) had intercourse with her most attractive generals and then sent them to the chopping block, not to cut off their heads, but their penises. Semiramis was killed by a eunuch at her son's behest -Tarquin the Proud, an Etruscan king of the 6th century BCE, used to castrate children to satisfy his desires.

Narses (478–573): Byzantine administrator, general, and palace eunuch in Constantinople. He assisted in the suppression of the Nika insurrection (532) by bribing the Blues of the Circus to return their allegiance to Justinian I. In 538 he was sent to Italy to help or spy upon Belisarius; their dissensions delayed the campaign, and he was recalled. After the recall of Belisarius, Narses returned to Italy in 552 and defeated the Goth, Tortila, and recaptured Rome. He defeated an army of Franks and Alemanni at Capua in 554. He was subsequently appointed prefect of Italy, but his administration was extremely unpopular and finally Justinian's successor, Justin II, recalled him in 567.

In Sardis, from around 600 BC, attractive boys and young men were castrated to satisfy the lusts of wealthy customers throughout the Mediterranean. These boys were called ektomias,  "the ones who are cut." This practice had become widespread by the beginning of the Roman empire. Seneca said lust "castrates scads of boys."  Nero castrated a boy and "married" him in a bizarre ceremony. Juvenal stated "never was an ugly youth cruelly castrated in the palace of a tyrant."

King Herod was very fond of his eunuchs because of their beauty. The king's son Alexander was continually plotting against him, someone told the king that the eunuchs had been corrupted with money by Alexander. When they were asked about it, they admitted having sex with Alexander, but denied any plot.

Eunuch Lord - Glorious Lord of Wisdom - Great Black Eunuch (Tibetan):  the body emanation of Mahakala and lord of all wisdom and oath-bound worldly protectors of the Nyingma Tradition.  “…Glorious Lord of Pristine Awareness, Black Eunuch, with a body blue-black in colour, one face and two hands. Holding aloft in the right, pointed to the sky, a flaming lance, and in the left a poisoned heart and lasso. With three round red eyes, a curled tongue and hanging black snakes for hair. Having a crown of five dry skulls and a necklace of fifty fresh. Adorned with a garland of hearts and piles of snakes, dressed in silk cloaks, black and layered. Having a gold belt and a girdle of fresh human skin. From the three doors of a great stick of sandalwood, fastened at the waist, an army of snakes is dispersed. Decorated with varieties of colourful flowing streamers and all the frightful ornaments. Standing with the left leg extended atop a corpse seat…”

In the Muslim world eunuchs guarded the Prophet's tomb in Medinah as early as the 12th century CE and perhaps earlier.

Cheng Ho, or Zheng He, (click image) was born in Kunyang, Yunnan province, China, in 1371. He was captured and sent to the Chinese army in 1382 where he helped Chu Ti become Emperor Yonglo of the Ming Dynasty. In thanks, he was made Grand Imperial Eunuch and his name was changed to Zheng He. He headed a series of naval expeditions all over the Indian Ocean. Zheng had diplomatic, scientific, and commercial goals, while travelling farther than any other admiral in history at the time. He visited more than 35 countries during his voyages. Zheng took more than 100 ships and about 28,000 men in his Grand Fleet. The largest vessels were longer than all of Columbus’ ships put end to end. By the seventh and last voyage, Zheng had been to east Africa, the Persian Gulf, Egypt, and Ceylon. He set up diplomatic relations in all the countries he visited and received tribute. When in Ceylon, Zheng helped restore the legitimate ruler to the throne. In Indonesia, the fleet defeated a powerful Chinese pirate who was later brought back to China for execution. Zheng’s voyages not only established Chinese trade routes throughout Asia and Africa, but also established China as the dominant power and  most technologically advanced culture in the known world. He died during a trip home from India and China banned all further expeditions.

Li Lianyang; Imperial Eunuch of China accumulated vast influence as the, favourite eunuch of the Empress Dowager Cixi, who climbed from a concubine third-grade to become ruler of China for 40 years in the.19th century. Li headed an Imperial staff of thousands of cooks, gardeners, laundrymen, cleaners, painters and other eunuchs, who were classified in a complex hierarchy of 48 separate grades. Though eunuchs were generally illiterate, Li Lianyang, could read enough to wield influence over officials.

The Last Eunuch Sun Yaoting:Click Photo. China's last imperial eunuch died at 93  in 1996 in a Beijing temple after a life spanning the end of an dynasty and a Communist revolution. Only months after his family had him castrated in1911, the Manchu Dynasty, which had ruled China since the early1660's' was overthrown. Mr. Sun continued to serve Pu-Yi, for a decade. The parts removed, called the 'precious,' are prepared and kept in common pint jars, hermetically sealed, and placed on a high shelf. Should a eunuch be promoted he has to show the 'precious' to the chief eunuch or he cannot obtain his rank. When he dies, they are placed in the coffin and buried with him, because he wishes to be as complete as possible when departing into another world  to allow reincarnation as a whole man. During the Cultural Revolution, Mr. Sun's family destroyed his 'precious'.

The Ethiopian Eunuch: the first non Jewish Christian ‘And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise and go toward the south, unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went, and behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for worship, was returning, and sitting in his chariot reading Esaias the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself unto this chariot. And Philip ran hither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias and said; Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. The place of the Scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away, and who shall speak of his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same Scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went their way, they came unto a certain water; and the eunuch said, See, here is water. What doth hinder me from being baptised? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptised him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.’ Acts 8:26-3

Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, ‘one of the eunuchs which was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon, the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin; Ebed-melech went forth out of the king's house, and spake to the king, saying, My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is likely to die of hunger in the place where he is, for there is no more bread in the city.’ The eunuch saved Jeremiah ‘... Now the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying, Go speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good, and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee. But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD; and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. For I will surely deliver thee ... because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD.’ Jeremiah 38:6-13, 39:15-18

The Singing Castrati

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A group of castrati who left England in the late 1800s and moved to Australia

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Castrati first appeared in the late sixteenth century in Spain, but the practice of castration to obtain fine voices took root mainly in Italy, where it remained until the mid-nineteenth century. Pope Clement VIII admired the castrati, who first appeared in the Vatican in 1599. Often from poor families and sometimes under the pretext of an accident, the boy was drugged with opium, immersed in a warm bath until he became insensible; then the ducts leading to the testes were severed. Castrati were basically employed as substitutes for boys to sing the high parts in sacred music, but, with the development of Italian opera in the second half of the seventeenth century, a new career opened up.

FARINELLI

CARLO BROSCHI (1705 - 1782) Click Pic

Castrated for art, Farinelli became the most famous singer of his time and one of the greatest singers ever.  His exceptional voice and  beauty raised him to mythical super star status. ‘The Divine Farinelli’  had a voice of great beauty purity, control and agility. His range exceeded three and a half octaves.  He was renowned for his  ability to sing two hundred and fifty notes with a single breath and to sustain a note for more than a minute. He soon avoided compositions which merely showed off his range and preferred pieces which were more restrained and purer. His reputation continued after his retirement and to this day.

Carlo Broschi was born in 1705 in Andrea, Naples. He belonged to a minor noble family and his father, Salvatore, was governor of  Maratea and Cisternino from 1706 to 1709. He had one brother, Riccardo,  eight years older, who composed several operas for him. He was castrated around the ages of seven or eight, and became a pupil of the famous Italian composer and singing teacher, Nicola Porpora, who was considered to be one of the most important music teachers of all time. A prodigy of the Farina brothers he adopted the stage name Farinelli. The claim that his brother Riccardo was responsible for his castration is unlikely. It was more likey his father who had him castrated. In 1720 he made his first public appearance at the age of fifteen, at the Palace of the Prince of Torella in an opera written by his teacher Porpora. He made his name first in Naples, then Rome and Bologna. His first performance in Venice was in 1728, receiving a rapturous reception. By the age of twenty-three he was performing at all the main European courts, even for King Louis XV of France  for which he received a rare and distinguished honour: a portrait of the King embossed with diamonds, and a fee of 500 livres.

When he performed at Popora's theatre he was also regarded as extremely important by the English theatre going public. He was offered 1,500 livres a season and was also given numerous presents. Despite his success the rivalry  Theatre put Farinelli under considerable pressure and encouraged him to go to Spain - so at the height of this glory, the thirty two year old star decided to retire from public performance to sing for King Philip V of Spain. The King’s depression had been cured by hearing him and he was so affected that the young man decided to devote his life to the King for two decades.  He is said to have sung the same four arias to him each evening to relieve the King's melancholy. He soon became Private Counsellor to the King, received foreign guests, reorganised the Madrid Opera, and directed music at the royal chapel. In 1750, he was knighted in the order of Calatrava. His influence is said to have extended to matters of politics and foreign affairs. He then served Ferdinand VI and with the accession of Charles III in 1759,he was granted a generous pension but asked to leave Spain. He settled in Bologna where he lived a life devoted to spiritual exercise, music and receiving illustrious guests such as the composers Mozart and Gluck as well as the Emperor Joseph II.  He was said to be humble and generous. He helped poor Spanish families and founded an institute to organize concerts to raise money for orphans. Before his death, he gave all his belongings to his nephews and servants. I keeping with this later humility Farinelli wrote in his will “When I am dead, I want my miserable corpse to be wrapped in  the mantle of the Order of Calatrava, according to what is prescribed  by the Constitutions of said  Royal Military Order and to be buried without pomp with the accompaniment of poor  in the number of fifty, each one holding a wax candle in the hand, and each of said poor to be given a coin everyone after having accompanied my corpse to the church of the Cappuccini Fathers, where I fix my burial place.“ 

 His death certificate is dated 15th or 17th September 1782 (being in an old dating system) and he had purchased and  arranged for his burial in the Chiesa dei Cappuccini on Monte Calvario  at San Michele in Bosco. Napoleon's armies destroyed the Church of S.Croce and the cloister became a part of a villa. All trace of his tomb was often said to be lost, but it appears that his tomb exists in the Portico del Campo Maggiore. I have some confusion with the assortments of place names so I may need correction.

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4 of 14 photographs of the excavation in 2006 of the tomb of Farinelli in the cemetery "Certosa" of Bologna. The photos were kindly sent to me by the photographer from Eikon Studio Bologna-Italy.

He had a lifetime friendship with a man known as Metastasio, but the  relationship between the two is unknown for the most part.  Metastasio was a poet and quite taken with Farinelli as the singer was taken with him.  They often called each other "twin".

Farinelli meditated and prayed daily and even had a chapel built in his home after he retired.  He was a very modest person, he would only perform for friends and visitors after they insisted.  He would also never ask a visiting young castrato to perform unless they insisted.  Carlo was polite  and extremely kind.  He was pleased that in his life he was able to have harmed nobody.  A peaceful, beautiful eunuch, Carlo Broschi was truly the "Divine Farinelli".

Other Castrati

Caffarelli (born Gaetano Majorano) (1710-1783): One of the most famous castrati of all time he was a bombastic and quarrelsome man who spent time in goal, became very rich and bought a dukedom and two palaces!

Giusto Ferdinando Tenducci (1736-1800): mezzo-soprano remembered because he eloped and married a girl from an influential Irish family, and was thrown in gaol. Mozart wrote a song for him.

Siface (1653-1697): got his name from his role in Cavalli’s opera Scipione Africano. He was admired by Purcell, who wrote a lament for his English farewell. He was ambushed and murdered by a jealous husband.

Gaetano Guadagni (1725-1792): contralto then soprano castrato who was a favourite of Handel who wrote "But who may abide" and "Thou art gone up on high" for him, in the "Messiah." as well as Samson. He also created the title role in Gluck’s Orfeo.

Venanzio Rauzzini (1746-1810): Castrato composer and teacher, as was his brother Matteo. After singing throughout Europe he settled in England in 1744, living in Bath where he is buried; His operas were performed in London and Munich. He premiered Mozart’s Lucio Silla and Mozart’s famous motet, "Exultate, jubilate" was written for him.

Giovanni Battista Velluti (1780-1861): the last great powerful voiced operatic castrato. He had three sets of embellishments for his show-piece arias, as Rossini found, when Velluti sang in "Aureliano in Palmira." Historically Giacomo Meyerbeer was the last operatic composer of importance to write for the male soprano voice. Velutti delighted in astounding audiences with his dazzling coloratura technique, vocal prowess and outrageous attire; a singing Liberace of his age. For London Meyerbeer wrote ‘Il Crociato in Egitto’ for Velluti. Maria Malibran replaced the famous actress Madame Vestris, who refused to sing because she detested being on the same stage as Velluti. Castrati were no longer popular in London. Some people looked on him as a freak, though an excellent singer, his voice took on a harsh quality at time resembling a 'peacock's scream'.

Pergetti: the last castrato to appear in England, on the concert platform, in 1844;

The church castrati survived longer, in the Catholic Church and the only one alive in the dawn of the recording age and young enough to perform was-

Alessandro Moreschi (1858-1922):

Prof. Moreschi was born in Montecompatrio (near Rome) and died in Rome, where he was the last castrato and also conductor at the Cappella Sistina from 1883-98. When he began his studies in 1871 it was already difficult to find a teacher. In 1914 Franz Habock's plan of a "Farinelli revival" failed as his range had become too low. He sang liturgical music only. He was the only castrato to make records, which he did in 1902 and 1904. The 17 old acoustic recordings can only give an impression, which is not that good, but still remarkable as an historic document of a style which you will find no where else.. He was in his forties at the time. He sang in the Vatican under Leo XIII who had banned the practice in 1878. The CD  'Alesandro Moreschi 'THE LAST CASTRATO'  is available.