What was the point of castrating young boys to sing opera when they could just as well have a woman sing the part ?

Question

What was the point of castrating young boys to sing opera when they could just as well have a woman sing the part ?

In: Biology

Answer 1

A woman can hit similar notes to a castrato, but a man will still have bigger lungs.

So he can sing those same notes with a more powerful voice and he can hold those notes longer (and also won’t have to break a long sequence to take a breath).