HAHAHAHA! As someone who played a bright red electric bass in the family country/gospel band for many years—starting at age 11—this cracks me up on so many levels: Hee. Read more »
Operatic Stereotypes
I love opera. I also understand that I am one of only 973 people in the entire United States who do love opera. Okay, so I am under-exaggerating just a wee here. (But perhaps not by much.) There are many reasons why most Americans are generally under-impressed by opera (if they think of it at all), and I sense the stirrings of a future blog post on this very topic. Jennifer Rivera has written a thoughtful, interesting article on the loss it would mean to all kinds and styles of music if opera—the Olympic form of vocal music—should eventually disappear [...] Read more »
Happy Easter!
He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! And a joyful, merry Easter to you and yours~ (14th-century carol, originally in Latin; first published in 1708.) Jesus Christ Is Risen Today Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia! Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia! Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia! Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia! Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia! Unto Christ, our heavenly king, Alleluia! Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia! Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia! But the pains which he endured, Alleluia! Our salvation have procured; Alleluia! Now above the sky he’s king, [...] Read more »
Allegri’s Miserere Mei
Traditionally sung in the Vatican during Holy Week on Wednesday and Good Friday, the Miserere Mei was most likely composed during the 1630s by Gregorio Allegri under the reign of Pope Urban VIII. This exquisite setting of Psalm 51 was jealously guarded by the Vatican: it is said that anyone who wrote the music down and tried to share or perform it elsewhere—outside of the Holy Week setting in the Sistine Chapel—would be punished by excommunication. The form in which this piece has come down to us has been altered by the passage of time: different transcriptions at different times [...] Read more »
Free Lessons
I believe in lifelong learning. As such, I am going to share this rich gift of a free voice lesson with you. A friend on a social network shared this, uh, er, um, well, words simply don’t do it justice! At any rate, please do enjoy this free 5-minute voice lesson. And be aware that every voice teacher worth their salt will disagree with every single aspect of the ideology and the exercises and the explanations given in this 5-minute free voice lesson (courtesy of YouTube). But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the rich hilarity of it all. P.S. [...] Read more »
On Easy Replaceability
My self-esteem has taken a real hit today, courtesy of that ever-helpful YouTube. Why? Because I now realize that anytime I need a sub for my job as a music teacher, I can just ask my dog Pugsley to step in for me. Now, as much as I love Pugsley and wish him every success, it’s still painful to realize that despite years of training and experience, I am indeed replaceable. By a dog, no less. The evidence can be found right here: http://youtu.be/hqtLD27iI_M Read more »
Baroque Bach Mountain
I suspect many of you have been there. You know who you are. When that piece of music you really adored and on which you began earnest work gradually transforms—weeks or months down the road—into the sound of fingernails scraping down a chalkboard. Because dysfunctional relationships are not limited only to humans or to animal predators in the wild. Oh, no—I am here to tell you that dysfunctionality and eternal star-crossedness in relationships between the musician and the music can be quite common. It can depend on the piece of music, how much caffeine has or has not been consumed, [...] Read more »
The 12 Days of Christmas Song
And on this, the 12th and last day of Christmas, we have a fabulous King’s Singers/Mormon Tabernacle Choir production of this beloved Christmas classic. The twelve days in the song are the twelve days of Christmas, starting on Christmas Day. In some traditions, though, the 12 days are counted from the day after Christmas (December 26—Boxing Day or St. Stephen’s Day, which is the feast day of St. Stephen Protomartyr) to the day before Epiphany, or the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6, or the Twelfth Day). Twelfth Night is usually considered to be the evening of January 5th, preceding [...] Read more »
The Gloucestershire Wassail Song
(NOTE: this is the 11th post in the 12 Days of Christmas series.) Today we examine the early roots of “wassailing,” or “caroling,” as it has come to be known. There are two distinct kinds of wassailing to be discussed: the house-visiting wassail and the orchard-visiting wassail. House-visiting wassailing bears some resemblance to modern-day caroling, which is singing Christmas carols door-to-door. Orchard-wassailing, on the other hand, refers to the practice of singing to the apple-producing orchard trees in cider-producing regions of England: it was believed this would promote a good harvest for the following year. This post focuses on the [...] Read more »
Jessye Norman’s Gesu Bambino
(NOTE: this is the 10th post in the 12 Days of Christmas series.) “Gesu Bambino” is an Italian Christmas carol composed by Pietro Yon in 1917. (It was translated to English by Frederick H. Martens.) The traditional Christmas song “I Saw Three Ships” derives its melody from the “Gesu Bambino” carol, even though it’s a simpler version of the same tune. And even if you’ve never heard this song before now, the chorus will seem quite familiar to you because the melody and lyrics of the “Bambino” chorus are taken from one of the most beloved Christmas carols of all [...] Read more »
Angelus ad pastores ait
With all the revelries of New Year’s Day, I wasn’t able to get to my computer and post the 8th Day of Christmas segment yesterday. I assure you this wonderful piece is worth the wait, though! Composed by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621) toward the end of his life, it was first published in Cantiones Sacrae, No 35. Sweelinck—a Dutch composer, organist, and famous teacher whose work straddled the end of the Renaissance and beginning of the Baroque eras—was among the first major keyboard composers in Europe. As a teacher, he is credited with helping establish the north German organ tradition. [...] Read more »