The room becomes a kind of primitive yet supple musical instrument.
But that's not to downplay the importance of Johansson's voice, a supple, languid instrument offering hints of Nico, Kim Deal and Martina Topley-Bird, depending on the song's mood.
Those who watched the God Bless Ozzy Osbourne documentary will have seen him lamenting the fact that sometimes his voice, never the most supple of instruments, can't cut it any more.
Twenty years on, the New Yorker's voice remains a potent instrument – supple, vulnerable and seemingly effortless – while his songs, for all their electronic touches, are still anchored in soul's 70s golden age.
It's a falsetto sound, but more supple and functional as a musical instrument.
But the string playing was supple and well tuned, the continuo instruments provided a solid foundation, and the horn and trumpet playing was generally first-rate.
Most of the text is delivered in a lyrically gracious recitative ("recitar cantando," Cavalieri called it), accompanied by supple continuo accompaniments of richly varied instruments.
Wollenweber played his cor anglais like a god, the strings smoothly fitted their higher melodies around his, the wind and brass were supple and perfectly balanced; the percussion instruments (few but important) bound the whole thing together.
In a review of the video Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblat said: "Bieber does seem to share many of the qualities that made his idols the pop/R&B superstars they've become, including a clear, supple voice, pinup-boy looks, and bona fide instrument skills".
If regular war is about actual guns and missiles, the encyclopedia continues, "information war is supple, you can never predict the angle or instruments of an attack".
