Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Revealed: Why You Can't Understand What An Opera Soprano Is Singing
The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 1-8-2004 | Roger Highfield

Posted on 01/07/2004 5:08:09 PM PST by blam

Revealed: why you can't understand what an opera soprano is singing

By Roger Highfield, Science Editor
(Filed: 08/01/2004)

Physicists have discovered the reason why even operas sung in English are hard to follow. A study has found that in order for sopranos to be heard above the sound of a large symphony orchestra, they tune into resonances in their vocal tract to amplify the sound at the high end of their range.

Although this enables them to make a sound that can fill the Albert Hall, it sacrifices intelligibility because the vowels sung by sopranos in full voice all sound the same.

The discovery, reported today in Nature, was made by Dr John Smith, Elodie Joliveau and Prof Joe Wolfe at the University of New South Wales, Australia. "For sopranos, the price of being heard is a loss in comprehensibility," said Dr Smith.

The physicists studied nine sopranos with an average classical training of nine years and followed up the suspicion that the singers used a resonance effect to boost high notes. "The evidence for this is that they tend to open the mouth and smile more as they sing successively higher notes," Dr Smith said.

The vocal tract (including tongue and mouth) has several resonances that boost or amplify sounds produced in the larynx and the team measured the frequencies of resonances as the sopranos sang ascending scales. In the top half of their range (but not the bottom half), the singers did indeed tune one of the resonances to match the pitch they were singing, producing more sound for the same effort.

But the vowels end up sounding nearly the same, which makes words more difficult to understand, while consonants are affected to different degrees. "The tuning of resonances from their normal values means that different sounds such as la, lore, loo, ler and lee sound very much alike in the high register," said Dr Smith.

"What we've shown is that trained sopranos boost the sound from their vocal chords by 'tuning' or adjusting the shape of their vocal tract so it matches the pitch they are singing," said Prof Wolfe.

"The effect is a little like the amplifying effect you get by singing in the bathroom," he said, adding that even if this did not occur, "the vowels would be hard to distinguish because there just isn't enough frequency information at that high pitch." He added: "It's possibly one reason why local opera houses use surtitles even when the words to an opera are in English."

The effect has been remarked on before, notably by the 19th century French composer Berlioz, whose book about orchestration even warns opera composers to take it into account.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: cant; opera; revealed; singing; soprano; understand
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 121-131 next last
To: nopardons
We might as well mention HMS Pinafore. Overall, I don't think it comes up to Mikado or Penzance, but it probably has the best baritione patter song of them all. ("When I was a lad I served a term / As office boy in an attorney's firm ..." etc.)
61 posted on 01/07/2004 6:41:47 PM PST by VadeRetro
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 54 | View Replies]

To: mrsmith
My parents did Gilbert & Sullivan semiprofessionally; they were the FIRST to do any G&S, on American T.V.,having been in " THE MIKADO ", on NBC, in 1949. I grew up, from within the womb onward, hearing G&S, going to some rehearsals,all of their productions and those of England's famed SAVOYARDS,both here and in England, being in some operettas, and know, almost word for word,and movement for movement, just about EVERY one of them. :-)

Those here, who are HOBBIT/THE LORD OF THE RINGS fanatics have a permanent thread. G&S fans should have one too. :-)

62 posted on 01/07/2004 6:44:10 PM PST by nopardons
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 57 | View Replies]

To: Hon
How SAD!

There is SO MUCH to be learned & Understood about the "Human Condition" from an understanding of the "Language" of "Classical Music."

Doc

63 posted on 01/07/2004 6:49:27 PM PST by Doc On The Bay
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 50 | View Replies]

To: oldtimer
NASCAR is an opera...pace lap/overture...runs between scheduled pit stops/Acts...late laps and finish/climax...curtain calls/winners circle.
64 posted on 01/07/2004 6:51:28 PM PST by xp38
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: nopardons
When the world is getting me down G&S is great to listen to.
65 posted on 01/07/2004 6:53:12 PM PST by novacation
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies]

To: VadeRetro
YOMEN OF THE GAURD, Gilbert's and MY favorite, is the MOST like full bore opera.

PATIENCE, and PRINCESS IDA, the MOST relevant to modern day foibles, though, in truth, PATIENCE was the more so, in the '60s-'70s.

Most people are only familiar with THE MIKADO, PIRATES, and PINAFORE and that's a shame ! :-(

As for patter songs, there are many far better, than the one you mention, which really isn't one. :-)

66 posted on 01/07/2004 6:55:11 PM PST by nopardons
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 61 | View Replies]

To: nopardons
You really do have Gilbert and Sullivan in your blood. Once you go down that path there is no turning back.
67 posted on 01/07/2004 6:55:48 PM PST by novacation
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 62 | View Replies]

To: blam
Sure, but, what makes Bob holler?
68 posted on 01/07/2004 6:56:09 PM PST by Churchjack
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nopardons
Most people are only familiar with THE MIKADO, PIRATES, and PINAFORE and that's a shame ! :-(

You got me! OK, I have Trial By Jury and a few songs from some of the others.

69 posted on 01/07/2004 6:57:37 PM PST by VadeRetro
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 66 | View Replies]

To: novacation
G&S is GREAT to listen to, no matter how you feel.:-)

Gilbert's wit and wondrous way with words, makes his librettos worthwhile and relevant, for just about every situation.

We usually have G&S playing, when we do long road trips, as well as during our Sunday teas.

Did you see " TOPSY TURVEY " ?

70 posted on 01/07/2004 6:59:22 PM PST by nopardons
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 65 | View Replies]

To: blam
You mean all of the opera twits have been going without understanding it? LOL
71 posted on 01/07/2004 6:59:23 PM PST by Drango (NPR is the tax funded propaganda wing of the DNC.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: novacation
You hillbillies need to give Susannah by Floyd a few listens.
72 posted on 01/07/2004 7:02:07 PM PST by nkycincinnatikid
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: VadeRetro
Listen to/go see ALL of the others! They'll just blow you away. :-)

About 15 years ago, PBS ran ALL of them, excluding the reproduction of THESPIS,which my parents' troop was responsible for resurrecting and reconstructing, including COX and BOX ( which is Sullivan without Gilbert )via the BBC.They aren't : great ", but better than nothing. The PBS stores used to carry them and some libraries stock them.

73 posted on 01/07/2004 7:04:49 PM PST by nopardons
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 69 | View Replies]

To: nopardons
No I didn't see Topsy Turvey. I drive 600 mile every weekend and plenty of time to listen to music. Gilbert and Sulivan gets played alot. I think 'Ruddigore' has very nice music. It's too bad that G&S doesn't get performed more. The savoy opera was closed after decades. Sad
74 posted on 01/07/2004 7:06:14 PM PST by novacation
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 70 | View Replies]

To: nkycincinnatikid
I've never heard of that. Could give me more detail?
75 posted on 01/07/2004 7:08:00 PM PST by novacation
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 72 | View Replies]

To: nopardons
Our own thread? There's so many of us we can just pirate any thread when we want to! It is a glorious thing!

Being a nosyparker I found: "“Kukla, Fran and Ollie” was the first color show on NBC to go coast to coast in a television special of “The Mikado” with Arthur Fiedler conducting the Boston Pops. It was awarded a Peabody as the outstanding children’s program of 1949. "
Even a low brow like me knows the Boston Pops ain't too shabby.

76 posted on 01/07/2004 7:12:04 PM PST by mrsmith
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 62 | View Replies]

To: blam
Uh, over the F#, it's impossible to make the vowels really distinct without a whol lot of practice. The big thing is that you have to make so much room in the back of the mouth and open it, that the shaping doesn't change. Our teachers even tell us not to worry so much about it. Consonants are just not possible either, especially if the mouth has to close. The sound stops and that shouldn't happen.

Besides, most passages that high are fancy ornamentation. Not all, though.
77 posted on 01/07/2004 7:14:48 PM PST by Desdemona (Kempis' Imitation of Christ online! http://www.leaderu.com/cyber/books/imitation/imitation.html)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: novacation
Really fine southern composer wrote it in the 50's. Set in Tennesee hills. Moralistic community condems maiden as a harlot, though in fact she is chaste, Pastor overwhelms her discovers she was virgin. McCarthy era plot but really good music , libretto , recorded many times. I have Cheryl Studer who is hot and Sam Ramey and Jerry Hadley who always seems weak, but great elocution since that was what thread was about.
78 posted on 01/07/2004 7:17:45 PM PST by nkycincinnatikid
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 75 | View Replies]

To: novacation
That closing just broke my heart! I'd seen EVERY different cast, LIVE, since the end of WW II and even got to meet, back stage, Martin Green, when I was almost 4; I'll NEVER forget that.

" TOPSY TURVEY " is shown, a lot, on cabel.

RUDDIGORE, though seldom performed now, for various reasons, not the least of which is the staging, is very very good. " When the night wind howls, in the chimney cowls,and the bat in the moonlight flies.... " and the pictures coming to life, and the send up of Methodists ( I'm a Methodist. LOL )are some of my very favorite things about that operetta. And Mad Margaret being so ditsy Opheliaesque, in the beginning is fantastic. :-)

Do you like Yomen and Patience too ?

79 posted on 01/07/2004 7:18:26 PM PST by nopardons
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 74 | View Replies]

To: mrsmith
I saw that. :-)

But the Kukalapolitan Players didn't do the entire Makado and my parents' troop DID, also in 1949.Besides, that's like apples and oranges, since Madame Oglesby was Katashaw, IIRC,and my mother and the rest of the cast weren't a puppets. :-)

One of the great, for me, side affects of my parents doing that show, was that I got to meet, talk with, and have dinner, at home,their makeup man,Dick Smith, who later went on to win an acedemy award for his makeup work, in " LITTLE BIGMAN ".

80 posted on 01/07/2004 7:27:27 PM PST by nopardons
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 76 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 121-131 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson