Baldassare Ferri

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Baldassare Ferri (December 9, 1610 - September 10, 1680) was an Italian castrato singer.

Ferri was born at Perugia, and went into the service of Cardinal Crescenzi, Archbishop of Orvieto, at the age of twelve. He is said to have possessed "extraordinary endurance of breath, flexibility of voice and depth of emotion". In 1625, an operatic performance resulted in Prince Ladislaus of Poland taking an interest in him, and he was taken to the Polish court, where he served three successive monarchs. In 1655 he moved on to the Viennese court, where he remained for twenty years.