I know you'll all enjoy this....hehe

[crazy_head]

"Women were not allowed to appear in public in theatrical productions, tragic or comic, in territories under strict church control. Thus, most polyphonic church choirs in the Renaissance were exclusively male, the soprano part being performed by either churchboys or by adult men singing in falsetto. Beginning in 1565, however, castratos (castrated males) were introduced into the papal chapel, mainly as a money-saving measure. A single castrato could produce as much volume as two falsettists or three or four boys. Castrati were renowned for their power and their great lung capacity, which allowed them to execute unusually long phrases in a single breath." (Listening to Music by Craig Wright)

I'll tell you what they weren't renowned for........hahahaha

:p