Castrati were a unique phenomenon in Western musical history, lasting from the late 16th c. to the mid-19th century. The practice of castrating young boys and training them for singing was never approved by the Church but authorities turned a blind eye; only the conquest of the Papal States by Italy in 1870 put an end to the practice. Alessandro Moreschi (1858-1922) entered the Sistine Chapel in 1883 and became conductor of the Choir in 1898. He is the only castrato to have ever been recorded; he retired in 1913.