The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word CASTRATI
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
C
A
S
T
R
A
T
I
More clues leading to the result CASTRATI
- Performers once cut grass on pitch in front of one
- Old singers and actors abandon one
- Deprived singers rejecting one floosie's account
- Performers with elevated pitch, primarily Italians?
- Cut singers from ensemble – allocation not working
- Voices raised in terrible argument, referee initially knocked over by players
- Old singers creep behind actors before overture to Idomeneo
- Singers and actors: only half rational
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Voices raised" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case voices raised = castrati.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does CASTRATI mean?
CASTRATI noun- A male who has been castrated, especially a male whose testicles have been removed before puberty in order to retain his boyish voice.
- A male soprano or alto voice produced by castration of the treble singer before puberty, intended to conserve his voice; the singer.