The Lyric Soprano

Rediscovering the voice at thirty

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Same name, different place

I just set up a second Tumblr blog that will have all my non-music stuff on it. Yay! However, I didn't realize that you can't move a secondary Tumblr to the primary spot on the account, which sucks. So I'm making a new account for it and The Lyric Soprano will be a secondary blog.

What this means for my followers is that you'll need to refollow me. Sorry! I thought it was better to get it out of the way early than have to migrate lots of content six months from now. Here's the plan:

Change the domain name for The Lyric Soprano

Recreate it as a secondary blog under Weathering the Beautiful Storm

Reblog the content from the old blog so it's not lost

Delete the old blog

The good thing about this is that the new blog will be under the same name and URL as the old one, so it's still easy to find. The move will break the "chain" for my followers, though, so again, you'll need to refollow. I'll try to contact each of you separately to let you know as well.

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Just committed to seeing Wicked at Kennedy Center in June. Didn't like Maguire's Mirror Mirror, so hope this doesn't suck.

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from the Vatican Lib

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In masterclass Monday night, a fellow student looked at this chord -- the first note in "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" -- and asked Andrea, "Do you have to play all these notes at once [on the piano, presumably]?"

I suddenly feel so much more competent.

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"No one's ever told me that before."

As I was leaving tonight's lesson, Andrea told me I'd done well and that I have a beautiful voice. I said, "You know, no one's ever told me that before." She looked stunned.

Truth, though. I mean, family and friends have told me that, because it's what you say whether you mean it or not. No one otherwise, though. Fifteen years of singing -- middle school through college -- and no one, not once, told me my voice was any good. Yeah, I had a small vocal scholarship, but I was convinced it was because the other people who auditioned all sucked, and that the whole time people were just sort of putting up with me because I really wanted to sing.

I mean, I do pay for lessons, so Andrea has incentive to say nice things. I think she really means it, though.

I was also convinced that I didn't really have a high soprano range, that I was just one of those people who squeaked out high notes to show off. And yet I hit a high E tonight that sounded pretty good, and could possibly have gone for the F. So there's that.

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Today I have discovered

That James Taylor's "Fire and Rain" is more or less within my range. Yay! Something I can dependably sing at karaoke nights.

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The Silver Aria

The Silver Aria from Ballad of Baby Doe, sung here by Rachel Anne Moore. The third of the new songs Andrea's asked me to look at for possible future use.

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Dearest Mama

Dearest Mama (the Letter Song) from Ballad of Baby Doe, sung by Michelle Evans Jarrell. The second of three new songs Andrea's asked me to look at for possible future use.

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The Willow Song

The Willow Song from Ballad of Baby Doe, sung here by Beverly Sills. One of three new songs Andrea's asked me to look at for possible future use.

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Ah! non credea and rubato

This is the last line of "Ah! non credea" from La Sonnambula. I don't currently have enough breath to get from the beginning of the line to the breath mark (it looks like an apostrophe above the line) gracefully, so this week's assignment is to do exactly that. Part of the problem is that the singer in my "inspiration" version of this breathes before the A flat, so I'd gotten used to doing it too.

In practice, I'd had a lot of trouble with the first A on this line -- it was breathy and just unattractive. Andrea listened to it, then showed me that I wasn't actually establishing the C well enough to use it as a springboard for the A. Once I fixed that, the A was no problem at all.

At the last lesson, we also looked at what "rubato" means and how to apply it to this line, lingering on the As and then running a little faster down the rest of it.

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Practice? What practice?

I had a convention this weekend and ended up not practicing for about three days. Oops. Finally practiced again last night and was rusty, and I'd lost what little progress I'd made on improving my breathing.

Had no problem hitting the higher notes I usually miss in practice, though! The C and D came out nicely. Trade-offs.

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Visit Original Link

Salli Terri's rendition of "Bachianas Brasilieras No. 5." Wikipedia says, "Upon hearing her version of "Bachianas Brasilieras No 5" on the album, the composer Heitor Villa-Lobos stated that he considered it to be the best recorded performance of the work." It's an absolutely lovely version.

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Lovely violin portrait

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Listening to recordings of myself is strange.

Without the added resonance of my own head, my voice sounds so odd and weak. And amateurish. Ack. Informative, though.

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The third of my three initial voice assignments, "Bachianas Brasileiras No 5" by Heitor Villa-Lobos. There's a second version below.

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Vivaldi's Dreams: An Agnew/Westenra Crossover

It's finished! This is a remix of an adaptation (I know, right?) of "Winter" from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons." The lyrics are from Chloe Agnew's version, "Vivaldi's Rain." The music is from Hayley Westenra's version, "River of Dreams."

I can't post the sheet music for copyright reasons, but you can download the MIDI here. (And import it into a notation program if you're so inclined.

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And Then You'll Be Sorry

It's pretty funny that when you really look at it, Dido's Lament comes down to "and then you'll be sorry!" Here are the lyrics:

When I am laid, am laid in earth, may my wrongs create No trouble, no trouble in, in thy breast. When I am laid, am laid in earth, may my wrongs create No trouble, no trouble in, in thy breast. Remember me, remember me, but ah! Forget my fate. Remember me, but ah! Forget my fate. Remember me, remember me, but ah! Forget my fate. Remember me, but ah! Forget my fate.