Sarrasine

A castrato (plural: castrati) is a male singer who has been castrated—either through the removal of the testicles or through surgery on the connective ducts in the testes—prior to the onset of puberty, thus preventing his voice from dropping and allowing him to sing in the soprano register. Castrati first came to prominence as church singers in the mid-16th century because women—who comprise the overwhelming majority of natural sopranos—were forbidden from singing in many religious settings. This was particularly true in regions of modern Italy, where the advent and popularization of Italian opera in the 17th century opened a new avenue of employment for castrati in secular entertainment. Officially, castration for any reason but medical necessity had been illegal since the late 16th century, but the ban was essentially unenforceable since involved parties could simply lie about the methods and motivations for the operation. 

The best castrati could achieve considerable fame and fortune. Castrato voices were frequently described by contemporaries as having a unique and highly appealing tone particularly suited to the ornate style of Baroque compositions, as well as a power and expressivity ideal for operatic performances. Parts for castrato singers were therefore commonly written into major operas of the era, with their popularity reaching its zenith between the late 17th and early 18th centuries. However, while Sarrasine’s premise relies on a castrato performing a female role, the vast majority of castrato roles in opera were male characters. 

Castrato voices gradually fell out of fashion over subsequent decades, although there were still individual castrati such as Farinelli (1705-1782) who had successful careers. During this period, public interest in castrati increased, particularly in regions such as Britain and France, where the practice had never been normalized. Sensationalist reports variously painted castrati as pitiable and predatory, asexual and excessively sexual, and as exemplifying both masculine and feminine traits. This fascination explains Balzac’s use of the castrato figure to explore The Artificiality of Gender Roles, while the ignorance regarding castrati in countries like France contextualizes Sarrasine’s naivete regarding La Zambinella. Pope Leo XIII put an official end to the practice in 1878, and the last living castrati died in the early 20th century.