Some famous female roles in the history of opera have only been possible because 19th-century composers started giving important roles to mezzo-sopranos.
By the Baroque period (1600-1750), opera had taken Europe by storm, a spectacular and expensive affair filled with ornate arias and elaborate sets with moving parts. One of the greatest composers of Italian baroque opera was George Friedrich Handel (1685-1759), a German who spent most of his life in London.
This period also saw the emergence of castrati, male singers who were castrated as boys to maintain their soprano voices. Those who survived to come out on top were the singing stars of the 17th and 18th centuries. Today these roles are sung by countertenors or women.
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