Some of you may remember this rather complex memory aid that I created to help me memorize the Act I Finale of Barbiere. The math dork in me loved the process of breaking down the music and text into a pattern and assigning numbers and letters, like a complex algebra problem. I carried the “cheat sheet” around with me through hours of staging rehearsal, and by opening night it was solidly memorized.
I haven’t really had opportunity to put this method into practice again - until now! On November 19*, Jocelyn and I will perform Hillula for the third time, and this time I’m determined to have it memorized. Judd has made a few revisions, streamlining the work a bit, and I love it even more. (There is also talk of totally expanding the work, into more of a chamber showpiece; can’t wait to see how that evolves!) I started spending some time with it to refresh my knowledge of the piece, and quickly realized that I was going to need a system to memorize this. There is lot of thematic material repeated, but with different texts, and several little interjections of material from other sections. It took me about three hours of adjusting and regrouping and relabeling, but I think I found it.
What I learned through the process this time was that these charts are more about the time I spend with the piece than they are about the final product. Those three hours of looking at the score and analyzing it and coming to terms with how it is laid out did more for my memorization process than this chart probably will, in the long run.
So, do you want to see it? It’s rather mad... But here’s a look inside the crazed workings of my mind! (#’s = Music, Letters = Text)
1 - Ax4ax5
2
3 - B(b2)Cccc’c
4 - D
4’ - Aaa
5 - EEF
6 - Gx4
6’ - eE
2
3b - H(h2)IJjx4
1b - BKL
1c - M(e)m(a)m
1d - Nnx4
4b - Ppx12
* Come check it out! Beth Morrison Projects presents a 21st C. Liederabend at the awesome Galapagos Art Space. The incredible lineup includes works by Corey Dargel, Caleb Burhans, Missy Mazzoli, David T. Little, and performances by David Adam Moore, Kamala Sankaram, Abigail Fischer, and many more. It’s a big night of vocal music, with lots of great stuff happening. Hope to see you there!
Showing posts with label study. Show all posts
Showing posts with label study. Show all posts
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Baby steps
I’ve got a lot of free time these days. A lot. Now that Nozze is up and running, and we haven’t yet started Angelica, my days are pretty much free until the end of the month. And nothing prevents me from getting work done like free time!
I don’t know what it is, but I sure am productive when I am forced to structure my work time around rehearsals and appointments and such. Then, when my days free up and I think “I’ve got plenty of time to work on my projects!” I don’t get a thing done! Please tell me I’m not the only one...
Today I was determined not to get to 6pm and realize I’d accomplished nothing with my day except a trip to the gym and several laps around my internet entertainment course. In the past, I’ve started the day with a general statement like “Today I’m going to work on my recital program.” And, sure enough, I don’t crack a score or research a single song.
(Maybe it’s the naming of broad goals that freaks me out. A few weeks ago, when I told B that I wanted to lose five pounds in the next three weeks, I promptly stopped going to the gym. Not helpful, Bird! Once I forgot about the weight goal, once I was only thinking about getting exercise cuz I feel better when I do, I was back at the gym, enjoying my workouts. What does it mean?!)
So this morning tried a different approach and set small goals for my day:
*work for (at least) 30 minutes on Hillula, getting reacquainted with the score
*work for (at least) an hour on programming rep for the Astronomy recital
*work for (at least) 30 minutes on arias
Here is it, 6:00, and I’ve accomplished 2 out of 3! (I’ll get to those arias before dinner, though, I’m sure of it.) And it wasn’t drudgery, either; I spent more than the allotted time on each task. I love my work, and I’m always puzzled why I don’t jump out of bed ready to hit the books. Whatever the reason, I seem to have discovered something today about how to address my free time, and I’m excited to observe the results!
I don’t know what it is, but I sure am productive when I am forced to structure my work time around rehearsals and appointments and such. Then, when my days free up and I think “I’ve got plenty of time to work on my projects!” I don’t get a thing done! Please tell me I’m not the only one...
Today I was determined not to get to 6pm and realize I’d accomplished nothing with my day except a trip to the gym and several laps around my internet entertainment course. In the past, I’ve started the day with a general statement like “Today I’m going to work on my recital program.” And, sure enough, I don’t crack a score or research a single song.
(Maybe it’s the naming of broad goals that freaks me out. A few weeks ago, when I told B that I wanted to lose five pounds in the next three weeks, I promptly stopped going to the gym. Not helpful, Bird! Once I forgot about the weight goal, once I was only thinking about getting exercise cuz I feel better when I do, I was back at the gym, enjoying my workouts. What does it mean?!)
So this morning tried a different approach and set small goals for my day:
*work for (at least) 30 minutes on Hillula, getting reacquainted with the score
*work for (at least) an hour on programming rep for the Astronomy recital
*work for (at least) 30 minutes on arias
Here is it, 6:00, and I’ve accomplished 2 out of 3! (I’ll get to those arias before dinner, though, I’m sure of it.) And it wasn’t drudgery, either; I spent more than the allotted time on each task. I love my work, and I’m always puzzled why I don’t jump out of bed ready to hit the books. Whatever the reason, I seem to have discovered something today about how to address my free time, and I’m excited to observe the results!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Early Fall Miscellany
Not sure if it’s this late summer (early fall?) heat wave in NYC or what, but I’ve lost my steam a bit. So here’s a quick teaser post, hopefully to stimulate me to write as well as you to read!
* Opening night of Nozze was just as cool when singing Bridesmaid as when singing Susanna. Maybe even more exciting, because I actually had energy at the end of the night to go have a cocktail with B!
* Coffee today with a composer working on his first opera. Going to talk about the “traditional” delegation of voice types to character types - and all the fun ways to mess with them!
* Hillula, the first Bhakti Project commission, will be returning to NYC this November! Save the Date: Nov. 19th at the awesome Galapagos Art Space.
* Speaking of Bhakti Project, I am mulling over a potential new plan, one that would ideally involve several composers... maybe even a recording this time? Time to start summoning that grant money ”from where ever it is right now.”
* I’m finally getting a mailing list put together! If you’d like to be on it, please send a message to annecarolynbird at me dot com, or go to the Contact page of my website and click the link.
* Working on Suor Angelica (music and text), reading Faust, researching songs for the Astronomy recital, and getting to know Hillula again. Looks like we’re back in full swing!
* Opening night of Nozze was just as cool when singing Bridesmaid as when singing Susanna. Maybe even more exciting, because I actually had energy at the end of the night to go have a cocktail with B!
* Coffee today with a composer working on his first opera. Going to talk about the “traditional” delegation of voice types to character types - and all the fun ways to mess with them!
* Hillula, the first Bhakti Project commission, will be returning to NYC this November! Save the Date: Nov. 19th at the awesome Galapagos Art Space.
* Speaking of Bhakti Project, I am mulling over a potential new plan, one that would ideally involve several composers... maybe even a recording this time? Time to start summoning that grant money ”from where ever it is right now.”
* I’m finally getting a mailing list put together! If you’d like to be on it, please send a message to annecarolynbird at me dot com, or go to the Contact page of my website and click the link.
* Working on Suor Angelica (music and text), reading Faust, researching songs for the Astronomy recital, and getting to know Hillula again. Looks like we’re back in full swing!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
The French Connection
On Wednesday and Thursday, the covers of the Nozze cast rehearsed to make sure we knew the blocking in case any of us need to go on during the run. We’ll have one more run-through of the show on Monday, and then the show opens! Final dress was yesterday, and it went great. My fellow Bridesmaid and I felt like we finally nailed our little number; it’s harder than you might think, that two page ditty! We settled into the tempo right away and finally got the bounciness and space that the conductor was wanting. It’s great to feel like we’re on top of things before opening night!
During the cover rehearsals, I was happy to be on my feet revisiting Barbarina. As we ran my short little scenes, I was surprised at how easily the recit was flowing! I remembered my stumbling two years ago when I was first trying to get Susanna in my mouth, and was comforted by the realization that maybe Italian recit is like a bicycle: once you learn how to sing it, you’ll never forget.
I’ve now done principal roles in three Italian operas in four productions, including my second time around with Susanna this past March. I can honestly say that I feel completely at home in the language, and as I’m working on new arias and roles in the years to come it will not be an issue. A wonderful place to get to!
But now? Time to start the entire “getting comfortable” process all over again... On to French!
Time to read the play and a few synopses.
Time to spend hours pouring over the Nico Castel libretto translation book and then more hours with the French-English dictionary making up the worksheets that I will carry around in my bag for the next few months.
Time to repeat lines of text over and over again to feel how those French vowels and consonants fit in my mouth.
If you see me mumbling to myself on the subway, I'm not crazy, I'm just studying...
Here we go!
During the cover rehearsals, I was happy to be on my feet revisiting Barbarina. As we ran my short little scenes, I was surprised at how easily the recit was flowing! I remembered my stumbling two years ago when I was first trying to get Susanna in my mouth, and was comforted by the realization that maybe Italian recit is like a bicycle: once you learn how to sing it, you’ll never forget.
I’ve now done principal roles in three Italian operas in four productions, including my second time around with Susanna this past March. I can honestly say that I feel completely at home in the language, and as I’m working on new arias and roles in the years to come it will not be an issue. A wonderful place to get to!
But now? Time to start the entire “getting comfortable” process all over again... On to French!
Time to read the play and a few synopses.
Time to spend hours pouring over the Nico Castel libretto translation book and then more hours with the French-English dictionary making up the worksheets that I will carry around in my bag for the next few months.
Time to repeat lines of text over and over again to feel how those French vowels and consonants fit in my mouth.
If you see me mumbling to myself on the subway, I'm not crazy, I'm just studying...
Here we go!
Monday, September 07, 2009
Armchair Line-Judging
When I married B, I had no idea that I would be gaining a new diversion for my “armchair work:” professional tennis!*
The US Open has been on for the past week, and I’ve been using the hours to start marking up my scores. In past years, it’s been a football-watching activity, and that will pick up again starting next week (oh, my poor Broncos...), but for now, it’s me and Oudin and Federer and Marguerite and Micaela.
I haven’t had to mark a score in a while, since my last two roles were repeats**, so I thought I’d run through my prep routine here again. Maybe it’s the wannabe stage manager in me, but I love the colored pencils and whiteout tape and post-its. Here’s the method:
Put tabs into the score marking “my” scenes.
Underline my text. I have never liked highlighters, and I used to just mark the beginning of each stave of music, but I have recently started underlining the whole line. I like to choose a different color for each character I sing, something that I think represents her. So far, Genovieffa is yellow and Marguerite is sky blue.
”Erase” the (usually awful) English version with whiteout tape. TEDIOUS, but so worth it to me. I love the clean look it gives the score, and it gives me plenty of room to...
Write in a word-for-word translation. I still have to go through the French version of this process before I can write in the texts for M&M. And of course, whiteout tape and translations for my scene partners, as well.
Mark dynamics and phrasing. Not sure if I’ve gone through this here, but the general idea is to circle forte marks with red, piano with blue, de/crescendi with green, tempo markings with orange, and accents & phrasings with yellow. I also mark the dynamics of the orchestra (all of them) and of other singers (if they are different than mine) so I can be aware of balance.
As with the language/translation process, I use these multiple trips through the score to get familiar with the opera. How do the scenes unfold? Where do the most vocally intense scenes fall? When exactly does my character lose her mind? The idea being that before I do any actual singing, I’m working with a fairly detailed knowledge of the score. The OCD teacher’s pet in me loves the “busy work,” and the “in the moment” artist loves the preparation that allows for spontaneity. Win-win!
Of course these activities will be much harder when we’re up in the grandstand watching Serena and Rafa tomorrow night! Watch for us on ESPN2...
I’ve even picked up a racket a time or two, and have dreams of being able to play tennis with B into our golden years. I still haven’t bought a tennis skirt, but so far I love it! Next up, some real lessons...
** Should I do a recap of the “year of silence?” Or should we just move on from here?
The US Open has been on for the past week, and I’ve been using the hours to start marking up my scores. In past years, it’s been a football-watching activity, and that will pick up again starting next week (oh, my poor Broncos...), but for now, it’s me and Oudin and Federer and Marguerite and Micaela.
I haven’t had to mark a score in a while, since my last two roles were repeats**, so I thought I’d run through my prep routine here again. Maybe it’s the wannabe stage manager in me, but I love the colored pencils and whiteout tape and post-its. Here’s the method:
Put tabs into the score marking “my” scenes.
Underline my text. I have never liked highlighters, and I used to just mark the beginning of each stave of music, but I have recently started underlining the whole line. I like to choose a different color for each character I sing, something that I think represents her. So far, Genovieffa is yellow and Marguerite is sky blue.
”Erase” the (usually awful) English version with whiteout tape. TEDIOUS, but so worth it to me. I love the clean look it gives the score, and it gives me plenty of room to...
Write in a word-for-word translation. I still have to go through the French version of this process before I can write in the texts for M&M. And of course, whiteout tape and translations for my scene partners, as well.
Mark dynamics and phrasing. Not sure if I’ve gone through this here, but the general idea is to circle forte marks with red, piano with blue, de/crescendi with green, tempo markings with orange, and accents & phrasings with yellow. I also mark the dynamics of the orchestra (all of them) and of other singers (if they are different than mine) so I can be aware of balance.
As with the language/translation process, I use these multiple trips through the score to get familiar with the opera. How do the scenes unfold? Where do the most vocally intense scenes fall? When exactly does my character lose her mind? The idea being that before I do any actual singing, I’m working with a fairly detailed knowledge of the score. The OCD teacher’s pet in me loves the “busy work,” and the “in the moment” artist loves the preparation that allows for spontaneity. Win-win!
Of course these activities will be much harder when we’re up in the grandstand watching Serena and Rafa tomorrow night! Watch for us on ESPN2...
I’ve even picked up a racket a time or two, and have dreams of being able to play tennis with B into our golden years. I still haven’t bought a tennis skirt, but so far I love it! Next up, some real lessons...
** Should I do a recap of the “year of silence?” Or should we just move on from here?
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
On the “piano”
In an attempt to focus myself and organize my study, as well as catch you all up on what’s going on and coming up, I thought I’d run through all the music that is stacked on my imaginary piano. (B asked if I was going to rename these posts “On the Current Project Shelf,” since that’s what we have here in Brooklyn, but it just doesn’t have the same ring...)
In order of appearance (details of the gigs to be found here):
Parts scores: small score excerpts from the Met for my small covers this fall: 1st Bridesmaid (Nozze), Young Lover (Il tabarro) (yes, I’m covering my debut role; yes, it’s weird, but the rest of the season is worth it!).
Suor Angelica: Two roles to learn in this one, Alms Collector to perform and Suor Genovieffa to cover. For those of you who have seen the Met’s new Trittico, either live or on a broadcast, you might remember a donkey onstage during Angelica. Well, I get to bring him on! He’s the basket carrier for the Alms Sisters, and I remember him being so sweet (if a bit stinky...). I don’t technically get to lead him on; there is a handler for that, but I’ll for sure get to pet him!
I’m more excited about the singing aspect of the Genovieffa role. The character is so sweet and has some really gorgeous lines, including a bit about how much she misses being a shepherdess. I hope to get to show a bit more of my range with this role for those folks at the Met who might be noticing those sorts of things.
Micaela and Marguerite: These two roles are the farthest away, but pose the biggest challenge many ways: first roles in French, first serious roles, new styles of music... I am starting me detailed process of score-marking and text exploration; I think you can expect to hear about Marguerite as much as you heard about Susanna. For those of you who missed it, imagine a play-by-play of how I learn and embody a BIG new role! Hope you’ll find it interesting...
Finally a **Request for assistance:** I’m brainstorming a recital program! My father is a member of an amateur astronomy group in Boulder, CO, and I have agreed to do a fund-raising recital for them in December. I’m in the “hunting and gathering” stage of organizing, collecting as many ideas for repertoire as I can. The theme? It’s a stretch: the sky! Anything to do with the stars or the sky or the moon or night or the planets... Got a favorite? Send it along! I’ll post a list of my collection soon and we can brainstorm more together.
That’s all for now! More to come.
PS Almost forgot: Tons of new arias! This will likely be covered in it's own post, but, briefly: Come scoglio, Margie's Jewel Aria, Micaela's "Je dis que rien ne m'epouvante," the aforementioned Juliette Poison aria, and - hold on to your hats - Violetta's Act I cavatina/cabaletta! Here we go!!
In order of appearance (details of the gigs to be found here):
Parts scores: small score excerpts from the Met for my small covers this fall: 1st Bridesmaid (Nozze), Young Lover (Il tabarro) (yes, I’m covering my debut role; yes, it’s weird, but the rest of the season is worth it!).
Suor Angelica: Two roles to learn in this one, Alms Collector to perform and Suor Genovieffa to cover. For those of you who have seen the Met’s new Trittico, either live or on a broadcast, you might remember a donkey onstage during Angelica. Well, I get to bring him on! He’s the basket carrier for the Alms Sisters, and I remember him being so sweet (if a bit stinky...). I don’t technically get to lead him on; there is a handler for that, but I’ll for sure get to pet him!
I’m more excited about the singing aspect of the Genovieffa role. The character is so sweet and has some really gorgeous lines, including a bit about how much she misses being a shepherdess. I hope to get to show a bit more of my range with this role for those folks at the Met who might be noticing those sorts of things.
Micaela and Marguerite: These two roles are the farthest away, but pose the biggest challenge many ways: first roles in French, first serious roles, new styles of music... I am starting me detailed process of score-marking and text exploration; I think you can expect to hear about Marguerite as much as you heard about Susanna. For those of you who missed it, imagine a play-by-play of how I learn and embody a BIG new role! Hope you’ll find it interesting...
Finally a **Request for assistance:** I’m brainstorming a recital program! My father is a member of an amateur astronomy group in Boulder, CO, and I have agreed to do a fund-raising recital for them in December. I’m in the “hunting and gathering” stage of organizing, collecting as many ideas for repertoire as I can. The theme? It’s a stretch: the sky! Anything to do with the stars or the sky or the moon or night or the planets... Got a favorite? Send it along! I’ll post a list of my collection soon and we can brainstorm more together.
That’s all for now! More to come.
PS Almost forgot: Tons of new arias! This will likely be covered in it's own post, but, briefly: Come scoglio, Margie's Jewel Aria, Micaela's "Je dis que rien ne m'epouvante," the aforementioned Juliette Poison aria, and - hold on to your hats - Violetta's Act I cavatina/cabaletta! Here we go!!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Studying
Funny how much harder it is to memorize something that is not one’s native language!
Last year’s Blier recital here at Wolf Trap practically memorized itself, since all of our songs were in English. This year, the theme is “Tales from the Vienna Woods,” an all-German program. All the composers have ties to Vienna (Austria, not Virginia) and all of the songs are about dem Wald: the woods. It was Steve’s first recital program here at Wolf Trap, and the title is a fun play on the fact that we are in a “Vienna Wood” here, as well.
I have four songs, three duets, and four ensembles on the program (so does everybody else!), so I have been spending a couple of hours a day typing all my words over and over again, doing my best to make sure they’re in there. Thankfully B has been up in NYC for the past couple of days, so he hasn’t had to listen to me mumbling under my breath or singing random phrases for hours at a time. Of course, I still have to go through my Ariadne memory checks, so he’ll get to experience it soon enough!
Tomorrow we’re working through the program in order. It will be fun to discover, as we did last year, interactions between us as characters and singers. I’ve been appointed “Dance Captain” again (although Steve said there was never any question: “ACB simply IS Dance Captain!” Is that a compliment?), and there may or may not be some waltzing in the Barns on Saturday night. You’ll have to come and find out. Hopefully there won’t be any “wardrobe malfunctions” this year...
In other news, I’ve updated my website: web.mac.com/annecarolynbird. There are pics from Candide on the Photos page and a few songs on the new Music page. There will be arias there by the end of the summer (haven’t I said that before?), and hopefully I’ll get things worked out with the acb.com folks so I can have the old domain point to the new site. I had planned on getting a professional site done this year, but I like this one well enough that I figured I’d save my money. Obviously, I haven’t gotten the blog totally linked up yet, but I’ll get around to that. Look for pictures from Barbiere soon, too.
Tales from the “Tales of Vienna Woods” next week!
Last year’s Blier recital here at Wolf Trap practically memorized itself, since all of our songs were in English. This year, the theme is “Tales from the Vienna Woods,” an all-German program. All the composers have ties to Vienna (Austria, not Virginia) and all of the songs are about dem Wald: the woods. It was Steve’s first recital program here at Wolf Trap, and the title is a fun play on the fact that we are in a “Vienna Wood” here, as well.
I have four songs, three duets, and four ensembles on the program (so does everybody else!), so I have been spending a couple of hours a day typing all my words over and over again, doing my best to make sure they’re in there. Thankfully B has been up in NYC for the past couple of days, so he hasn’t had to listen to me mumbling under my breath or singing random phrases for hours at a time. Of course, I still have to go through my Ariadne memory checks, so he’ll get to experience it soon enough!
Tomorrow we’re working through the program in order. It will be fun to discover, as we did last year, interactions between us as characters and singers. I’ve been appointed “Dance Captain” again (although Steve said there was never any question: “ACB simply IS Dance Captain!” Is that a compliment?), and there may or may not be some waltzing in the Barns on Saturday night. You’ll have to come and find out. Hopefully there won’t be any “wardrobe malfunctions” this year...
In other news, I’ve updated my website: web.mac.com/annecarolynbird. There are pics from Candide on the Photos page and a few songs on the new Music page. There will be arias there by the end of the summer (haven’t I said that before?), and hopefully I’ll get things worked out with the acb.com folks so I can have the old domain point to the new site. I had planned on getting a professional site done this year, but I like this one well enough that I figured I’d save my money. Obviously, I haven’t gotten the blog totally linked up yet, but I’ll get around to that. Look for pictures from Barbiere soon, too.
Tales from the “Tales of Vienna Woods” next week!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Things that are on my “love it” list right now, or “Gerunds”
Night guards who say, unprompted, “You have a lovely night, darlin.” Overhearing the concierge telling a guest about the tapas restaurant down the street, and hearing the guest say, “Excuse me?!” knowing that he thought the guy said “a topless restaurant.” The general - and genuine - friendliness of the staff here.
Discovering that I didn’t actually have rehearsal today, and so ending up with a “free day” that was more productive than many of my recent “work days.” Spending two hours with the Candide score, drilling chromaticisms and crisp rhythms. (This is going to be so much fun!)
Making contact with two high school friends and making plans to see them this week, both after many years. Knowing that my mom and dad and sister are in the same time zone! Making plans to see my Mamma on Thursday and planning a sleepover with my sister. Knowing that my dad brought a camera lens in his carry on...
Walking to the grocery store, knowing that most folks in Atlanta would take the car. Carrying home my provisions in my Envirosac. Turning off the AC in my room and opening the balcony door, enjoying the sweet Southern evening.
Having a fridge in my hotel room, and being fully loaded up with snacks. Finding Kefir and organic apples and my favorite Irish cheddar at the grocery store.
New albums: Marry Me, St. Vincent (buy it. now.); Narrow Stairs, Death Cab for Cutie; Talking Through Tin Cans, The Morning Benders
Dinners with generous supporters and friends, sharing stories of families and music and unexpected love. Being one of two tables at the restaurant; being guests of the chef and so turning your meal over to her. Six courses later, getting a tour of the facility. Walking home in the cool night feeling so blessed to live the life I do!
Discovering that I didn’t actually have rehearsal today, and so ending up with a “free day” that was more productive than many of my recent “work days.” Spending two hours with the Candide score, drilling chromaticisms and crisp rhythms. (This is going to be so much fun!)
Making contact with two high school friends and making plans to see them this week, both after many years. Knowing that my mom and dad and sister are in the same time zone! Making plans to see my Mamma on Thursday and planning a sleepover with my sister. Knowing that my dad brought a camera lens in his carry on...
Walking to the grocery store, knowing that most folks in Atlanta would take the car. Carrying home my provisions in my Envirosac. Turning off the AC in my room and opening the balcony door, enjoying the sweet Southern evening.
Having a fridge in my hotel room, and being fully loaded up with snacks. Finding Kefir and organic apples and my favorite Irish cheddar at the grocery store.
New albums: Marry Me, St. Vincent (buy it. now.); Narrow Stairs, Death Cab for Cutie; Talking Through Tin Cans, The Morning Benders
Dinners with generous supporters and friends, sharing stories of families and music and unexpected love. Being one of two tables at the restaurant; being guests of the chef and so turning your meal over to her. Six courses later, getting a tour of the facility. Walking home in the cool night feeling so blessed to live the life I do!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Tasks on the Musical To-Do List:
* Finish memorizing music for the ASO concerts next week: Mendelssohn, Porter, Berlioz.
* Stop singing the musical numbers from Candide that I know already and actually get down to brass tacks on the rest of the darn piece! Rehearsals start in about six weeks.
* Review arias for some potential upcoming auditions.
* Format my libretto study sheet for Ariadne.
* Write translation into Ariadne score.
* Learn the actual notes of Ariadne...
It will be fun to work in German this summer after a winter of Italian. German is the language that comes most easily for me, due in no small part to the fact that I lived in Germany for three years as a child. My father was stationed over there, and my parents did their best to get the most out of the overseas experience (unlike most Americans on military bases, I think). We lived off-base for a year, and I spent half of my kindergarden year in an actual “kindergarten,” playing Haus with German kids, even though I couldn’t really talk to them. By the time we left Frankfurt when I was seven, I had a functional-enough passive vocabulary that my parent’s could no longer talk secrets auf Deutsch in front of me. I took three years of German in high school, and went back for a long visit as a high schooler, both with my family and solo.
A few days ago B and I were seeing how well we could converse in the other opera languages: French, Italian, German. We were both pretty miserable at French, his Italian was great and I could always answer him in English (again with the large passive vocabulary), and we were both surprised at how good my German was! I have a feeling that I could get to fluency pretty quickly were I to go over there for work.
And THAT, my friends, is a post for another day...
* Stop singing the musical numbers from Candide that I know already and actually get down to brass tacks on the rest of the darn piece! Rehearsals start in about six weeks.
* Review arias for some potential upcoming auditions.
* Format my libretto study sheet for Ariadne.
* Write translation into Ariadne score.
* Learn the actual notes of Ariadne...
It will be fun to work in German this summer after a winter of Italian. German is the language that comes most easily for me, due in no small part to the fact that I lived in Germany for three years as a child. My father was stationed over there, and my parents did their best to get the most out of the overseas experience (unlike most Americans on military bases, I think). We lived off-base for a year, and I spent half of my kindergarden year in an actual “kindergarten,” playing Haus with German kids, even though I couldn’t really talk to them. By the time we left Frankfurt when I was seven, I had a functional-enough passive vocabulary that my parent’s could no longer talk secrets auf Deutsch in front of me. I took three years of German in high school, and went back for a long visit as a high schooler, both with my family and solo.
A few days ago B and I were seeing how well we could converse in the other opera languages: French, Italian, German. We were both pretty miserable at French, his Italian was great and I could always answer him in English (again with the large passive vocabulary), and we were both surprised at how good my German was! I have a feeling that I could get to fluency pretty quickly were I to go over there for work.
And THAT, my friends, is a post for another day...
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Home
Yesterday morning, I woke up in the dark. Before I opened my eyes, I recognized that I was waking in a new bed, not the one I was in the day before. “Where am I?” Joyfully, my subconscious responded, “My own bed!!”
Yes, I’m back in my little hobbit hole for a lovely bit of “down time.” I have a total of four performances (all local) in the next six weeks; that feels like a perfect pace! And yet, it’s going to be busy: A few auditions. Rehearsals with Jocelyn for the premiere of the revised version of Hillula on April 29th. Studying music for the ASO concerts in May. A few performances of Macbeth. I’ll spend some time with the scores of Candide and Ariadne, too, over the next few weeks.
And then of course, there are concerts (of the indie rock and indie classical variety) and recitals to attend. Dinners and drinks to be had. Family to relax with, friends to catch up with, and the general wonder that is spring in NYC to enjoy. Lots to keep me busy, but plenty of time to breathe and smile.
I’m happy to be back in the land of wireless internet, so I hope to get back to a more regular writing and posting schedule soon. I have a few thoughts to get out still about The Rosina Experience; I think my time in Dayton will prove to be bit of a turning point for me, in many ways.
Yes, I’m back in my little hobbit hole for a lovely bit of “down time.” I have a total of four performances (all local) in the next six weeks; that feels like a perfect pace! And yet, it’s going to be busy: A few auditions. Rehearsals with Jocelyn for the premiere of the revised version of Hillula on April 29th. Studying music for the ASO concerts in May. A few performances of Macbeth. I’ll spend some time with the scores of Candide and Ariadne, too, over the next few weeks.
And then of course, there are concerts (of the indie rock and indie classical variety) and recitals to attend. Dinners and drinks to be had. Family to relax with, friends to catch up with, and the general wonder that is spring in NYC to enjoy. Lots to keep me busy, but plenty of time to breathe and smile.
I’m happy to be back in the land of wireless internet, so I hope to get back to a more regular writing and posting schedule soon. I have a few thoughts to get out still about The Rosina Experience; I think my time in Dayton will prove to be bit of a turning point for me, in many ways.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Full steam ahead
Dear friends:
The show’s going well in Dayton. The Figaro is so dreamy, I just can’t stand it! This is the best Figaro EVER and did I mention that the Figaro is really good?!?
Ok, so the above paragraph was dictated by Andrew Garland, my fabulous Figaro here in Dayton. (I’ve been lucky enough to have back-to-back fabulous Figaro’s!) We are all here at “our coffeeshop,” on a break after a very useful rehearsal in which we all ran through our recitatives, working to get the flow going and to get past the “what words and notes am I supposed to sing here?” stage to “let’s communicate and tell a story here!”
I have to say, the hardest part of learning this role in two months has been really getting the language into my head, getting past the long-vowels and double-consonants stage. With Susanna, I carried around those papers with my texts on them for weeks - months, even - until I knew my lines forward and back. It’s been a bit of cram this time around… I finally had to just let go of the thinking and jump to the feeling. Once I put my book or my cheat sheets down, I’m free to really connect with my colleagues on-stage, to find the natural connection of one line to the next, rather than just trying to remember what comes next!
I’m also still building the character - who is Rosina? I’m going to write a post exclusively on this topic to cross post over on the DO blog, but I will say here that it has been a real challenge to get Mozart’s Countess out of my mind. (The Countess in Nozze is Rosina, five years or so after the events of Barber take place…) The way we have the finale of Barber staged, there is even a moment of staging that is a “flash forward” to a moment in Nozze; I find the (unintentional) symmetry beautiful.
Today: an afternoon working session, hitting on some things in Act I that need finesse, and then tonight we “stumble through” the show. A day off tomorrow, then another stumble through on Saturday morning and the Sitz Saturday afternoon. I can not wait to get with the orchestra for this one!
A teaser: by the end of the 08-09 season, I will have repeated a role!! Boy, am I ever looking forward to that experience...
The show’s going well in Dayton. The Figaro is so dreamy, I just can’t stand it! This is the best Figaro EVER and did I mention that the Figaro is really good?!?
Ok, so the above paragraph was dictated by Andrew Garland, my fabulous Figaro here in Dayton. (I’ve been lucky enough to have back-to-back fabulous Figaro’s!) We are all here at “our coffeeshop,” on a break after a very useful rehearsal in which we all ran through our recitatives, working to get the flow going and to get past the “what words and notes am I supposed to sing here?” stage to “let’s communicate and tell a story here!”
I have to say, the hardest part of learning this role in two months has been really getting the language into my head, getting past the long-vowels and double-consonants stage. With Susanna, I carried around those papers with my texts on them for weeks - months, even - until I knew my lines forward and back. It’s been a bit of cram this time around… I finally had to just let go of the thinking and jump to the feeling. Once I put my book or my cheat sheets down, I’m free to really connect with my colleagues on-stage, to find the natural connection of one line to the next, rather than just trying to remember what comes next!
I’m also still building the character - who is Rosina? I’m going to write a post exclusively on this topic to cross post over on the DO blog, but I will say here that it has been a real challenge to get Mozart’s Countess out of my mind. (The Countess in Nozze is Rosina, five years or so after the events of Barber take place…) The way we have the finale of Barber staged, there is even a moment of staging that is a “flash forward” to a moment in Nozze; I find the (unintentional) symmetry beautiful.
Today: an afternoon working session, hitting on some things in Act I that need finesse, and then tonight we “stumble through” the show. A day off tomorrow, then another stumble through on Saturday morning and the Sitz Saturday afternoon. I can not wait to get with the orchestra for this one!
A teaser: by the end of the 08-09 season, I will have repeated a role!! Boy, am I ever looking forward to that experience...
Friday, March 07, 2008
So glad I didn’t stay home...
I’m not at all sure how to put into words the experience I had tonight at the M6 concert at Symphony Space.
First of all, I remembered Sid’s post about memorizing Boatman, and I realized that my little charts for the Barber ensembles are child’s play. The nuance in the performances tonight was exceptional. And it was all memorized! And had a feeling of improvisation and freedom and joy that can only come from knowing something inside and out. I was humbled!
I was also proud to be witnessing the beginning of something new, something “next.” A legacy in progress. Congratulations to all involved.
But mostly I left with an incredible excitement to sink my teeth into... The Barber of Seville!! When I said this to TM, he replied, “That’s like me going to an Eliot Carter concert and saying I can’t wait to get to work on a Mozart Flute concerto!” I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but hear me out.
There were two specific elements that inspired me, things that I needed an infusion of passion for before I could be the Rosina that I want to be. This role is iconic. Everyone knows her, there have been so many incredible interpreters of the role, and I feel like I need six more months to fully understand her character and the musical world Rossini created for her. But, obviously, I don’t have six months! I’ve been learning and studying and singing, but I think I’ve been really scared.
Tonight the things I learned from the M6 performers have given me courage - and excitement! - to sink my teeth into this role in a new way.
One was virtuosity. Nothing says “virtuosity” like Rossini, or is it the other way around? And I’ve been approaching all of these melismas (runs of fast notes) with serious trepidation, knowing I could sing them but unsure how to “sell” them. What was the point? Isn’t it just about showing what cool things you can do with your voice? What’s exciting about that?
Nothing, really, if your only goal is show off the cool things you can do with your voice. Virtuosity for virtuosity’s sake is gross. But tonight I saw virtuosity with intent - musical, dramatic, emotional, intellectual. And it was moving! Exciting! Beautiful! This seems like a no-brainer, but I’d become blinded by all the little black dots and flags. All I could see was the music. I’d completely forgotten what the music is there for.
Which leads me to the next thing I saw on that stage tonight: communication. These performers were TALKING to each other. Sharing ideas, having arguments, loving and consoling and laughing with each other. And yet not a single “word” was sung or spoken. It was all gibberish, “nonsense” syllables. But I saw more true communication between people tonight than I’ve seen on many an opera/theater stage, where there are actual words in actual languages.
This incredible openness and communication paired with virtuosity created, as you can imagine, an unparalleled performance. Truly inspiring. I was sorry it was so late when I got home, because I wanted to do nothing more than launch into “Una voce poco fa” at full volume! Tomorrow...
Oh, and another thing I took away from the concert tonight? I now have a new requirement for my future boyfriend: he must be willing to learn Monk’s Facing North with me and sing it as we walk down the street.
First of all, I remembered Sid’s post about memorizing Boatman, and I realized that my little charts for the Barber ensembles are child’s play. The nuance in the performances tonight was exceptional. And it was all memorized! And had a feeling of improvisation and freedom and joy that can only come from knowing something inside and out. I was humbled!
I was also proud to be witnessing the beginning of something new, something “next.” A legacy in progress. Congratulations to all involved.
But mostly I left with an incredible excitement to sink my teeth into... The Barber of Seville!! When I said this to TM, he replied, “That’s like me going to an Eliot Carter concert and saying I can’t wait to get to work on a Mozart Flute concerto!” I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but hear me out.
There were two specific elements that inspired me, things that I needed an infusion of passion for before I could be the Rosina that I want to be. This role is iconic. Everyone knows her, there have been so many incredible interpreters of the role, and I feel like I need six more months to fully understand her character and the musical world Rossini created for her. But, obviously, I don’t have six months! I’ve been learning and studying and singing, but I think I’ve been really scared.
Tonight the things I learned from the M6 performers have given me courage - and excitement! - to sink my teeth into this role in a new way.
One was virtuosity. Nothing says “virtuosity” like Rossini, or is it the other way around? And I’ve been approaching all of these melismas (runs of fast notes) with serious trepidation, knowing I could sing them but unsure how to “sell” them. What was the point? Isn’t it just about showing what cool things you can do with your voice? What’s exciting about that?
Nothing, really, if your only goal is show off the cool things you can do with your voice. Virtuosity for virtuosity’s sake is gross. But tonight I saw virtuosity with intent - musical, dramatic, emotional, intellectual. And it was moving! Exciting! Beautiful! This seems like a no-brainer, but I’d become blinded by all the little black dots and flags. All I could see was the music. I’d completely forgotten what the music is there for.
Which leads me to the next thing I saw on that stage tonight: communication. These performers were TALKING to each other. Sharing ideas, having arguments, loving and consoling and laughing with each other. And yet not a single “word” was sung or spoken. It was all gibberish, “nonsense” syllables. But I saw more true communication between people tonight than I’ve seen on many an opera/theater stage, where there are actual words in actual languages.
This incredible openness and communication paired with virtuosity created, as you can imagine, an unparalleled performance. Truly inspiring. I was sorry it was so late when I got home, because I wanted to do nothing more than launch into “Una voce poco fa” at full volume! Tomorrow...
Oh, and another thing I took away from the concert tonight? I now have a new requirement for my future boyfriend: he must be willing to learn Monk’s Facing North with me and sing it as we walk down the street.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Tim says this is self-explanatory
ACT I FINALE
A - Mi par d’esser con la testa in un orrida fucina,
B(b)[∑] - dove cresce ([e mai] non resta)
C - del l’incudini sonore l’importuno strepitar.
D - Alternando questo e quello
E - pesantissimo martello
F - fa con barbara armonia
(g)G - (murie e volte) rimbombar.
W(w) - (E il cervello), poverello,
X - gia stordito, sbalordito,
Y - non ragiona,
Z (z)[s] - si confonde, (si riduce [ad impazzar])
1 A A B b C
2 D E D E
3 D E E E
4 F F g g G SI D E F G
5 W W X W W X Y Y Y Z Y Y Y Z
6 W W X Y Y Y Z
7 WXYZ
8 s s z
RECAPITULATION
1a A A B ∑ b C
2 D E D E
3 D E E E
4 F F g g G SI D E F G
9 W X Y Z W X Y Z
10 w z
9 W X Y Z W X Y Z
10 w z sssss
Any questions?! :)
A - Mi par d’esser con la testa in un orrida fucina,
B(b)[∑] - dove cresce ([e mai] non resta)
C - del l’incudini sonore l’importuno strepitar.
D - Alternando questo e quello
E - pesantissimo martello
F - fa con barbara armonia
(g)G - (murie e volte) rimbombar.
W(w) - (E il cervello), poverello,
X - gia stordito, sbalordito,
Y - non ragiona,
Z (z)[s] - si confonde, (si riduce [ad impazzar])
1 A A B b C
2 D E D E
3 D E E E
4 F F g g G SI D E F G
5 W W X W W X Y Y Y Z Y Y Y Z
6 W W X Y Y Y Z
7 WXYZ
8 s s z
RECAPITULATION
1a A A B ∑ b C
2 D E D E
3 D E E E
4 F F g g G SI D E F G
9 W X Y Z W X Y Z
10 w z
9 W X Y Z W X Y Z
10 w z sssss
Any questions?! :)
Monday, March 03, 2008
Awesome things people have said about Rosina:
“Man, that’s a lot of recit.” I guess maybe it is, but after Susanna’s recits, this feels like nothing. I think I could fit all of my lines on one piece of paper - with translations, even. A walk in the park.
“She only gets two real arias, right?” Right. Only. Two really long arias with more 16th notes than I’ve ever sung in my life. AND I’m supposed to come up with something creative and original for all the cadenzas?! Ohibo. Maybe for my next Rosina; at this point I think I’m too scared to be terribly creative. (More on this…)
“Yikes…. you know it’s bad when you’re saying the only thing on your plate is Rosina and you feel relieved about it.” This from an iChat with AC (my mezzo alter ego ), and it pretty much sums up how insane the past six weeks have been! I’m still very nervous about starting rehearsals, but I have a bit of clarity and perspective now that makes me think I’ll get through it. Somehow.
“She only gets two real arias, right?” Right. Only. Two really long arias with more 16th notes than I’ve ever sung in my life. AND I’m supposed to come up with something creative and original for all the cadenzas?! Ohibo. Maybe for my next Rosina; at this point I think I’m too scared to be terribly creative. (More on this…)
“Yikes…. you know it’s bad when you’re saying the only thing on your plate is Rosina and you feel relieved about it.” This from an iChat with AC (my mezzo alter ego ), and it pretty much sums up how insane the past six weeks have been! I’m still very nervous about starting rehearsals, but I have a bit of clarity and perspective now that makes me think I’ll get through it. Somehow.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Italian Lessons via Opera Libretti
Words I didn’t need to translate in the Barber score, thanks to my time with Figaro:
biglietto - letter
cugino - cousin
guardare - to look
sigillo - seal
ebbene - well then
ragazza - girl
gridare - to shout
rabbia - rage
testa - head
lontano - far away
foglio - paper
niente paura - have no fear
cervello - brain
pazzo - crazy
Not to mention all the verbs and pronouns and adjectives… And, of course, the expletives: ohime! maledetto! scellerato! indegno! ohibo! cospetto!
biglietto - letter
cugino - cousin
guardare - to look
sigillo - seal
ebbene - well then
ragazza - girl
gridare - to shout
rabbia - rage
testa - head
lontano - far away
foglio - paper
niente paura - have no fear
cervello - brain
pazzo - crazy
Not to mention all the verbs and pronouns and adjectives… And, of course, the expletives: ohime! maledetto! scellerato! indegno! ohibo! cospetto!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Study
A short Italian lesson: to help get those long Italian vowels and short double consonants into my tongue and mouth and voice, I’ve been told by several folks to speak the text exaggerating those sounds. For example, this line from the Figaro Act II Finale - “...qui li ha fatti capitar” (“here has made them come” or “has sent them here”)- has a double consonant in the word “fatti” and a long vowel in “capitar.” I keep getting them mixed up, putting a double P in capitar, so I’ve been drilling the line like this: “qui li ha fat--------ti caaaaaaaapitar.” Out of tempo, stopping all sound on that double T, and holding that Ah long enough that I make the following P very short. It's a great way to drill the recits, too; this kind of direction to the words creates a naturally conversation shaping.
Clear as mud? Awesome.
This week I’ve been multi-tasking in some funny ways: listening to Figaro on my iPod while marking my score and drilling rhythms for The Old Burying Ground, or listening to TOBG while typing up my Barber translations. The mix of new music and Classical is a fun stretch for my brain! Nothing like hearing a steady 4/4 while counting “2/4, 6/8, 9/8, 3/4…”
I was studying this afternoon (and eating lunch, even more multi-tasking) when “that moment” in the Act II Finale came up on my earphones (the “Deh signor nol contrastate” moment, with that low E in the double basses, you know the one). I put down my pencil and had a moment of amazement. It’s here! In four days we start rehearsals. I get to sing that beautiful role, to create that wonderful character, to tell that silly and touching story.
It’s time…
Clear as mud? Awesome.
This week I’ve been multi-tasking in some funny ways: listening to Figaro on my iPod while marking my score and drilling rhythms for The Old Burying Ground, or listening to TOBG while typing up my Barber translations. The mix of new music and Classical is a fun stretch for my brain! Nothing like hearing a steady 4/4 while counting “2/4, 6/8, 9/8, 3/4…”
I was studying this afternoon (and eating lunch, even more multi-tasking) when “that moment” in the Act II Finale came up on my earphones (the “Deh signor nol contrastate” moment, with that low E in the double basses, you know the one). I put down my pencil and had a moment of amazement. It’s here! In four days we start rehearsals. I get to sing that beautiful role, to create that wonderful character, to tell that silly and touching story.
It’s time…
Monday, January 21, 2008
Miscellany, Jan 21
* From an email I wrote this morning: “This year has presented a whole new facet of my career - music being given or offered to me [unsolicited] to perform and/or premiere - and I really don't know yet how to navigate it. I'm learning slowly, and at the same time, am totally overwhelmed with all the opera and "traditional" old-school standard stuff that is coming my way. It's a wonderful problem to have, I assure you, but it still take some figuring out.” Le sigh.
* Re: the March 2nd Sing for Hope concert: A couple of you have commented on how I can put this thing together organizationally with all the other stuff I have going on. That’s the beautiful thing! The goal of Sing For Hope (one of the goals, anyway) is to facilitate these concerts in such a way that the only thing “we artists” have to worry about is our performance. They, together with the folks at the benefitting charity (Children’s Aid Society in this case), take care of press and advertising, ticketing, programs and publicity materials, all of that. It’s an incredible gift. If you would like to help SFH in this mission, they have a donation page, too! The concert will be at 3pm, fyi, if you’d like to save the date.
* This week I have to get my taxes done. I like to have them done by my birthday every year, but February and March are so busy now that I know I’d better do them now or I’ll be scrambling come April. The incentive: last year I had only W2 employment, as opposed to 1099, which means… tax refund!!
* I made new friend at a recital this weekend, giving my extra ticket to someone I ran into at the box office. Turns out he is a musicology PhD and music critic from Europe, and we spent some lovely hours talking about what’s shakin’ in “classical music” these days. He’s here to do some research into a major 20th C composer, and I just happen to be sort of “connected” with that scene here in NYC; my roommate’s good friend is a major scholar on the composer he’s studying. I’m excited to introduce him to folks, because I think his ideas about music and music writing and “the scene” in general will be a welcome addition. It was a fantastically serendipitous meeting!
* Related: there are some great comments in the Shake Up post; go read them. I’d love to say I’ll get a response posted, but keep reading and you’ll see that is unlikely… Read TM’s great riff instead.
* I can’t remember who first linked to this beautiful interview with Dawn Upshaw, but thank you. “Joy and beauty are my goals.” Amen! (I couldn’t help clicking on the included sound files, fearing (hoping??) that the listed “Dancing on the Ceiling” was a Lionel Richie cover…teehee)
* Music this week: Susanna, including a couple of hours with other GR cast members to run recits and ensembles; Rosina, although she’s still in the text-only stage; Evan Chambers’ new oratorio The Old Burying Ground, which I’ll be recording and touring between Figaro and the SFH concert (I was so excited to learn that a friend will be with me on this project!); and just for fun, some Strauss songs with a pianist/conductor friend. We discovered that we both performed the same set (Madchenblumen; can anybody tell me how to get umlauts with Pages?!) on our Masters’ recitals, so we’re going to get together and make some music. I’m looking forward to it all, but it is a lot, so I apologize in advance for a light blogging week… (Get off my back, Marc.)
* Re: the March 2nd Sing for Hope concert: A couple of you have commented on how I can put this thing together organizationally with all the other stuff I have going on. That’s the beautiful thing! The goal of Sing For Hope (one of the goals, anyway) is to facilitate these concerts in such a way that the only thing “we artists” have to worry about is our performance. They, together with the folks at the benefitting charity (Children’s Aid Society in this case), take care of press and advertising, ticketing, programs and publicity materials, all of that. It’s an incredible gift. If you would like to help SFH in this mission, they have a donation page, too! The concert will be at 3pm, fyi, if you’d like to save the date.
* This week I have to get my taxes done. I like to have them done by my birthday every year, but February and March are so busy now that I know I’d better do them now or I’ll be scrambling come April. The incentive: last year I had only W2 employment, as opposed to 1099, which means… tax refund!!
* I made new friend at a recital this weekend, giving my extra ticket to someone I ran into at the box office. Turns out he is a musicology PhD and music critic from Europe, and we spent some lovely hours talking about what’s shakin’ in “classical music” these days. He’s here to do some research into a major 20th C composer, and I just happen to be sort of “connected” with that scene here in NYC; my roommate’s good friend is a major scholar on the composer he’s studying. I’m excited to introduce him to folks, because I think his ideas about music and music writing and “the scene” in general will be a welcome addition. It was a fantastically serendipitous meeting!
* Related: there are some great comments in the Shake Up post; go read them. I’d love to say I’ll get a response posted, but keep reading and you’ll see that is unlikely… Read TM’s great riff instead.
* I can’t remember who first linked to this beautiful interview with Dawn Upshaw, but thank you. “Joy and beauty are my goals.” Amen! (I couldn’t help clicking on the included sound files, fearing (hoping??) that the listed “Dancing on the Ceiling” was a Lionel Richie cover…teehee)
* Music this week: Susanna, including a couple of hours with other GR cast members to run recits and ensembles; Rosina, although she’s still in the text-only stage; Evan Chambers’ new oratorio The Old Burying Ground, which I’ll be recording and touring between Figaro and the SFH concert (I was so excited to learn that a friend will be with me on this project!); and just for fun, some Strauss songs with a pianist/conductor friend. We discovered that we both performed the same set (Madchenblumen; can anybody tell me how to get umlauts with Pages?!) on our Masters’ recitals, so we’re going to get together and make some music. I’m looking forward to it all, but it is a lot, so I apologize in advance for a light blogging week… (Get off my back, Marc.)
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
A good sign...???
Tonight I passed on going to a party in order to come home and put the cuts into my Barber score.
Ummm... what?
Ummm... what?
A good sign
Today, when I felt the urge to say “Goodness!” (which I do from time to time; don’t judge), it came out: “Cospetta!”
Susanna is taking hold.
Another good sign: as I go through my Barber* score, more and more of the Italian is familiar to me. I recognize grammar structure; I feel the flow of the language (go to the verbs, go to the long vowels). It’s pretty cool, I have to say. I’ve spent a lot of time with this language this year, and it’s paying off.
*Didn’t mean to play coy with the new role (yes, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia). I wouldn’t even have mentioned it, other than to say there was an offer, but since I write about the things that are going on NOW, I found it hard to leave it out. I thought a little guessing game might be fun until I could come right out and say it! I finally have the things I need to get my website updated, and once that’s done, there will be no secrets about what 2008 holds.
Susanna is taking hold.
Another good sign: as I go through my Barber* score, more and more of the Italian is familiar to me. I recognize grammar structure; I feel the flow of the language (go to the verbs, go to the long vowels). It’s pretty cool, I have to say. I’ve spent a lot of time with this language this year, and it’s paying off.
*Didn’t mean to play coy with the new role (yes, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia). I wouldn’t even have mentioned it, other than to say there was an offer, but since I write about the things that are going on NOW, I found it hard to leave it out. I thought a little guessing game might be fun until I could come right out and say it! I finally have the things I need to get my website updated, and once that’s done, there will be no secrets about what 2008 holds.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Multi-tasking
Generally I’m a “one thing at a time and the most important thing first” kind of gal, but this weekend (and next, likely) requires some special time management. So, here are some things I can to to “study” while watching Green Bay and the Pats and Indy and the Giants win their games this weekend:
* White out the terrible English translation in my new role score. Using the cool white-out tape pens, this is tedious but ultimately gives me room to write in my own literal translation, aided by Mr. Castel, of course. (Another role hint, as requested: the role is one of a handful that are sung by sopranos and mezzo-sopranos, depending on the casting preferences of the directors.)
* Mark my lines in said score. I’m not a fan of highlighting for a couple of reasons. One: the color is garish, and two: it encourages an overly focused view of the score. There’s much more going on at any one time than just my line… So I use a colored pencil to mark the start of a stave in which I have to sing, making a little upside-down L brackety thing. (Maybe a picture is called for here…) I find this especially helpful on busy recit pages where every characters’ texts are all together on one line, following after each other, just like text in a book. On these pages, I give each character his own color and bracket the start of everyone’s line. Some of the Figaro pages are quite colorful!
* Format the libretto of said opera (I’m starting to feel like Coloraturaaah with all this intrique!) for my hands-on translation documents. I started all this work for Susanna six months ago, maybe seven. I’ve got two for this one… Thankfully I’ve developed study skills and practices this year!
* Update my bio and the Bhakti Project profiles for Fractured Atlas, the Facebook group, and the NAR page.
* Blog a bit… oh, wait, that’s not working. That’s procrastinating...
* White out the terrible English translation in my new role score. Using the cool white-out tape pens, this is tedious but ultimately gives me room to write in my own literal translation, aided by Mr. Castel, of course. (Another role hint, as requested: the role is one of a handful that are sung by sopranos and mezzo-sopranos, depending on the casting preferences of the directors.)
* Mark my lines in said score. I’m not a fan of highlighting for a couple of reasons. One: the color is garish, and two: it encourages an overly focused view of the score. There’s much more going on at any one time than just my line… So I use a colored pencil to mark the start of a stave in which I have to sing, making a little upside-down L brackety thing. (Maybe a picture is called for here…) I find this especially helpful on busy recit pages where every characters’ texts are all together on one line, following after each other, just like text in a book. On these pages, I give each character his own color and bracket the start of everyone’s line. Some of the Figaro pages are quite colorful!
* Format the libretto of said opera (I’m starting to feel like Coloraturaaah with all this intrique!) for my hands-on translation documents. I started all this work for Susanna six months ago, maybe seven. I’ve got two for this one… Thankfully I’ve developed study skills and practices this year!
* Update my bio and the Bhakti Project profiles for Fractured Atlas, the Facebook group, and the NAR page.
* Blog a bit… oh, wait, that’s not working. That’s procrastinating...
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