I've been unable to post for the last hour

[DanG]

No, there is nothing wrong with my computer, or the Forum, that I know of.  I was unable to post anything because of television.  You see, this is one of the all too frequent "begging weeks" on our local PBS stations, and tonight they were featuring Luciano Pavarotti.  Now, I am not particularly a fan of opera in general, but that man's voice must surely have been the most perfect musical instrument that ever existed.  It is interesting to me, because I can't understand a single word he is singing, but then that may be a blessing because if I understood the words, it might detract from the absolute purity of the music.

It is a crying shame that he passed away, one year and four days ago, but we are truly fortunate that he lived in a time when his recordings will be preserved forever.

[Bibbyman]

It’s a good thing we still have Willie Nelson. 

[Warbird]

It’s a good thing we still have Willie Nelson. 

HAH! 

[DanG]

Ol' Willie is one of my favorites!  His voice has an interesting quality, and it is magnified by the knowledge that he writes his own music.  The unique sound of that worn out Martin guitar is unmistakable too, and is one of my very favorite sounds.  The noises made by Al Hirt on the Clarinet, Doc Severinson on the Trumpet, Galway on the Flute, Tommy Emmanuel on the Guitar, Glenn Gould on Piano, Perlmann on the Violin, the lilting voice of Dolly Partin, and the rich baritone of Randy Travis are all incredibly entertaining, but my ears will perk up to the voice of Pavarotti above all of them, every time.

[woodbowl]

I can appreciate and respect people that sing, as well as listen to they're favorite style of music. I'm no different, but there are some sounds that erk me to the core. I'd like to think that I can appreciate all types of music if they're done well. They're are two types, if you call them music at all, that send me off to another planet. Rapp is one of them and the other is opra! Vibrating, falcetta in the upper ranges (mainly female vocalist) immediately  changes the chemistry in my brain and almost makes me want to fight. My first impulse is to shoot that thang with a 12 gage before it gets under the couch! I don't know why they don't use it as a way to extract information in law inforcement. If I was tortured with opra, I would tell them all they wanted to know. I just had a terrible thought. Is there such a thing as opra rapp?  

[DanG]

Wootbole, you got a treat in store for you!   Next time you come over here, or I go over there, you're gonna hear a few bars of Pavarotti.  Don't be afraid, 'cause there aint no tremelo or falsetto in it nowhere.  There is nothing but pure, raw POWER that is perfectly controlled.  You gonna like it!

[maestro]

There is no opera rap, proof positive of a kind and forgiving God.  I'm a classical music buff myself and LOVE Pavarotti, but can't stand much opera in general.  To defend the professional sopranos and altos, they don't sing falsetto...that is there normal range.  It still changes the chemistry in ones brain so I do agree there but for falsetto you need to look at "artists" like Mariah Carey and the like.  That squeeky crap she does in the upper range is falsetto, trained classical voices don't need to rely on tricks.  Hey DanG, you ever listen to The Phantom of the Opera done by Michael Crawford when he was a little younger?  Now that is some power too!

[logwalker]

DanG, what do you think of that kid Andrea Bocelli?

[fat olde elf]

DanG.......Al Hirt was a TRUMPET artist.......Maybe you were thinking of Pete Fountain ?

Of course The Fat Olde Elf never makes errors like that.......I was strictly a jazz fan until
the early 70's....I was introduced to classical just after I purchased a new stereo system in 1972.......I spent big bucks on that system and still use it to date.. Had to add a CD deal a few years ago.  I also admire Luciano......Also admire the Three Tenors stuff......I take exception with folks who reject new or different sounds without any real exposure..Their loss
...My children introduced me to many artists and I am forever grateful to them. 

[Roxie]

I'm right with ya on this one DanG.  I don't know how I happened to be watching PBS the night of the first airing of The Three Tenors, but I've been a Pavorotti fan ever since.  I think it was around 1994.  I bought the tapes, and then I bought more Pavorotti tapes. 

There is a Christmas song that Pavarotti does with the Vienna Boy's Choir, called Panis Angelica.  In my mind, it is the most beautiful song I've ever heard.  I hope you get to give a listen, because it's incredible to hear his voice above the soprano, alto, and tenor voices of the boys. 

[Faron]

Well, all artists  mentioned are pretty fair singers, but you haven't heard anything until you hear these two sing "I hate that stupid old pickup truck you never let me drive!" at full volume.

 

[Roxie]

What an awesome picture!  How cute are they??!!   

[metalspinner]

What I like most about opera singers is that they do everything they do without microphones. They can fill an entire concert hall with their voices alone.  Even at the softest dynamic levels.  The physical strength and power is incredible.

Now, if we really want to get creepy with this opera thing, click this link...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castrato


These guys were the super stars of their day.  Women threw themselves at these guys.  Unfortunately for them, well...

[Slabs]

Luciano was a swell troup.  On and off stage.  He had a typical, wonderful Italian family.  I was particularly fond of his Christmas specials.  His rendition of Handel's Messiah was a favorite.

[StorminN]

DanG,

One of my life's memories that will stick with me forever is from a couple of winters ago... some friends were going to the Winter Olympics in Turino, Italy and offered me a free place to stay if I got myself there. So, I bought a plane ticket and went. We stayed in a little mountain town called Bardonecchia, about 45 minutes by train from Turino. I arrived 1/2 a day before my friends did... so after found my room, I went to the local pizzeria.

The restaurant was packed with locals... the opening ceremonies of the Olympics were on the big TV in there, and whenever an Italian came on the screen, the crowd in the pizzeria would go crazy. When Pavarotti came on to sing, they went wild! Towards the end of his performance, everyone in the restaurant was singing along with him... it was great... the power in that voice! Just remembering that night sends chills up my spine to this day.

Somewhere I have video from that night, I'll have to find it and post a link here... it was neat.

-Norm.

[Bro. Noble]

I enjoy most types of music,  but I'm with Olen on rap and opera.  I did enjoy a little of your show,  DanG, while I was waiting for the 'Classic Gospel'  that followed   In my opinion,  you just can't beat a good quartet.  

One of my favorite albums doesn't have any singing at all,  however.  It's the Mexico City orgestra playing bull fight music.

[Paschale]

There's opera and then there's opera.  All of that stereotypical, whiny, wobbly opera is really more of a stereotype than the real deal.  I absolutely love opera, and that's a good thing since playing in the pit for opera is part of my gig.  It all depends on the composer.  Puccini...to hear Pavorotti sing Nessun Dorma will make anyone, from any culture, any nationality, any age stand to their feet.  To see someone of his caliber perform Nessun Dorma live will make women weep and men stand on their feet--even if you think you hate opera.

And as far as the women singing opera--you just have to hear the right woman singing.  Jesse Norman singing Strauss's Last Four Songs (not strictly opera) makes you feel your humanity in ways you never knew was possible.  True art has a way of doing that--and when you hear it done well, without the wobbly crapola that is lampooned all the time, then you're really in for a treat. 

I love pop music, the blues, some country (and yes...even some rap--because of the amazing rhythmic intricacy that can exist), but for the ability to really move the human soul, there's nothing like hearing a singer like Pavorotti singing.

The difference between the latest top 40 hit that will be forgotten next week and something like Puccini is the same difference between a stick figure my young niece might draw and the Sistine Chapel.

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[sawmilllawyer]

Well said Pashcale, except for that part about Rapp being music.

[cheyenne]

I'm not an opera fan but i marvel at the mans voice. He made it seem so easy & loved what he was doing. Another great loss for mankind. Effie loves him.....Going to see willie on the 21st....Cheyenne

[Paschale]

Well said Pashcale, except for that part about Rapp being music.

I don't listen to rap--but I do respect some of it.  Some rap I've heard has been shown to me by fellow musicians, out of respect for what's going on rhythmically.  I don't care for the lyrics when I listen to it--but I gotta tell you, Eminem, despite having terrible lyrics, is a great musician...and it shows up in the rhythmic ingenuity that he uses.  I don't listen to it--but I respect it, from a music standpoint.

[Tom]

I guess eminem is lucky to have the accolades of classical musicians.  His talents  should provide him with plenty of stuff to whistle in his old age.

I'm sure his lyrics are intended to enlighten and train the youth of America toward making them better citizens, parents and leaders in Government.  Not that all music provides those things, but, the rap I've heard certainly pinpoints the faults of humanity in America.  Should all of our children be incited to cause harm to the police or another race?  Perhaps it's the only way that this kind of talk could ever be condoned, call it art.

[DanG]

I'm not going to get into the Rap argument, except to say that there are some interesting rythmic intricacies there, like Paschale said.  Try to think about it non-politically and you'll find that it ain't a whole lot different from Eephing(sp) or playing the spoons.

Now, with that commentary out of the way, I was hoping to draw Paschale out on this one.  Wait! Let me rephrase and say that my post was straight from the heart, but I hoped to garner some comment from Paschale.

Let me also acknowledge that Fat Olde Elf was exactly right.  I did mean Pete Fountain.  I was envisioning him, but called him by the wrong name.  BTW, do y'all remember when Fountain was a regular member of the Lawrence Welk Orchestra?   That was back in the fifties, and I can remember that all of us kids laughed at him because he was bald but had a beard. BOY is my face ever red now!

I have a story of the very beginning of my love for "classical", or what I call Fine Music.  Back in the Fall of 1959, my Grandfather became desperately ill, up in S. Carolina, and we went up there because he wasn't expected to survive.  Well, he hung on for a while, and while he was in the VA Hospital, my baby Sister also came down with a life-threatening illness and was put in another hospital.  As desperate as the situation was, my Dad just had to come home and take care of his business, so I came back with him.  Now, my older Sister had been given a season pass to the local concert series, but she had stayed in SC to help with Baby Sis, so I got to use her pass to see and hear the Navy Band in concert.  As it turned out, my Grandpa slipped away from us the afternoon of that concert.  I was staying with my Aunt and Uncle while my Dad caught up on his work, so it fell to my Uncle to break the news to me that my Grandpa had passed.  I wondered if I should still go to the concert, and he wisely counselled that I certainly should, because my Grandpa would have wanted me to.  I did, and it turned into one of the most incredible days of my life.  I had lost so much, then gained so much, all in a time span too short for a 13 year old to comprehend!  I was totally blown away by the music, the power of it, and the amazing accomplishment of the musicians.  I had heard that music before, on recordings, but I guess that was the first time I fully realized that humans were actually doing all those things to make it come together, all at the same time.  I suppose the emotions of the day might have had something to do with the impact it had on me, but I'll forever be grateful to my Uncle for advising me so wisely.

A few weeks later, there was an opera singer on the slate for the series, and I was the recipient of a ticket from someone who didn't think they could like opera.  The artist, as it turned out was an up and coming young star by the name of Beverly Sills.  Once again, I was just totally blown away, and that is how a stingy, stinky old redneck curmudgeon comes to love Fine Music.

[Roxie]

That's a wonderful, and bittersweet story DanG. 

My parents always had classical music playing on the record player.  This was back in the early 1960's, and the quality of sound from those records wasn't so great, but I remember cleaning the house on Saturday morning to the thrill of the William Tell Overture, and doing the ironing listening to Claire De Lune.  We had a 78 RPM recording of Wonderbar, and we'd waltz around the house with our dust rags in our hand.  Those were good memories.  I had a best friend at school that was an only child, and her parents often included me in what they called, "educational excursions".   Most times we went to museums and such, but this one Fourth of July, they took us to Longwood Gardens for an outdoor concert.  We sat on the grass and listened to the Philadelphia Orchestra playing.  It was transforming, and then they played the grande finale.  It was the 1812 Overture accompanied by the firing of actual Civil War Cannons and ringing of the bells at the end.  It's a moment I will never forget. 

[metalspinner]

As a "gigging" musician, it is easy to overlook the effect that music may have on an audience.  Especially the younger members of the crowd.  It's all too easy to just show up for work and look for the check afterwards. 

Dang, you just reminded me of the reason I wanted to be in this line of work.   Even though sometimes there is no check at the end.

The only music I listen to while driving is "classical" music.  Mostly the big romantic era stuff.  The boys love it.  Especially when I tell them the story behind a particular piece of music.  Sometimes one of their friends ride along with us.  More than once I've seen funny looking faces in the rearview mirror when the music starts.   But after a brief commentary and discussion they become willing listeners and often enjoy the ride.   I point out that much of the movie music they enjoy so much is "classical" music.  You just need to imagine the pictures in your head.

[woodbowl]

I point out that much of the movie music they enjoy so much is "classical" music.  You just need to imagine the pictures in your head.

   All jokes aside, I really do have the pictures in my head when I hear certain songs. The visual is bugs bunny singing camptown gals and other southern songs. The big guy is singing an opra tune and the words sound something like pickle loaf. He's annoyed, but tries to sing anyway ............ pic el loaf.....pic el loaf ..... pickleloaf pickleloaf pickleloaf (real fast). Finally, he storms out to find bugs bunny to put an end to his music so he can sing without the background. Bugs bunny plays it cool, says what's up doc and picks a tune on his banjo. Big guy is not amused and tries to get  Bugs bunny. He does a lot of  running and hiding and somehow gets big guy to drink some alum, I think, and it makes his head shrink and his voice goes real high while singing pickle loaf. pickleloaf pickleloaf pickleloaf  Hee hee hee hee, that's one of my favorites.

Hey, maybe I do like opra. 

[Radar67]

  I remember that particular show.

[clif]

I don't know how this thread got past me . Pavarotti is my favorite, but I like Willie too.  Pavarotti sings every single note with such intensity and perfection it is awesome.  I have him on a dvd in that tabernacle singing with the choir and just thinking about him singing O Holy Night gives me goose bumps. Most of his Pavarotti and friends or Benefit albums are great.  I remember one time he was finishing up one of his great songs and a member of one of the groups singing back up was really getting into it and Pavarotti hands him the mike to finish the song and the guy is stunned but gives it his best ( definitely not Pavarotti but he gave his all) and I thought what class Pavarotti had to do that with one of his best songs.

I kind of put up with some classical music then one winter in Colorado I was living in a house and had no tv or radio but the lady I was renting from left her record player and some records being very bored I started playing some of her records and when I came to Greig's Peer Gynt I thought I was in the fjord's of Norway and I would follow the story line on the cover.  I believe that is one of the reasons I have stayed in Alaska, much of the scenery reminds me of that time.   Clif