NOTATIO

I'm curious about how members of this forum feel about vocal dynamics. How useful are they? How copious should they be? &c.

Wagner and R Strauss are very sparing with such dynamics, but Verdi, particularly in his later work, can be profuse with them. Various recordings of Celeste Aida illustrate how varied the responses to these instructions can be. Many famous tenors seem to have ignored them completely, but in a recent recording of the complete opera, Jonas Kaufmann does his best to obey them (conducted by Antonio Pappano).

Because voices are so varied, many of these dynamics are at best advisory; but what about some that one feels really are essential? One can't add please, if you don't mind, will you somehow at least try to sing this word/phrase just a little bit quietly. If many dynamics are likely to be ignored, how should one notate those that one thinks really are necessary? Or should one only insert the most important dynamics, leaving the rest up to the performer?

In this scan of a manuscript of mine from 1989, you'll see that I heavily underlined ppp. What might be the best computer typeset equivalent of this (if any)?

About 16 min 14 sec in here https://composers-uk.com/davidward/wp-c ... urning.mp3 you'll hear how baritone Graham Titus handled my underlined dynamic on the word *haaf in 1992 (live performance). It's not really ppp, but he does change the tone colour.

I shall probably continue to write copious dynamics for singers. However, what do members of this forum think? Is it mostly a waste of time? Should one leave singers free to judge the moment?

(BTW there is a [semi-]rational explanation for the plethora of accidentals in the scanned music, including the superfluous-seeming naturals. The parts were copied without most of these, although the conductor of the first performance was happy to use a photocopy of my manuscript.)

*Haaf = the distant fishing ground.

Does anyone have any views on this?

As it happens the NY Metropolitan Opera ‘live from the Met’ relay heard on BBC Radio 3 on 21 March was Tristan and that on 28th was Traviata, and I have just been checking the scores. eg In the long (over 30 mins) second act duet of the Wagner there are very few vocal dynamics in the earlier stages of the duet: just one or two hairpins, two or three markings of zart and in only about three places. In the final stages of the duet there are more dynamics and general vocal instructions, but even here, there are nothing like as many as in the Verdi.

Did Wagner expect his singers to take their dynamic cue from the orchestra together with the words and the dramatic situation, without his wishing to be over-prescriptive? Did Verdi, perhaps, trust his singers less? By the time we get to Aida (but not apparent in Traviata) there are exaggerated dynamics such as ppppp for the tenor. Are these the dynamics of hope and despair? Or should some attempt be made to interpret them accurately?

And back to my original question: might it be best to leave most of this to the judgement of the singer? Or should one be as explicit with dynamics in solo voice parts as one is with instrumental ones?

It really comes down to how much agency you want your singers to have. In an opera house, all vocal dynamics are going to realistically be loud, loud, and louder... but knowing the composer's intention can truly inform their performance.

I will say that if you are too detailed, the signer might ignore them altogether, or alternately follow them too slavishly. Then you might miss a chance to hear a moving performance. I would lightly pepper their part with dynamics as appropriate.

A lot of singers simply don't have the technique to sing effectively and softly, hence Verdi's despair. (But Franco Corelli could do it!)

I would not be gratuitous but simply insert the minimum you think is necessary (but no less). At that point, if the singer can't follow your directions effectively, it's on them.

Schonbergian wrote: 31 Mar 2026, 15:44 … … … I would not be gratuitous but simply insert the minimum you think is necessary (but no less). At that point, if the singer can't follow your directions effectively, it's on them.

hautbois baryton wrote: 31 Mar 2026, 14:37… … … I will say that if you are too detailed, the signer might ignore them altogether, or alternately follow them too slavishly. Then you might miss a chance to hear a moving performance. I would lightly pepper their part with dynamics as appropriate.

That seems like sound advice: thank you both.

There are many vocal piani written into opera scores, but they are rarely honored. Singing softly is very difficult and most singers simply won't take the risk. It doesn't help that audiences often reward singers with resounding applause when the singer ignores a pianissimo and sings forte instead. (See the Flower Aria from Carmen, Verdi's Celeste Aida, etc.)

There's no good way to notate vocal dynamics in a way that singers will take seriously. It all comes down to the style of the work. And the style of opera is, "Sing all-out, all the time."

This all-time in opera is -very- annoying to me. Ehere the conductors when the singers ignore all the or disseminated in the score?
Of course no real musician would play or sing everything at the same intensity level, especially singing where the meaning of the words - the “affetti” - should guide dynamics and agogics. So, where are the conductors?

Part of the blame is on the audience, so accustomed to only give importance to the c’s of the tenor and the like.

I’d suggest to write down something more explicit than the mere , something like “please attention, here is requested a true ”.