Timeline VATICAN CITY

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 1841: Vatican City-bound choirboy is Christened "Nicolas" in Paris, France on the feast day of St Nicolas, December 5th. He asked for the name Quasimodo, but gave in to the name Nicolas even though he would have preferred Noel which ought to have also been appropriate.

He and several other boys go to Vatican City to join the boys choir as foundlings.

 

1845: Nicolas is 10 years old. He notices how some of the older boys are changing, and it was destroying their voices. He becomes petrified, as his musical ability was the one thing he felt beautiful at. He trains like mad and reads the works of great singers.

 

1846: Determined to make of himself a more perfect instrument, he seeks the pathway of another hero of his--Farinelli-- and starts hanging out with the aging castrati who are still in Vatican City.

 

1847: Nicolas becomes obsessed with self mutilation as he continues to try to find a surgeon who would perform this castration. When he realizes that he can sustain an erection and even ejaculate a little, he panics. He convinces his closest friend, an older Castrati, to find him a surgeon. 

When they finally find a guy willing to do it, the doctor pressures young Nicolas to re-consider. The surgeon promises that "the love of a woman is worth all the music in heaven." Nicolas screams and rips off his own mask in fury saying, "there are no women for me so music it is!" And the child's face was so hideous that the surgeon agreed.

Nicolas first encounters narcotics.

 

1848: Nicolas treats himself like Gods instrument. He focuses everything to music and liturgy. He is the best and brightest. He trusts his own judgement.

But he is very lonely. He doesn't seem to quite interact with the other boys well and the mask puts them out of sorts. No one has managed to get it off of his face yet, because he's slippery and quick. 

When he spends time with humans, they're elderly and authoritative. So he spent most of his time alone. And it ate up at him to be so alone amongst so many people.

 

1849: Nicolas is 14. He is getting into fights with the liturgy professor over appropriateness of sounds or symbols. Nicolas hears the foreigner's violin and starts really getting back into playing. He begins speaking to his violin, at first in jest, but then all the time and passionately. He names her Noelle.

He is working on beating Farinelli's records in vocal range and lung capacity.

 

1850: he gives his first solo performance: he makes a new mask just for the occasion and it's so life like compared to what he's grown accustomed to that he decides to sing in front. And as people began to shower him with praise, Nicolas noticed the girls about his age or a little older who were peering closely in the candle lit chapel to try and make out the face of the voice.... which one is he? 

And one of them spotted him and he watched the reaction ripple through a whole line of teenaged village girls. He nearly lost his breath when he noticed the attention. 

And was suddenly upset for the first time about his castration.

 

1851: Nicolas suffers a complete psychological break. Between his obsession with practice, self- mutilation, confused feelings about sex and what it means for him as a castrated male, he collapses in upon himself and goes completely catatonic. As he heals, he and the violin switch names. The violin takes the name Nicole and he becomes Noel.

 

Noel abandons mother church at the age of 16 and quickly makes his way as a street performer: always in an expressive commedia mask.