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Document Details : Title: Un fait de la vie musicale chez Grigor Magistros Author(s): AREVSHATYAN, Anna S. Journal: Revue des Études Arméniennes Volume: 43 Date: 2025 Pages: 371-378 DOI: 10.2143/REA.43.0.3295029 Abstract : In his letter 17 (77), Grigor Magistros mentions vocal concerts ‘particularly relevant to the pure and crystalline vocalizations of the Attic eunuchs and well suited to their voices’. This must be an allusion to the castrato singers known and loved during the reign of the Macedonian dynasty. In the 9th century, the choir of the cathedral of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople was made up of castrati. This ‘asexual’ singing style, distinguished on the one hand by the flexibility and high range of women’s and soprano voices and, on the other, by the power of male voices, was said to be comparable to the singing of angels. |
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