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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