The Soprano Voice in Choral Music The soprano voice can easily overcome any choral sound especially if it has a basically flute quality. Consider the orchestra; 2 or 3 flutes against 30 to 45 strings. That has become the accepted balance of sounds yet the flute does not produce a tone louder than a violin. Why are so few flutes needed to be heard easily against a literal army of strings? ...
Sound is transmitted as a wave through a medium such as air. The “cubic volume” of the air is not a critical matter. The distance from the stage to the back of the house is more critical because sound dissipates at an inverse ratio to distance from the source. But it is this characteristic of sound that can be reinforced by careful and cleaver acoustic design. A double parabolic reflector shaped building, such as in the Mormon Tabernacle will pass a mere whisper from one end of the building to the other if one stands in the correct location. A properly designed opera house will sustain sound energy through reflection and focus to make most of the seats in the opera house acceptable for acoustic singing. ...