How, then, are we to stage castrato-centered operas today? While that is not entirely within the purview of this article, it is my belief that while we are confronted with inherently inadequate choices, they are far better than the use of countertenors and male altos. The first option is to use a female singer. When Handel had to replace a castrato who was ill (or had not shown up), he almost invariably chose a woman. In fact, when he had to compose an opera for which no castrato was on hand, he tended to choose a woman initially and switch to a castrato as soon as one became available. This was also the practice in Italy with other composers throughout the eighteenth century, even stretching into the early nineteenth century. The first problem is to attempt to be accurate in choosing the appropriate vocal category. If one is replacing a soprano castrato, the choice should be a soprano and not a mezzo- soprano. By the same token, to replace an alto castrato, the choice should be a mezzo-soprano and not a soprano. (This is not to say that the range of either a female soprano or mezzo-soprano is likely to match that of a major castrato, whether soprano or alto.) Unfortunately, over the last generation, whenever a woman was chosen, it appears inevitably to have been a mezzo-soprano, even to replace a soprano castrato.