Susi <plvdijk@i...> wrote:
Susi <plvdijk@i...> wrote:
> I read somewhere that the larynxes of the castrati remained the
> size of a child's, while the lungs and rest of the body grew to
> adult size.(all of it?)
I doubt the castrato had a boy sized larynx. It probably grew
proportionatley to the rest of the body, as it does in a woman.
There's no reason to believe a castrato's larynx would be smaller
than a woman's. The combination of a castrato's lung capacity and
smaller vocal aperature was probably not significantly different from
an full-grown woman's.
There may have been minor advantages, but nothing as sensational as
what people often attribute to the castrati. Besides, I don't
necessarily think men have a better breathing apparatus than women. A
larger rib cage means a larger body, and larger oxygen requirements
overall. A six foot tall castrato, who was most likely overweight
(due to the hormone deficiency) probably required more air just to
get by.
Tako Oda
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