Giovanni Battista Velluti as a young man

Giovanni Battista Velluti, colloquially "Giambattista" (January 28, 1780 – January 22, 1861) was an Italian castrato. Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted Year 1780 ( MDCCLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Events 565 - Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus. Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, or Contralto voice produced either by Castration He is also considered "last of the great castrati" and had a reputation of being something of a diva, with some singers refusing to appear with him. A diva is a celebrated female singer The Italian term is used to describe a woman of rare outstanding talent in the world of Opera, and by extension in theatre and

Born in Montolmo, (near Macerata), Italy, a local doctor castrated him at the age of eight as treatment for a cough and high fever. Macerata is a city in Italy, the capital of The province of Macerata in the Marche region Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Velluti's father, who had planned on a military career for his son, enrolled him in musical training.

He became close friends with Luigi Cardinal Chiaramonte, the man who would become Pope Pius VII, after singing a cantata sometime in his teenage years. Pope Pius VII, OSB (August 14 1740&mdashAugust 20 1823 born Count Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti, was Pope from March 14 1800 to August In 1800, he made his debut at Forlì. Forlì ( Latin: Forum Livii) is a Comune and city in Emilia-Romagna, Italy famed as the birthplace of the great painter Melozzo da Forlì

Velluti was renowned for both his voice and his prodigious sexual escapades. Apparently many husbands could not believe that their wives were engaging in such affairs as they didn't understand that his genitalia still functioned.

The last great castrato roles were composed specifically for him: Arsace in Rossini's Aureliano in Palmira (1813) and Armando in Meyerbeer's Il crociato in Egitto (1824). Aureliano in Palmira is an Operatic dramma serio in two acts written by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian Libretto probably Giacomo Meyerbeer ( September 5, 1791 &ndash May 2, 1864) was a noted German -born Opera Composer, and Il crociato in Egitto ( The Crusade in Egypt) is an Opera in two acts by Giacomo Meyerbeer, with a Libretto by Gaetano Rossi. He made his London debut in 1825 in Il crociato in Egitto. Year 1825 ( MDCCCXXV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common The crowds reacted poorly to his initial performances as he was the first castrato to appear in London in 25 years, but he drew crowds until the end of his career. In 1826 he took over management of The King's Theatre in London and appeared there in Aureliano in Palmira and Morlacchi's Tebaldo ed Isolina. Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre, located on The Haymarket, in the City of Westminster. Francesco Morlacchi ( June 14 1784 in Perugia - October 28 1841 in Innsbruck) was an Italian composer of more However, his career as a theatre manger ended following financial quarrels over extra pay for the chorus. He returned to London in 1829, but appeared only in concerts. For the game see 1829 (board game. Year 1829 ( MDCCCXXIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display Upon his retirement from the stage, he became an agriculturist and died in 1861.

References

• Panati, Charles, Panati's Extraordinary Endings of Practically Everything and Everybody, Perennial Library, 1989.
• Rosenthal, H. and Warrack, J. (1979) The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera, 2nd Edition, Oxford University Press, p. 521.