20,000 Wax Candles

Palomar · 2004-01-01 21:35:32

*A bit different, yes...but it's Free Chat and I'd appreciate input:

I was reading in a book regarding the life of Wolfgang Mozart an event which took place in Milan in October 1771 (the occasion of a royal marriage). Mozart (then a teenager) was commissioned to compose music for the occasion; his father, in a letter dated 24 August 1771, mentions that the Cathedral wherein the wedding ceremony was to be held was to be lit with 20,000 wax candles.

I'm trying to imagine how many servants it would take to coordinate the lighting of that many wax candles.

Here's what I wrote to my Yahoo! Group ("Age of Voltaire") about it:

"Also, I can't help wondering how the lighting of 20,000 wax candles
was coordinated. It must have taken dozens of servants to coordinate
the lightings, as you wouldn't want 5,000 candles burned 1/3 down and
5,000 others 1/2 burned down while the remaining 10,000 are just
being lit!"

Suggestions? Sure makes me appreciate the mere flick of a switch.

--Cindy

Josh Cryer · 2004-01-02 02:55:38

I really can't find anything about this on Google.

But it's quite an interesting story. I'd imagine it'd take at least several hundred people to pull it off without it being too noticable.

Byron · 2004-01-02 06:22:41

That's a lot of candles...lol...wonder how bright the place was with all of those candles burning.

As for the logistics, it may not have been as formidable as it seems at first glance. My guess they had access to a hundred or more servants to light them...which means you would have each person responsible for lighting 200 candles a piece. I imagine with practice (using both hands, etc.) each person could light two dozen candles per minute (this figure may even be a bit low, but I'm sure they could go at least that fast), then all of those candles could have been lit and ready to go in about eight or nine minutes...not as quick as flipping a few light switches, but still, that would have been a highly impressive thing to see...lol.

B

clark · 2004-01-02 10:18:07

Hmmm... what would you do if you had to light 20,000 candles?

Place all of the candles wicks together (or as many as I can), then light the conjoined wicks to light them all at the same time.

Tie a flamable string, similar to a fuse, from each candle- light the fuse, and it lights the candles.

Seperate the candles by length, light the longest ones first, then light the shorter ones last- by the time they are all done, the long ones should be equal in size to the small ones.

Get something similar to a 'menorah' (jewish candle stick)- and use it to light whatever number of candles at a time.

Stack the candles, one on top of the other, with the length of the candle parrallel to the ground. Line the wicks of each candle up, so they each are above and below the next candle wick. Light the bottom wick, the fire should race up to the next wick, and so on.

This is what you get from living in a cave.

Stu · 2004-01-02 10:36:47

Hmmm... what would you do if you had to light 20,000 candles?

... or ask the guy who lights all those candles floating in mid-air in Hogwarts dining hall how *he* did it ;-)

Stu

Palomar · 2004-01-02 10:59:22

That's a lot of candles...lol...wonder how bright the place was with all of those candles burning.
As for the logistics, it may not have been as formidable as it seems at first glance. My guess they had access to a hundred or more servants to light them...which means you would have each person responsible for lighting 200 candles a piece. I imagine with practice (using both hands, etc.) each person could light two dozen candles per minute (this figure may even be a bit low, but I'm sure they could go at least that fast), then all of those candles could have been lit and ready to go in about eight or nine minutes...not as quick as flipping a few light switches, but still, that would have been a highly impressive thing to see...lol.
B

*Thanks for the responses!

Byron ... yes, I've also wondered about the brightness of that many candles shining. I also wonder how much smoke those old candles put out (on average) during their burning.

In the film "Amadeus," a brief scene shows servants in an opera theater lighting huge chandelier rounds of candles prior to the operatic performance. The chandeliers were then carefully and slowly pulled up (I presume via pulleys above the main floor), of course hoping to avoid as many winking out as possible during the updraw.

--Cindy

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#1 2004-01-01 21:35:32

Re: 20,000 Wax Candles

#2 2004-01-02 02:55:38

Re: 20,000 Wax Candles

#3 2004-01-02 06:22:41

Re: 20,000 Wax Candles

#4 2004-01-02 10:18:07

Re: 20,000 Wax Candles

#5 2004-01-02 10:36:47

Re: 20,000 Wax Candles

#6 2004-01-02 10:59:22

Re: 20,000 Wax Candles

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