In the 1700s and 1800s, European composers experimented with volume in their musical works. They did so by increasing the...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
In the 1700s and 1800s, European composers experimented with volume in their musical works. They did so by increasing the number of musicians playing in the orchestra. For example, in some of his operas, German composer Richard Wagner added more horns, trombones, and tubas to the orchestra. With more instruments playing at the same time, the orchestra could play extremely loudly at key moments in his operas.
According to the text, how did Richard Wagner achieve moments of extremely high volume in his operas?
By moving the performances of his operas from outdoor stages to indoor ones
By increasing the number of musicians playing horns, trombones, and tubas in the orchestra
By building a concert hall whose shape would cause sounds to echo
By insisting that the singers undergo special training to sing for extended periods of time
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'In the 1700s and 1800s, European composers experimented with volume in their musical works.' |
|
| 'They did so by increasing the number of musicians playing in the orchestra.' |
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| 'For example, in some of his operas, German composer Richard Wagner added more horns, trombones, and tubas to the orchestra.' |
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| 'With more instruments playing at the same time, the orchestra could play extremely loudly at key moments in his operas.' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: European composers in the 1700s and 1800s experimented with volume by adding more musicians to their orchestras, with Wagner specifically adding brass instruments to achieve extremely loud moments.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? How Richard Wagner specifically achieved extremely high volume in his operas
What type of answer do we need? A specific method or technique Wagner used
Any limiting keywords? 'According to the text' means we need information directly stated, not inferred
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The correct answer must tell us Wagner's specific method for achieving high volume
- From our passage analysis, we know Wagner 'added more horns, trombones, and tubas to the orchestra'
- We also know that 'with more instruments playing at the same time, the orchestra could play extremely loudly'
By moving the performances of his operas from outdoor stages to indoor ones
- Claims Wagner moved performances from outdoor to indoor stages
- The passage never mentions anything about performance locations or stages
- This is completely unsupported by the text
By increasing the number of musicians playing horns, trombones, and tubas in the orchestra
- States Wagner increased the number of musicians playing horns, trombones, and tubas
- This directly matches what the passage tells us: 'Richard Wagner added more horns, trombones, and tubas to the orchestra'
By building a concert hall whose shape would cause sounds to echo
- Suggests Wagner built concert halls with echo-causing shapes
- The passage mentions nothing about concert hall construction or acoustics
By insisting that the singers undergo special training to sing for extended periods of time
- Claims Wagner required special singer training for extended performances
- The passage focuses entirely on instrumental changes, not vocal techniques