# Is/Was Franki Valli really a castrato? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [July 11, 2002, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-was-franki-valli-really-a-castrato/118479 "2002-07-11T19:00:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-was-franki-valli-really-a-castrato/118479/1 "2002-07-11T19:00:03Z")
[Here,](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_058.html) the Master says that he was. But I can never tell when people are kidding. So was he, or wasn’t he? Who’s got the Straight Dope? ---
**Author:** ![mazzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@mazzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mazzer)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-was-franki-valli-really-a-castrato/118479/2 "2002-07-11T19:23:36Z")
No. In many of his songs he begins singing normally, only to break into his signature high-ptiched wailing. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-was-franki-valli-really-a-castrato/118479/3 "2002-07-11T19:30:29Z")
He sang in a falsetto voice. It’s not very difficult, and rarely involves castration. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-was-franki-valli-really-a-castrato/118479/4 "2002-07-11T19:32:40Z")
Cecil was kidding. Valli possessed an accomplished falsetto voice, but his natual tenor range can be heard on songs such as “Grease”, and “Oh What a Night”. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2002, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-was-franki-valli-really-a-castrato/118479/5 "2002-07-11T21:07:43Z")
I was never much of a Frankie Valli fan, but my uncle and stepfather are. They went to see him in concert about 3 years ago. They told me that, VERY early in the show, Frankie told the crowd (cheerfully but firmly), “Guys, I’m gonna level with you- I’m not 19 years old any more, I can’t sing soprano any more, and I’m not even gonna try. But if you’ll bear with me, we’ll have a good time anyway.” According to my uncle and stepfather, the crowd enthusiastically applauded his candor, Valli sang with his natural (NON-falsetto) voice for the whole set, and pretty much everybody loved it. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-was-franki-valli-really-a-castrato/118479/6 "2002-07-12T00:43:23Z")
Since this is a comment about one of Cecil’s columns, I’ll move this thread to Comments on Cecil’s columns. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2002, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-was-franki-valli-really-a-castrato/118479/7 "2002-07-12T01:17:45Z")
Cecil forgot (yeah, right) to mention that once you’re all grown up, it’s too late to achieve a falsetto voice via castration. Testosterone has already lengthened you vocal chords. Prostitution, though, may be an option. There are a _lot_ people out there with, shall we say, different tastes. 😉 Peace, mangeorge