Portrait of a Castrato Politics, Patronage, and Music in the Life of Atto Melani FREITAS, Roger (Dr, University of Rochester, New York)

Exploring the fascinating life of the most documented musician of the seventeenth century, Freitas tells how the castrato Atto Melani rose to musical and social prominence. Whether Atto was singing, spying, having sex, composing, or rejecting his art, this book illustrates how music-making was always also a negotiation for power.