What were the anatomical effects of castration carried out on young boys to turn them into high-pitched stars of the opera? This is what scientists and historians at Bologna University hope to discover by studying the body of the legendary 18th century castrato Farinelli.
The removal of boy chorists’ testicles kept their vocal chords small while the hormonal changes meant their bodies kept growing well into adulthood. “That gave them huge lung capacity but with a very sweet voice,” said expert Clapton.
It could also mean castrati grew abnormally tall or fat and could sprout breasts…
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