Opera History and the High Note

Started by Dimple, May 04, 2022, 02:18:04 PM

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Dimple

I was wondering about Opera History and the High Note.

Was there a competition between the opera composers to include arias with higher and higher notes to sort of Wow the audience?

I tried to do a google search and couldn't find what I was looking for?

Thanks.


steve ridgway

Interesting question, I was certainly impressed by higher and higher notes when listening to heavy metal. 8)

Biffo

There was certainly a competition between singers to wow the audience with high notes and they frequently included high notes not written by the composer.

steve ridgway

That would make sense Biffo, because if a composer wrote something that was too high for most singers it wouldn't get performed very much. :-[

Biffo

Quote from: steve ridgway on May 05, 2022, 03:55:27 AM
That would make sense Biffo, because if a composer wrote something that was too high for most singers it wouldn't get performed very much. :-[

In the 18th and 19th century composers often wrote roles for a specific singer, if the singer couldn't manage it the composer simply rewrote the part.

Dimple

I thought I heard during a lecture, that chasing the opera high note became a thing after Mozart's Magic Flute? But I don't know the history.

It was singers and not composers that pushed the high notes?

Is there an article on the subject? There has to be a history that evolves from Mozart to the highest note ever performed in an opera.