What does castrati mean?
'Castrati' is the plural of 'castrato', referring to the male singers who were castrated before puberty to prevent their voices from breaking, allowing them to retain the high register of a boy soprano combined with adult lung power. Flourishing between roughly the 16th and 18th centuries, castrati became the superstars of Italian opera and occupied prominent places in papal choirs, where women were barred from singing. Composers such as Handel wrote some of their most demanding and virtuosic roles specifically for them. The practice was abolished in the 19th century, and modern performances of these roles are typically given by countertenors or female singers. Today the term appears mainly in music history, opera criticism, and scholarly writing, where it evokes both extraordinary artistry and a controversial chapter of musical culture.
nounThe plural of 'castrato': male singers castrated before puberty to preserve their high vocal range, especially prominent in European opera and church music from the 16th to 18th centuries.
- Plural of castrato: men castrated before puberty to preserve a high singing voice.
- The voices or vocal parts written for such singers.
"The role was written for the castrati whose voices dominated 18th-century opera houses."
"Handel composed many of his greatest roles for the castrati who thrilled London audiences."
"Modern productions typically assign parts originally sung by castrati to countertenors or female mezzo-sopranos."
'Castrati' is already a plural form (Italian plural of 'castrato'); it takes a plural verb. The singular is 'castrato'.
"The castrati commanded enormous fees at the height of their fame."
For over two centuries, Europe's most celebrated singing stars were castrated as boys — and the last of them, Alessandro Moreschi, lived long enough to be recorded in 1902.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of castrati
'Castrati' is the Italian plural of 'castrato', the past participle of the Italian verb 'castrare', meaning 'to castrate'. Both derive directly from the Latin verb 'castrare' of the same meaning, which also gives English 'castrate' and 'castration'. The term entered English usage during the early modern period alongside the spread of Italian opera, retaining its Italian plural form like other borrowed musical terms.
Related word forms
How castrati is actually used
'Castrati' is the Italian plural, standard in English musicology and historical writing; the anglicized plural 'castratos' also appears. The word carries strong historical connotations tied to a practice widely regarded as barbaric today, so it appears almost exclusively in discussions of Baroque opera and church music rather than casual speech.
Easily confused with castrati
A eunuch is a castrated man in general (often for social or administrative roles), whereas a castrato specifically refers to one castrated to preserve a soprano or alto singing voice.
A countertenor achieves a high range naturally through falsetto technique, while a castrato's voice resulted from castration before puberty.