QUESTION: Which opera singer had the greatest range?
While extreme vocal range can be impressive, it is not the most important quality for an opera singer. Tessitura, the range of notes at which a singer’s voice is most comfortable and resonant — along with vocal quality, dynamic control, projection and agility — take precedence. Most opera singers have a tessitura of around two octaves.
That said, some of our greatest singers, such as Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli, have operated within a range of around three octaves.
The victor is German bass Ivan Rebroff (1931-2008). His range was remarkable, spanning four and a half octaves. It earned him a place in the Guinness Book Of Records as extending ‘easily over four octaves from a low F to a high F, one and a quarter octaves above C’.
Marilyn Cross, London E7
Q: Christopher Hitchens claimed that Karl Marx’s ‘Religion is the opiate of the people’ was the ‘most misrepresented quote of the 19th century’. Why?
Roger Gale, Hailsham, East Sussex
Q: How many British MPs have ended up in jail?
Julie Ferguson, Exmouth, Devon
Q: Which was the first submarine to be sunk by another submarine?
Teresa Holmes, Croydon, Surrey
QUESTION: What caused Mars’s so-called ‘chaos terrain’?
Mars’s ‘chaos terrain’ is a geological feature characterised by a jumble of irregularly shaped blocks, fractured ground and collapsed landforms. It is principally associated with the catastrophic release of subsurface water.
Mars has permafrost but there is also groundwater. Astronomers believe that chaotic terrain forms when highly pressurised water escapes through cracks and faults. This may occur due to the movement of underground lava, as is thought to be the case with an area called the Hydraotes Chaos.
The process may also be triggered by an asteroid strike. Another site, known as the Aram Chaos, is thought to have been formed this way, which led to the Martian permafrost rapidly melting.
Dr Ken Warren, Glasgow
QUESTION: Do other countries have an equivalent of Nessie?
Further to the earlier answer, Nessie isn’t Scotland’s only monster. Morag inhabits Loch Morar, the deepest freshwater loch in Scotland.
Like Nessie, Morag is described as large and serpentine. Sightings of Morag are less frequent than those of the Loch Ness monster, but there have been at least 30 reported sightings dating back to the 19th century.
Colin Muir, Oban, Argyllshire