Famed Castrato Farinelli (Carlo Broschi): Analysis Of His Remains

[ramonmercado]

Voices from beyond the grave


Carlo Broschi, the famed castrato and favourite of Handel, has been exhumed by historians and scientists studying the anatomical effects of castration. Castrated men have held a quasi mythical status throughout history from the eunuch priests of the Greek Magna Mater cult to the celebrated opera singers of 18th century Europe. Outside of conventional society they have inspired reactions as extreme as disgust and veneration; the Catholic Church banned the proceedure on pain of excommunication, yet castrati are alleged to have been used in official choirs and the Sistine Chapel until as recently as 1903.

Broschi, and the other castrati singers of his age were the trophy artists of the opera and were lauded by society, achieving fame and fortune and access to the most powerful courts of their time. Being castrated before reaching puberty prevented boys’ voices from breaking but allowed the rest of the body to develop into adult maturity and a clear, powerful singing voice could be developed, similar in pitch and range to that of a woman but with much greater strength, being supported by a set of fully developed male lungs. Other side effects of castration were thought to be less pleasant. Castrati could grow to be abnormally tall or fat and could sprout breasts, though portraits of Broschi, known professionally as Farinelli, depict him as a handsome man of usual proportions.

Farinelli was a leading light of the operatic world and is considered by many to be one of the finest singers of all time. By some accounts he is credited with the ability to produce 250 notes in a single breath and to sustain them for such a long time that those that heard him thought that it was impossible to be able to do so naturally and accused him of concealing an instrument about his person to maintain the sound whilst he took a breath. At just thirty two years of age, Farinelli retired from the stage in order to sing exclusively for the King Philip V of Spain who had been suffering from depression for several years and credited his recovery to the performer’s sweet voice. Farinelli’s skeleton is the only known surviving example of a castrato, and though it is only considered to be in a fair condition it is hoped that it will prove enlightening under research. (July 14th)

Charlie Cottrell

Castrati

 

[EnolaGaia]

Update ... This 2011 research article summarizes the findings obtained by examining Farinelli's remains. The full article is accessible at the link below.

---

Hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI) and castration: the case of the famous singer Farinelli (1705–1782)
Maria Giovanna Belcastro, Antonio Todero, Gino Fornaciari, Valentina Mariotti
Journal of Anatomy, Volume219, Issue 5 (November 2011), Pages 632-637.
First published: 11 July 2011
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7580.2011.01413.x

Abstract
The famous castrato singer Farinelli (1705–1782) was exhumed by our research group in July 2006 for the purpose of gaining some insight into his biological profile through a study of his skeletal remains. Farinelli was castrated before puberty to preserve the treble pitch of the boy’s voice into adult life. His powerful and sweet voice became legendary. In spite of its bad preservation state, the skeleton displayed some interesting characteristics that are probably related to the effects of castration, including long limb-bones, persistence of epiphyseal lines and osteoporosis. In particular, the frontal bone was affected by severe hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI). This condition consists in a symmetrical thickening of the inner table of the bone. The epidemiology of HFI shows that it is relatively common in postmenopausal women but very rare in men. Men affected by this pathology suffer from diseases, syndromes or treatments causing androgen deficiency. In the case of Farinelli, castration was probably responsible for the onset and development of this lesion.

FULL ARTICLE: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1469-7580.2011.01413.x

 

[EnolaGaia]

Here are the bibliographic details and abstract from a 2014 research report focused on Farinelli's dental remains. He apparently had a significant overbite which may have (a) resulted from his castration and (b) contributed to some of his known medical problems.

---

M.G. Belcastro, V. Mariotti, B. Bonfiglioli, A. Todero, G. Bocchini, M. Bettuzzi, R. Brancaccio, S. De Stefano, F. Casali, M.P. Morigi
Dental status and 3D reconstruction of the malocclusion of the famous singer Farinelli (1705–1782)
International Journal of Paleopathology, Volume 7, 2014, Pages 64-69, ISSN 1879-9817,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2014.06.006.

Abstract: Summary
The famous castrato singer Carlo Broschi, better known as Farinelli (1705–1782), was exhumed by our research group in July 2006 to study his skeletal remains and reconstruct his osteobiography. He was castrated before puberty to preserve his high voice into adulthood. The osteological study has revealed several skeletal features probably related to the effects of castration (Hyperostosis frontalis interna, long limb bones, persistence of epiphyseal lines, osteoporosis) (Belcastro et al., 2011). Here we present the study of the teeth and maxilla–mandibular region using classic and tomographic morphological methods. Considering the subject's age and the period during which he lived, his oral health conditions were good. On the basis of the very pronounced anomalous vestibular buccal wear, a overbite visualized by 3D reconstruction, was hypothesized. This facial disharmony is of particular interest when considering Farinelli's extraordinary singing qualities and stage presence.

SOURCE: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1879981714000709

 

[JaneD]

More info on castrati and other eunuchs here
https://play.acast.com/s/the-rest-is-history-podcast/45.topteneunuchs
quite amusing and very informative