The Castrato and His Wife

Posted on 06 June 2018 by Helen Berry

The opera singer Giusto Ferdinando Tenducci was one of the most famous celebrities of the eighteenth century Mozart and Bach both composed for him He was nothing less than a rock star of his day, with a massive female following He was also a castrato Ranging from the salons of princes and the grand opera houses of Europe to the remote hill towns of Tuscany, Helen Berry s compelling account of the unconventional love story of the castrato and his wife offers fascinating insight into the world of opera and the history of sex and marriage in Georgian Britain Berry vividly describes how women flocked to Tenducci s concerts and found him irresistible Indeed, his young singing pupil, Dorothea Maunsell, found him so irresistible that she eloped with him A huge scandal erupted and her father persecuted them mercilessly Dorothea joined her husband at his concerts, achieving a status she could never have dreamed of as a respectable girl She also wrote a sensational account of their love affair, an early example of a teenage novel Embroiled in debt, the Tenduccis fled to Italy, and the marriage collapsed when she fell in love with another man There followed a highly publicized and unique marriage annulment case in the London courts Everything hinged on the status of the marriage, whether the husband was capable of consummation, and what exactly had happened to him as a small boy in a remote Italian hill village decades before Telling the remarkable story of Tenducci for the first time, The Castrato and His Wife is both an exhilarating read and a perceptive commentary on the meaning of marriage, one that still resonates today. Best Download Kindle ePUB The Castrato and His Wife By Helen Berry – kino-fada.fr Barely two stars I would say this book was a load of bollocks, but it didn t have any.This turned out to be an enjoyable read Calling this book not a biography but a microhistory, the author provides a fascinating glimpse of what was shrouded in secrecy due to the illegal nature of the procedure As I mentioned in my review in ForeWord Magazine, Giusto Tenducci topped the charts back in 1762 With his three octave range, he was a virtuoso He also was a castrato.Apparently his loss was the Baroque era s gain The most brilliant castrati were kno...Helen Berry s astonishing new portrait of Giusto Ferdinando Tenducci, the celebrated 18th century castrato, and his love affair with a young Irish girl, Dorothea Maunsell.This is a non fiction work of scholarship Around a fifth of the book was notes, bibliography and reference list The print size was inconveniently small, I thought some people appear to think that the size of the print bears an inverse relationship to the erudition of the author It does not If you are a potential purchaser older than 40 or so, you might be better choosing the hardcover version It probably has a larger print size The subject is of particular interest to me, but this This is a non fiction work of scholarship Around a fifth of the book was notes, bibliography and reference list Th...I read this book last spring and it s still on my mind I was most impressed by Dr Berry s ability to place this once famous opera singer,Tenducci, in the context of his time period Absolutely fascinating, especially for people like me who are obsessed with all things eighteenth century.A fascinating and very readable micro history of the castrato Guisto Ferdinando Tenducci and his elopement with the a young Irish girl from a distinguished family The book explores the practice in relation to the Catholic church and the paying public and raises many interesting questions Well ...This was a very bland reading book I never got much energy or curiosity about the man, his wife or the struggle I do not know why There was much research and it is an unusual situation But I struggled to finish it and can not say that I am glad that I have read it.A vivid and intriguing true story pulled from historical sources It s awesome for medieval Baroque nerds like me but I m afraid anyone not immersed in that universe would find it rather dry and not so compelling.Odd Not a novel, but not really straight history either, since not that much is known about this character Rather some facts and a lot of supposition Interesting but totally unengaging.Interesting subject, and an interesting, focused stylea broadstroke overview of the social construction that led to this relationship than a personal tale, but it is a fascinating topic.

English
06 June 2018

Helen Berry