http://www.therealtrafficsecret.com/free/?secretvideo=5662
Wagnerian singers? Just how *loud* do they need to be?
This question is fairly simple, how loud does a Wagnerian singer need to be?
I am asking because I was looking at the instrumentation for Das Rheingold, and the instruments totaled 139. Of course, none of his other operas had quite as large an orchestra, but they were all huge.
BUT there aren’t that many orchestras with 140 people, and usually Wagner’s operas are performed with a (comparatively) small orchestra (around 80 players).
So is the standard *volume* and power required of a Wagnerian singer lower now than it was say twenty years ago? Would they still be *required* to sing over a 140 piece orchestra?
EDIT:
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That has been the suggested category for the last three questions I have asked!
Regardless of any other factors which need to be considered in order to fully respond to your question, I can state with absolute certainty that anyone would contend that no other sopranos would be required to singer “louder”, no matter what the role: with regard to a question of how many decibels is required, I don’t know of any scientific study that has ever been done with respect to such an evaluation.
The other factors referred to above as I see them:
1) the particular role(s) being considered: Senta/Eva vs. Brunnhilde/Isolde
2) where a performance is being given(the overall acoustics)
3) compliment of the orchestra(musicians “doubling”, etc.)
4) relative vocal power of other cast singers(example – that of Tristan/Siegfried)
5) dynamics perspective of the conductor and how successfully imposed
6) the sopranos general health at any given time, coupled with her capabilities for projecting
7) relative size of audience, and overall background noise level
(8), (9), (10), (11) etc., ?????????????????
I don’t know where you obtained the figures of 139 instrumentation for the “Das Rheingold”, but Wolfgang Wagner – Richard’s grandson, former director of the Bayreuth Festivals – in this video states that the Ring requires 124:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY8zGYe5W5g&feature=PlayList&p=BEE89E62EE1E7698&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=10
Alberich
Instruments of the Orchestra (Britten) Sir Malcolm Sargent LSO