noun
- plural of castrato; male singers who were castrated before puberty to preserve their high singing voices
Usage: historical; music
Examples
- Castratos were popular in 18th-century Italian opera.
- The practice of creating castratos was banned in the 19th century.
- Famous castratos like Farinelli drew enormous crowds.
- Baroque composers wrote demanding roles specifically for castratos.
- The last known castrato died in the early 20th century.
- Modern countertenors attempt to recreate the sound of historical castratos.