Plural of castrato; men or boys who were castrated, especially singers in European opera and church choirs who gained distinctive vocal qualities from the procedure.
From Italian 'castrato', the past participle of 'castrare' (to castrate), referring specifically to the famous castrated male singers of baroque opera.
Castrati were the superstars of baroque opera with voices that blended the power of male lungs with the high range of female voices—they earned enormous salaries and some became wealthier than nobles.
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