History

• Androgyny and gender-queerness are not out of place in music’s development.

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• Castrati refers to the venerated singers in Renaissance and Baroque Italy used in church choirs and operas. Biologically they were male, but were castrated before puberty to preserve their high, female-like range (Britannica Editors, para. 1-2).​

  • Outside of the theater, castrati would dress as either men or women, and are recorded in history as being androgynous  (Skuse, 2021, p. 32).

  • The castrati would mainly play heroic men on stage, but, occasionally, women as well (Skuse, 2021, p. 32).

• ​​During the time of the castrati and following their popularity, women began appearing in operas in both female and male roles (Skuse, 2021, p. 32).

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• When biological females portray male roles in opera, they are referred to as travesti or en travesti.

  • Today, we call this a "pants role" (Skuse, 2021, p. 32).