ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the early days of the castrato, concentrating on the court of Guglielmo Gonzaga, third Duke of Mantua, a man who was apparently extremely interested in this type of singer. Guglielmo Gonzaga was certainly one of the major musical patrons of his time. In 1582–84, Gonzaga made a concerted effort to procure castrati from France. The essence of Guglielmo’s negotiations in France seems to have been the attempt to hire young castrati who could serve as chamber musicians; hence the emphasis on ornamentation and ability to play the lute. Guglielmo was generally kept informed of the possibility of getting musicians from Rome, and it is not surprising to see correspondence dealing with castrati from there. In December, 1586, Guglielmo Gonzaga made an attempt to hire some musicians from Parma, and on December 11, Ippolito Olivo reported on the success of his attempt to get a bass and a castrato to enter Mantuan service.
