The proposed authoritative study examines all aspects of the life of castrati: their social background, the strict rules of training, their brilliant careers, but also the dark side of the existence of singers... What is the origin of this phenomenon itself? Why was it necessary to make boys castrati to satisfy the whimsical tastes of a Baroque society that demanded female voices to sing on stage? An excellent description of one of the strangest periods in the history of opera, pays tribute to the most extravagant form of artistry. Patrick Barbier is a professor at the Western Catholic University of Angers, specialist in opera history, author of a biography of Farinelli.