Intro for a halfhearted musician...

[Yagan Kiely]

I'm not sure. It's a high C. One high C a night wouldn't kill you, I would think.

For a professional soprano, high C is normal repertoire.

[Vivaldi]

Yagan, for a professional soprano, which high note is considered the limit? I suppose there is no hard and fast rule and this depends on the individual skill of the singer. Is it very difficult to sing the very high Fs in the Queen of the Night's two arias in Mozart's the Magic Flute?

[Yagan Kiely]

The high Fs are for coloratura singers, they are definitely for specific Sopranos.

For a amateur-semi professional choir, the general limit is high G/A, but it isn't uncommon for professional choirs to get high C (Wagner's Meistersinger, probably a Mahler symphony).

For operatic singers (soloists), high C is the basic range.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocal_rang ... ocal_range

[samthegreat]

Right now I'm music directing Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd" for a theatre in Florida, US. And damn, you should see what that sadist wrote for both the soprano AND tenor choral parts.

[Lyle Neff]

In the final chorus from the prologue of Prince Igor the top sopranos have to sing a long high C.

Rimsky-korsakov gives a high C (separately) to the lead tenor and (coloratura) soprano in Tsar Saltan (Act IV, Tableau 1, love duet).

If I remember correctly, Snowmaiden's highest note is a B (in the Prologue), I think, with some high B-flats before she melts away at the end. (Both of these numbers are on YouTube, by the way.)

[Yagan Kiely]

Most solo operas of the Romantic era have the soprano constantly reach C. Mahler 8 al the time.

[Vivaldi]

Has this something to do with improved training over the centuries? I don't recall many Baroque or Classical operas requiring sopranos to sing high Cs all the time. I do know that one of the greatest sopranos, Dame Joan Sutherland was able to reach those high notes effortlessly. Your thoughts on La Stupenda, Yagan?

[Yagan Kiely]

Baroque and Classical singers didn't push the boundaries as much as Romantic (and especially 20th Century), and composers didn't ask for them to. With one of a few obvious exceptions being Magic Flute; apart from the high F, it has one of the lowest solo bass notes in the repertoire.

I do know that one of the greatest sopranos, Dame Joan Sutherland was able to reach those high notes effortlessly. Your thoughts on La Stupenda, Yagan?

Yes, she could reach the notes with seemingly no effort at all

[Vivaldi]

Hmm, regarding the low bass notes sung, apart from the Magic Flute, I seem to remember that in the Abduction from the Seraglio (by Mozart again), the bass can sing to a low D. Now that is really low.

[Lyle Neff]

In Cui's opera The Saracen low basses in the chorus sing down to a low C. If I recall correctly, one of his Orthodox settings of a Psalm has them go down to a low B-flat!

[aldona]

Q. What is the difference between an alto and a tenor?

A. The alto has more hairs on her chest.

(that's a joke we use to tease a couple in our church choir - he sings tenor and she sings alto. )

When I'm not playing the keyboard for the choir (e.g. for a capella songs), I sing with the altos - and we have a standing definition that

"An alto is a low kind of woman who sings."

Aldona

[Yagan Kiely]

Hmm, regarding the low bass notes sung, apart from the Magic Flute, I seem to remember that in the Abduction from the Seraglio (by Mozart again), the bass can sing to a low D. Now that is really low.

I also remember that a piece (can't remember which) asked a solo bass to sing low low G. I know Mahler's 2nd requires the bass choir to sing Bb, and if you can't, don't sing at all.

[Vivaldi]

Let me try to understand this. In the example I gave, the interval of the low D in Mozart's Seraglio is a minor 14th (14ma) between middle C and the low D. I assume the low B-flat has an interval of more than that (major 16th between middle C and the low B-flat)?

[Yagan Kiely]

Yep, and the G is the one below that.

[Vivaldi]

Wow, in that case then it is real low.