Vokaalpartii teksti selge kostmise saavutamine ooperiteatri kontekstis

Abstract

The sung text in opera is difficult for listeners to understand, even when sung in a language they know. Various explanations have been found for this, for example in the case of very high notes. However, opera texts remain incomprehensible in other cases as well. The goal of this research was to collect firsthand insights from singers regarding textual clarity, an aspect often overlooked in previous systematic studies. The study conducted 30 semi-structured interviews with professional opera singers from Europe and North America, conducted in Estonian (n = 11) and English (n = 19). As the problem concerns all voice types, all the singers who agreed to participate in the study and gave interviews were included in the work. Among the singers were three basses, three baritones, six tenors, one countertenor, six mezzo-sopranos, and eleven sopranos. This article focuses specifically on their reflections regarding the role of other professionals in supporting textual clarity. Although no direct questions were asked about these roles, the topic emerged spontaneously in several interviews. The findings suggest that improving text intelligibility in opera requires collaborative effort among singers, teachers, directors, conductors, production organizers, and even audiences.