MORESCHI

THE LAST CASTRATO
By Nicholas Clapton

‘. . . In an immaculately produced and beautifully illustrated short volume, Clapton sets the castrato in a historical context . . . Clapton is excellent on the physical and psychological effects of castration as experienced by Moreschi . . . a valuable historical record of a nearly forgotten art.’

Andrew Green, Classical Music

'Invaluable ... a fascinating account of the relations between the Vatican and Italy during the last half of the 19th century ...  Clapton’s story is told with wit, compassion and elegance.’

 Michael Tanner, BBC Music Magazine

Contents: Acknowledgments - Foreword - Origins and Connections - Beginnings - Early Days in Rome - The Cappella Musicale Pontificia - Moreschi’s early years at the Sistine Chapel 1883-1891 - The Years of the Constitution 1891-1898 - Winds of Change 1898-1903 - A Long Twilight - The Voice and the Legacy - Notes - Chronology - Bibliography - Index

Nicholas Clapton’s career as a counter-tenor has seen him particularly involved in performing the repertoire of the great castrati. He is a professor of Singing at the Royal Academy of Music in London and also teaches at the Conservatoire in Budapest.