Kalology : The Art of Beauty

Francis Galton, a 19th centuary polymath, traveled all around Britain in order to understand beauty and how to rate it. How he actually did this was by carrying a paper and a needle. He would walk the streets or whatever and when he saw an attractive lady he would make a hole on the top , if he saw an average one he would make a hole in the middle and if he did see a really hideous one he would make a hole at the botton. He made a paper for each town he visited and in the end if it had more holes on top it meant the town was one with beauty and vice-verca. He found London to be the highest ranked for beauty and Aberdeen the lowest.

"A letter in the National Review from Charles C. Littell Jr. suggested that beauty should be measured in 'Helens'. "

- One Helen would be defined as enough beauty to launch a thousand ships.
- A Milihelen would be enough beauty to launch one ship.
- A Microhelen is sufficient beauty to inspire the launch of a plank.
- An Antimilihelen measures ugliness, one unit is enough to sink a battleship.


A little story ...Giulia Gonzaga, Duchess of Fondi measured one Helen for her amazing looks and 1,000 ships were launched by the Turk Sultan to capture her. The turks made it till there but were lost in their surroundings, a little boy saw them and went to warn the Duchess of the attack. The Duchess fled from her town to safety. The turks gave up and left empty handed.
The Duchess showed her thankfulness to the boy by getting his head chopped off.

Ya i know, sad story.

The Unkindest Cut of All

Back in the old days of the powerful church, a good way for a boy to live a happy life was for him to castrate himself. And sing for the church , it was/is thought that castrated men sing better then the not castrated ones. You could somehow attain the perfect pitch of voice, this would also make them indefatigable lovers. Although the church forbade the act of castration to keep a healthy public image they would make excuses such as the boy was attacked by vicious dogs who bit of his --- or his peers beaten him badly and brutalized him. Even though what they said was sometimes not very veridical the people wouldn't question them. Some of the opera's pieces were strictly written for castrati singer. Spectators, after a great performance would shout ' Viva il coltello', which is Italian for ' Long live the knife'. But the actual castration wasn't done with a knife but a sharp string. What might sound painfully , was never documentated. Giovanni Francesco Grossi, an italian castrato was in love with a countess from Modena. Her enraged & mad family sent her into a community of nuns, but Giovanni still went to visit her . The modest family was so enraged they hired someone to assassain him in the end. Some castrato's even tried to marry but being affiliated with the church it became impossible, too bad for the supposed best lovers. Some castrato's became priest, one is that known , Loreto Vittori. Other castrato's that went big, Farinelli. He worked in the court of the king of Spain. Philip V of Spain loved songs and so did his wife who even paid Farinelli to sing for her husband each night.
The barberous practice did not end till the 20th centuary. The last soprano castrato was Alessandro Moreschi, he died in 1922 late enough for his voice to be recorded. And with him this tradition in the catholic church ended,