The role of the male hero was usually entrusted to a castrato, and by the 18th century, when Italian opera was performed throughout Europe, leading castrati who possessed extraordinary vocal virtuosity, such as Senesino and Farinelli, became international stars.
O rol principal de heroe masculino era usualmente confiado a un castrato, e xa no século XVIII, cando a ópera italiana se presentaba en toda Europa, os castratos principais, que posuían un extraordinario virtuosismo vocal, tales como Senesino e Farinelli, se converteron en estrelas internacionais.