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Between 1902 and 1904, castrato Alessandro Moreschi recorded 17 tracks to become the only castrato ever recorded. Not much demand for this type of music today, whether sung by a eunuch or some type of binary individual.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6U8VZ6riNk

NaturalEunuch wrote: Fri Apr 04, 2025 7:47 am Between 1902 and 1904, castrato Alessandro Moreschi recorded 17 tracks to become the only castrato ever recorded. Not much demand for this type of music today, whether sung by a eunuch or some type of binary individual.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6U8VZ6riNk

To think that, with proper training, even a baritone can sing as a countertenor, thus being very similar to castrato, makes me baffled by the idiocy of that old era. We don't know actually if there aren't mordern castrated countertenors or castratos (by whatever reason). Of course no one would like to share this, but could a young boy could lose his testicles by accident or disease and then go to a conservatory and learn singing.

BTW I read a letter of a old castrato who whipped the fact that he couldn't marry nor bear any offspring. This is the dark side of eunuchoodm when it's forced.

Thanks for posting! It should be pointed out that the recording tech used to make these was far from modern standards, basically the very first "wax cylinder" based machines... If you remember the old RCA Victor "His Master's Voice" logo, the victrola machine in the logo was higher / better technology.

I'm not an audio expert, but what I've read, where the old recordings were weakest was in the high ranges which are most interesting to us in this case, both because the old equipment wasn't as capable of recording it in the first place, and that the high note frequency were the worst worn by the needle tracking in the groove while playing back.... Between the "LOW-fi" recording tech, and the degradation over time, one can question how close to reality these recordings are...

I've also seen discussion back on EAv2 to the effect that even in his prime, Morelli was never a 'top name' castrato singer the way that some were the 'rock stars' of their day - think 'opening act' as opposed to 'main attraction'... By the time these recordings were made, he was considerably older and past his prime....

Paolo expressed the opinion that some of the recordings of modern boy sopranos are probably closer to what the castrati's actually sounded like - i.e this kid was one he pointed at... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whKw72731L8 Definitely a higher quality sound at the very least. (AFAIK this kid is NOT fixed!)

WheelyFixed

The Old RCA Logo had "Nipper (The Dog) listening to a "Phonograph" (Record was a cylinder). Next came "Nipper" listening to a Gramaphone (Disk).
Neither came close to being described as "Hi-Fi".
I've been recorded several times! Don't I count?

TheRagingEunuch wrote: Sat Apr 05, 2025 2:30 am The Old RCA Logo had "Nipper (The Dog) listening to a "Phonograph" (Record was a cylinder). Next came "Nipper" listening to a Gramaphone (Disk).
Neither came close to being described as "Hi-Fi".
I've been recorded several times! Don't I count?

I haven't heard you sing, but your voice on the radio station doesn't sound like you hit castrato ranges...

Besides you were born, not made....

WheelyFixed

WheelyFixed wrote: Fri Apr 04, 2025 11:21 am Paolo expressed the opinion that some of the recordings of modern boy sopranos are probably closer to what the castrati's actually sounded like - i.e this kid was one he pointed at... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whKw72731L8 Definitely a higher quality sound at the very least. (AFAIK this kid is NOT fixed!)

The advantage a castrato has over the kid in the recording is the castrato can hit those high tones as an adult with fully developed adult lungs. Kids and women can't compete with the castrato's extremely powerful male lung capacity that supposedly produces a unique and hauntingly beautiful sound we no longer can hear other than this bad recording of an over-the-hill Moreschi.

NaturalEunuch wrote: Sat Apr 05, 2025 5:22 am

WheelyFixed wrote: Fri Apr 04, 2025 11:21 am Paolo expressed the opinion that some of the recordings of modern boy sopranos are probably closer to what the castrati's actually sounded like - i.e this kid was one he pointed at... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whKw72731L8 Definitely a higher quality sound at the very least. (AFAIK this kid is NOT fixed!)

The advantage a castrato has over the kid in the recording is the castrato can hit those high tones as an adult with fully developed adult lungs. Kids and women can't compete with the castrato's extremely powerful male lung capacity that supposedly produces a unique and hauntingly beautiful sound we no longer can hear other than this bad recording of an over-the-hill Moreschi.

I agree with you NE, but think that Paolo has a valid point that the improved fidelity of modern recording tech, especially given the ability to amplify and otherwise 'improve' a raw recording, it may well be that a kid like the one I pointed at (and IMHO some of his other performances may be better) is closer to the 'real thing' than the bad recording... Certainly it's easier to listen to!

WheelyFixed

NaturalEunuch wrote: Sat Apr 05, 2025 5:22 am The advantage a castrato has over the kid in the recording is the castrato can hit those high tones as an adult with fully developed adult lungs.

While we don’t have kids with fully developed adult lungs, we do have better acoustics in modern theaters, and like Wheely said, far superior sound recording and sound engineering technologies. I don’t think we are missing that much.

dandelion wrote: Sat Apr 05, 2025 10:45 am

NaturalEunuch wrote: Sat Apr 05, 2025 5:22 am The advantage a castrato has over the kid in the recording is the castrato can hit those high tones as an adult with fully developed adult lungs.

While we don’t have kids with fully developed adult lungs, we do have better acoustics in modern theaters, and like Wheely said, far superior sound recording and sound engineering technologies. I don’t think we are missing that much.

I'm sure we're not. That kind of singing is out of date anyway.

NaturalEunuch wrote: Sat Apr 05, 2025 12:24 pm

dandelion wrote: Sat Apr 05, 2025 10:45 am

NaturalEunuch wrote: Sat Apr 05, 2025 5:22 am The advantage a castrato has over the kid in the recording is the castrato can hit those high tones as an adult with fully developed adult lungs.

While we don’t have kids with fully developed adult lungs, we do have better acoustics in modern theaters, and like Wheely said, far superior sound recording and sound engineering technologies. I don’t think we are missing that much.

I'm sure we're not. That kind of singing is out of date anyway.

True - Michael Jackson has kicked the bucket.... (He wasn't castrato, but at least according to rumors he was fed enough hormones as a kid to make him close to it....)

Classic Opera and so forth may be out of style, but think about how many rock / country / etc. singers (some female) sing in high ranges or falsetto... (Back before I learned that adult castration doesn't cause voice changes, I know I used to joke about how many black artists sounded like they had a pair of vice-grips applied to certain bits...) How many high pitched kids place really well in "America's Got Stars" and similar reality talent shows?

I would not make any bets that a modern castrati voice could not become a super-star today assuming that his other performing skills were also 'star quality" (I'm not asking anyone to volunteer their kid for the test...)

WheelyFixed

OK. Here is the cleaned up version of the recording. Be advised that the link will expire in 24 hours.

Blowjob

https://wormhole.app/jE8kRM#rwmgybRecW0N74g3UA-EHg

TheRagingEunuch wrote: Tue Apr 08, 2025 10:30 pm OK. Here is the cleaned up version of the recording. Be advised that the link will expire in 24 hours.

Blowjob

https://wormhole.app/jE8kRM#rwmgybRecW0N74g3UA-EHg

Thanks, it is still a bit noisy, but much more listenable.... I have saved the file as well so it should be well preserved in multiple locations.

WheelyFixed

"Thanks, it is still a bit noisy, but much more listenable"

Yeah, there is just so much you can do. It's a case of "Crap in=Crap out", but I gave it my best shot. No offense to the artist, but I did wonder is Mrs. Miller used shim as an inspiration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw07CDid0JM

TheRagingEunuch wrote: Wed Apr 09, 2025 6:00 pm "Thanks, it is still a bit noisy, but much more listenable"

Yeah, there is just so much you can do. It's a case of "Crap in=Crap out", but I gave it my best shot. No offense to the artist, but I did wonder is Mrs. Miller used shim as an inspiration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw07CDid0JM

Could be, I was actually thinking of another Miller that wanted you to sing along with him by following the bouncing ball....

(Youngsters probably won't get the reference...)

WheelyFixed