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Men in plays

Discussion in 'Travel Forum' started by AdoptedDaughter, Nov 5, 2002.

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  1. AdoptedDaughter

    AdoptedDaughter New Member

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    Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but Adam and I was watcing VegieTales last night, Lyle the Kindly Viking to be exact, and he made a statement about men playing women in the old days and the love scenes, but that's not what I'm going to ask about.

    Being a woman means having a higher voice, both speaking and singing...I thought that I remembered something being said about how they got their voices so high, but I don't remember how....So.....my question is: How did men, who played women, get their voice so high and keep it so high?

    :confused: [​IMG] Thanks! [​IMG]

    [​IMG] ~Teresa~ [​IMG]
     
    #1 AdoptedDaughter, Nov 5, 2002
  2. stubbornkelly

    stubbornkelly New Member

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    Well, most men can sing and speak in a falsetto, if they try, and with practice, they can do it quite well. And some men have naturally high voices; the pitch range of the voice is determined by the length of the vocal folds. Now, the length of the vocal folds is affected by hormones (which is why boys' voices change), but it's the length that makes the pitch range. You can usually stretch the range a bit, but you're not really changing your physical structure, only working what you already have and getting all the notes you could get to (that without the vocal work, you'd think you didn't have). Does that make sense?

    A very good male friend of mine gets called "ma'am" almost every time he goes through a drive-thru or answers the phone at work. Even at home, people thought he was his mother - on the phone you couldn't tell the difference. He can sing as high as I can - without using falsetto - and that's purdy high.

    That, and castrati were more common back then. ;)
     
    #2 stubbornkelly, Nov 5, 2002
  3. Dr. Bob

    Dr. Bob Administrator
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    In the days of Shakespeare, all "theater people" were males. Some wore masks and clothing of women.

    Of course, many were castrated to maintain girlish skin and high voice. And the majority were homosexual.

    Term "theater people" was a 17th C word like "gay" is today.

    A queer time for all concerned. Makes me want to start singing Christmas song - "Don we now our gay apparel, fa la la, fa la la, la la la"
     
    #3 Dr. Bob, Nov 6, 2002
  4. AdoptedDaughter

    AdoptedDaughter New Member

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    Ok, this is the second time that I've seen castrated mentioned, and I haven't been my brightest the last couple of days, so could someone explain what castration means? Please?

    Thanks!

    ~Teresa~
     
    #4 AdoptedDaughter, Nov 6, 2002
  5. stubbornkelly

    stubbornkelly New Member

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    Castration is, technically, the removal of the ovaries or testicles. You don't usually hear it in reference to a woman, although it is technically correct to use it that way. But I don't know very many women who would want to hear they'd been castrated (men either, for that matter!).

    Testosterone is produced primarily in the testes, and that's the hormone responsible for male secondary sex characteristics, so if a man has no testes, his body won't mature as it would if he had a "normal" level of testosterone production.

    And a castrati is a male who has been castrated before puberty, specifically to maintain the high voice and youthful (read: feminine) appearance.
     
    #5 stubbornkelly, Nov 6, 2002
  6. Dr. Bob

    Dr. Bob Administrator
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    One additional word of teaching on this subject should be considered. The Bible speaks (more than 30 times) of "eunuch(s)".

    Typical of this position was a male who was castrated, therefore without normal sex drive, and devote himself to serving a monarch as the sole direction of energy. No wife/husband or family.

    So the Ethopian "eunuch" would have been a high court official who had been emasculated in loyalty and ministry to his ruler.

    Here is a related passage:
     
    #6 Dr. Bob, Nov 7, 2002
  7. AdoptedDaughter

    AdoptedDaughter New Member

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    Ok........

    Dr. Bob....you just confused me more than I thought I could be! Could you please try to unconfuse me now?

    ~Teresa~
     
    #7 AdoptedDaughter, Nov 7, 2002
  8. Aaron

    Aaron Member
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    Whoa! Are you saying men had themselves cut for the Kingdom of God? :eek:

    Lest anyone think so, let me quote Matthew Henry:

     
    #8 Aaron, Nov 7, 2002
  9. AdoptedDaughter

    AdoptedDaughter New Member

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    [​IMG] While I appreciate your input, Aaron, I'm more confused than I was last night! Is there any way you guys can put what you come up with into your own words, like Kelly has, she's the only post so far that I've understood! [​IMG]

    [​IMG] ~Teresa~ [​IMG]

    [ November 07, 2002, 12:25 PM: Message edited by: baptistforever ]
     
    #9 AdoptedDaughter, Nov 7, 2002
  10. stubbornkelly

    stubbornkelly New Member

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    Can I frame that, Teresa? ;)
     
    #10 stubbornkelly, Nov 7, 2002
  11. AdoptedDaughter

    AdoptedDaughter New Member

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    Certaintly, if you feel led, that is! ;)

    ~Teresa~

    [​IMG] Thanks for explaining things in your own words, Kelly! (Can I call you that? I'm sorry if you don't want me to, I won't do it again if that's the case....) [​IMG]
     
    #11 AdoptedDaughter, Nov 7, 2002
  12. Candide

    Candide New Member

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    I'm quite concerned that a topic on castration is in the Hobby forum. :eek:
     
    #12 Candide, Nov 7, 2002
  13. AdoptedDaughter

    AdoptedDaughter New Member

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    Candide, it's not a topic about castration, but I did ask the question
    Now, if I'm not mistaken, this is a forum in which plays can be discussed, so then this topic is in the right place.

    ~Teresa~
     
    #13 AdoptedDaughter, Nov 7, 2002
  14. stubbornkelly

    stubbornkelly New Member

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    I dunno, Candide . . . given what some folks would have us believe about feminists . . . ;)

    You're welcome, Teresa. And of course you can call me Kelly! Stubborn is what I tend to be (amazing, huh?!), not my name. [​IMG]

    I'm consistently amazed when I hear my (non-castrati) male friend sing . . . he's got this clear, pure voice, and it just sails high with absolutely no effort. *sigh* No fair.
     
    #14 stubbornkelly, Nov 7, 2002
  15. AdoptedDaughter

    AdoptedDaughter New Member

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    {wipes sweat from brow} didn't want to get anyone else mad at me for not calling them by the right name ;)

    That'd be nice to do, I can get some of the high notes, but it would be wonderful if I could do it with a full voice! [​IMG]

    [​IMG] Hi, Kelly! [​IMG]

    ~Teresa~
     
    #15 AdoptedDaughter, Nov 7, 2002
  16. MikeJ

    MikeJ New Member

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    There is a good chance that Nehemiah was a eunuch.
     
    #16 MikeJ, Nov 7, 2002
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