The Music Thread

[bignaf]

maybe we should have a thread about music on this board?

[dai bread]

Music? What's that?

[lioness]

Originally posted by bignaf:
maybe we should have a thread about music on this board?

ok. here's a current thought:

the Baroque Period peaked from 1600 - 1750. the word itself means highly decorated. it was taken from architecture to describe the elaborate music of the day. music was usually made up as it was being played and allowed the performers to "show off."

the music of the Baroque period is seomtimes complicated and reminds me of trying to listen to five people talking at the same time. probably why i enjoy it so.

i believe Opera also appeared during this period. Opera was once defined as a controlled scream since there was no way back then to amplify their voice.

[hal 9000]

Yes, perhaps we should. If only I could think of something musical to talk about. :p

[OperaTenor]

Originally posted by lioness:

i believe Opera also appeared during this period. Opera was once defined as a controlled scream since there was no way back then to amplify their voice.

Oh man, you're killin' me!
Opera is Italian for "work".

Tonight, after rehearsal, about half of the chorus went to a nearby bar to celebrate one of the chorister's 50th birthday. This is a place some of us usually go after reheasals to socialize, and it's usually pretty dead by the time we show up(Downtown Johnny Brown's for you Sandy Eggans). There were ~10 non-opera people there when we sang Happy Birthday to our friend. You should've seen the looks on their faces when we sang! They looked like they'd just woken up in the middle of a Cecil B. DeMille epic filming, you know, like on the track during the race in Ben Hur! Aside from enough volume to make the building rumble, we ad-libbed all kinds of harmony, with one soprano singing the enitre song at least one octave high, and of course, a HUGE finish.

It's always fun to stun people like that.

[dai bread]

Opera shouldn't be a scream, controlled or not. O.T. can give us details of how it's done, but basically operatic singing is a technique which allows a singer to be heard at the back of a big hall over a symphony orchestra. It doesn't suit all music by any means.

Occasionally opera singers will try a folk song, complete with orchestra, and the poor little song just curls up & dies under the weight of it all.

A very successful writer of pop songs (Neil or Tim Finn- I forget which) said, when the NZSO wanted to symphonic pop, "all I did was write pop songs". I agree entirely.

[Marye]

Originally posted by bignaf:
maybe we should have a thread about music on this board?

Yes thank you...*ignaf.... music...

While in London on Portobello Road during a Saturday Market Day we found a music stall where Brian (my partner) and I purchased 3 box sets of music: two jazz (10 CD's) and one classical (5 CD's) for 25 pounds...(about 55 Canadian dollars for the lot). I am very particular about classical recordings but 5 CD's of 101 Greatest Classics... well, it would be a good collection for my office. Interestingly, The Revenge aria is not numbered among the greatest... how did that happen? .

OT, if I were in a restaurant and heard 10 chorister's singing happy birthday I would have shouted BRAVO! Glorious.

[lioness]

Originally posted by OperaTenor:
Oh man, you're killin' me!
Opera is Italian for "work".

what the heck do i know??

[OperaTenor]

Originally posted by Marye:

OT, if I were in a restaurant and heard 10 chorister's singing happy birthday I would have shouted BRAVO! Glorious.

Why, thank'ee, maam!

But, it wasn't 10, it was more like 40! Boccanegra's got a big chorus. It was tangibly thunderous in that little bar.



Really makes me wish my birthday was during opera season....

<small>[ 03-10-2005, 11:20 AM: Message edited by: OperaTenor ]</small>

[lioness]

Originally posted by OperaTenor:
Really makes me wish my birthday was during opera season....

is there really an Opera season or are you just being funny?

[piqaboo]

Yes, there is an opera and theatre season. Its the winter months. Probably concurrent with the bowling season, for the same reasons (the weather outside sucks). The opera season is somewhat longer in LA than in San Diego (starts earlier in LA).

They still dont amplify opera. Technique is helpful but not sufficient to fill the hall. Singers gotta be born with the right kinda big loud pipes.

Dai, that description of an oversung folk song is wonderful, fabulous and perfectly descriptive. I will chuckle for days! Thank you.

I think it was Pat Benatar that was operatically trained before going to rock'nroll instead. I cant tell it to listen to her, but my ear is not as well tuned as OT's and Lioness's. Perhaps you two can?

[OperaTenor]

Originally posted by Lioness:
is there really an Opera season or are you just being funny?

Yeah, there are only certain months during the year where it's legal to shoot them.........

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Seriously, yes, here in Sandy Eggo the opera season runs from January through May. I believe most major opera companies operate in that type of fashion, and their seasons run longer or shorter, have differing numbers of shows, differing frequencies, and differing times of year. We tend to have five shows per season, and one of the shows may have no chorus, but at least the other four will(very few operas have no chorus). We audition every year, and get contracted for however many shows they want us in, based on the quality of our audition, coupled with the size of each chorus for each show. For us Sandy Eggo singers, it's the best singing gig in town, and the only union job. We make ten times more there than anywhere else in town(thanks to the union), and get treated royally. I wish I could do it all year!

<small>[ 03-10-2005, 11:43 AM: Message edited by: OperaTenor ]</small>

[lioness]

Originally posted by OperaTenor:
Yeah, there are only certain months during the year where it's legal to shoot them.........

locked and loaded, baby

<img src="http://www.thecatgallery.com/images/mouse-hunter.jpg" alt=" - " />

[treebeau]

Sure looks like the Book Repository to me. Now we know who the second shooter was.

Regards,
Tim B.

[Trumpetmaster]

Originally posted by lioness:

Originally posted by OperaTenor:
[b] Yeah, there are only certain months during the year where it's legal to shoot them.........

locked and loaded, baby

<img src="http://www.thecatgallery.com/images/mouse-hunter.jpg" alt=" - " /> [/b]

That is AWESOME

[lioness]

yup... and fun too!!

OT, just 'cause i like ya so much, i've decided it's soprano season.

[Trumpetmaster]

Originally posted by lioness:
yup... and fun too!!

OT, just 'cause i like ya so much, i've decided it's soprano season.

ROFLMAO

[GreatCarouser]

Wow-Andante Spianto and Grande Polonaise, Saint Saens, and Tales of Hoffman ! Great job requesters and YRH!

<small>[ 03-10-2005, 04:09 PM: Message edited by: Great Carouser ]</small>

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Originally posted by lioness:
yup... and fun too!!

OT, just 'cause i like ya so much, i've decided it's soprano season.

Hey HEY HEY!

:pout: you could at least require a license and limit the tags. <sniff>

[Marye]

Opera Season in Toronto is from September to April...

I love a soprano voice, and an mezzo, alto, tenor and a baritone... oh my, I adore them all.

40 choristers, OT.... wowser... I would have swooned.

OT, what operas have you been in recently then?