In a message dated 3/19/2001 7:42:16 PM Eastern Standard Time,
lloyd.hanson@n... writes:
lloyd.hanson@n... writes:
<< Perhaps the days of acoustic
singing with a symphonic orchestra are numbered and we are all
witnesses to the end of a rather long yet limited method of making
music. >>
the fact that it is still alive is probably due to the the larger
exposure through recordings and television, both requiring the use of
microphones. however, these mediums have probably contributed more to the
deterioration of the audience's expectations than they have to the singing.
the size of opera houses has had a detrimental effect on singing in that
it has put far more emphasis on efforts needed to be heard than in the past
with smaller houses. i would assume that composers of the past (verdi,
mozart, massenet, etc) had some sense, either conscious or otherwise, that
the size of the likely venue would have some effect on the quality of the
performance. wagner, as i remember, designed his own theater, taking
particular care of the acoustics. opera houses these days, i feel, are
designed with more than just a consideration for the economic problems facing
the production of opera. more likely to bring about the end of opera as we
have known it, is the expense.
mike
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