Nessun dorma?Nom de plume

I have the feeling that all are sleeping, so I would ask in alto voice to wake you up:
Why did you choose in Forums, here or in other realms of internet, this nom de plume/ de guerre/pseudonym ?
what you wanted to say? and how? what dark or noble secret is under this false name, that today is truer than the real one? do you believe in the magick of names?
And why you choosed this avatarian picture to represent you? Bas les masques!

And for myself: even that sound musical (mi-re-la), Mirel, my true name, it's a rare name given to Romanian boys ( Mirela for girls) and coming from the French Mireille. Later in my life I found (also due to internet) that it's a Jewish family name and in Yidish signify bitter. But I'm sweet. Also in Hebrew a lot names with EL termination or root ; El being in hebrew the name (one of many) of God. The avatar here is the head of one of sculptures, a Jester from a exhibition called The Magic Circus.
So a clown head with my real name.

Sleeping? I wish! I will start studying for my first exam tomorrow. Christmas break starts on the 11th of December. I will try to write a little bit here every day though if you will too .

My pseudonym and avatar are pretty self explanatory, aren't they?

Funny thing with your name indeed. My real name (Einar) means "he who fights alone".

Hello This is my first post on this forum - been wondering if, as a woman, I shouldn't perhaps hold my tongue on here .. but hey, we're not in the 18th Century anymore
My avatar is me .. my name is "eviva il coltello" which sort of means "long live the knife!" i.e. the ones used to create the castrati - it was allegedly what the noble ladies of those times used to shriek in the theatre on hearing the ethereal sounds of the great castrati ..
I think so anyway.

*Curtseys*

[Stendhal (Marie Henri Beyle), "Lives of Hadyn, Mozart and Metatasio"]:

"As for the beautiful voices of Italy, the stupid attitude of our little 'philosophes' will probably diminish our pleasures for a long time to come. These gentlemen have been preaching the message that a little operation performed on a few choirboys was going to turn Italy into a desert: the population was going to die out, the grass was already growing in the via Toldeo; and what of the sacred rights of humanity!"

Had to look up who Stendhal was - have a degree in French, so suitably ashamed!

Haha, I'd like to make it clear that I'm very much in favour of the "sacred rights of humanity"! I'd still like to go back in time to the 18th century though and witness those "beautiful voices" myself and it's such a shame that I can't! There is also another factor besides just the castration that created the greatest castrati - the rigorous training they received in the conservatoires which also can't really be recreated in our time - because no modern child would put up with messa di voce for months on end!

Interesting to note that, if anything, the population of Italy was always too large & quite a large number of people went into the church (and became celibate of course) just because it was a secure career option - and Italy still didn't turn into a desert!

sfkcbf - I'm guessing the first three letters of your name are your initials and the last three, Carlo Broschi, Farinelli? Just wondering!

1. (re. "little operation") I agree with your view of humanity. Most people of the 21st century would react with horror should someone suggest returning to the practice, although I recently did stumble upon some reference to a supposed, proposed British TV series that uses this as a theme; and apparently some of the public has reacted with dismay. I have no further information about the series, and I do not know if, in fact, the series will be produced or how one my access it.

Of course, most people also overlook the fact that currently literally tens of thousands of males are emasculated for a variety of reasons: gender reassignment, disease and medical requirements, trauma and consequential surgery, consequences of criminal activity, the many Hijras of India, and even sexual compulsion among a small percentage Westerners (a group of individuals that are quiet but closely connected.) In theory, those persons who might choose the life of a castrato would be a tiny fraction of those persons who experience the operation.

2. As fascinating it might be for us to hear modern opera castrati sing, I still am hoping that you will perfect your dutronic-transmogrifier time-machine so that we can go back to the Baroque era to hear the original super-stars.

3. You are correct about the long and painstaking training the castrati experienced to optomize their exceptional voices. I am pleased that, during the most recent generation of singers, improved methods for training countertenors have been developed and that a handfull of female singers have undertaken training in Baroque style. Their performances stand out as superior to, and more authentic than, the general level of performance today.

4. Re. SFKCBF, to use a hackneyed phrase, "it doesn't take a rocket scientist" (especially with the image next to my user name) to figure out the what the letters stand for. As for the first part, a major clue already has been posted on YouTube by another person.

you said:
(re. "little operation") I agree with your view of humanity. Most people of the 21st century would react with horror should someone suggest returning to the practice...
I did this operation on someone else and the castration didn't improve his voice; he have now a bass voice and gained weight. I still have hopes. Some people were shocked by my act, but I hope that in this forum my decision will be well received. Sometimes even myself I feel regrets... However, as Malthus said, we are too many...

Due to the many calls that received the Interpol after my last post, I feel obliged to show my friend's photo and to assure you that he is feeling well as any famous castrato.

I'm sure many are relieved, Mirel. Having already read that you had 2 dogs this was my first guess but you only had 5 posts so I guess you may have shocked many with your complicated humour.

He looks good but is awfully hairy for a castrato.

Can he bark in Italian? How good are his trills?

Italian is familiar to him as when we are leaving him at home I put for him my selections of arias antiche from Deezer; in fact he is a romantic Russian Spaniel and he is speaking (speaking, not barking ) most of the time and leaving his hair in all the house.
BTW, dear Puer Iachus,torch bearer, he is hairy because to a castrato we don't cut the hair, but something else; see him in one of his acts; let's see if somene will recognise this arias.