15 Aug 2010
by in The Great Gatsby Tags: classical music, lead role, wikipedia
Hi, sorry to ask u again. I'm so ignorant about opera/classical music, that's why I come back to you again.
Regarding ur previous response about height requirements for opera singers who sing as a couple, well I read in Wikipedia that Joan Sutherland, who’s regarded as one of the best dramatic coloratura sopranos ever, was said to be 6'2" (188 cm). is that true? I mean WOW that's tall! I wonder how she could ever play opposite her male partners being so tall? has she ever experienced any difficulty finding a lead role with that height?
Oh I also wanna ask about Renee Fleming. I read in Wikipedia that she sings principally opera/classic AND jazz. I mean, jazz? I thought she was only an opera singer? I'm curious to see/hear her singing jazz. do u know some sort of websites that provide any info/track/videos/links to her jazz recordings? I tried browsing her official website, but in her discography I couldn’t find any of her jazz albums/singles.
And btw can opera singers do like Renee, I mean sing BOTH opera & jazz? I thought that if u have an operatic voice like Renee, u can only sing opera & possibly pop-opera or classical crossover like Sarah Brightman. I’m sorry for my ignorance, but I’m just confused bcoz to me opera & jazz sounds very different, esp with a very operatic voice like Renee… Are there any other opera singers besides Renee that can do two/more very different music genres?
I really appreciate all ur help, Ms. Chick. And for anyone else, feel free to answer as well.
Thanx in advace.
I'll just add a little bit, and leave the rest to Ms. Chick. her answers are great.
One thing that opera singers train to do is use the space at the back of the mouth, where it turns the corner down into the throat. This is known as the pharynx ( like voice box= larynx)
area. We learn to modify the size according to the range we are in: when we are singing in mid-range or lower, this area is much the same size and shape as normal speaking ( some people have started to call this "speech level singing") As we get higher, we start opening up. It's like having a built-in sound mixing board- we get all that resonance and round sound from learning to use this area.
Most folks in jazz or pop music have never heard of it, let alone learned to use it. If we close this area back down, then, we, too, can sing jazz and pop.
( I just sang at a wedding. along with the Ave Maria, they wanted amazing Grace, so I did my best as an Elvis imitator-ess, and got a nice twang. the organist was very surprised, but the bridal couple immensely pleased.)
Back in the 40s there was a big dramatic soprano who gave up opera and became a torch singer ( blues). her name was Helen Traubel, and if you can find any of her recordings ( difficult) you will hear another big sound in action. Also, look out for a recording by Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle doing gospels with a gospel chorus in New York. This was also televised, perhaps there's a DVD of it. Great singing, great fun.
( by the way, tall sopranos do have it rough. I know of at least three ladies over 6 feet tall. during love duets, they stand at the back of the stage while the shorter tenor stands forward, or they sit/lie/kneel at his feet. even if he gets platform shoes. it works in Wagner, but it's kinda funny for the Italian repertory)
Another question for Ms. Chick???
28 Jul 2010
by in Uncategorized Tags: internet 97, pilgrim colony, pilgrims, wikipedia
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I've been searching the internet and cannot come across this Colony name. anyone?
It sounds like you're asking about the Roanoke Island colony, 1585-6, although they weren't Pilgrims.
Roanoke
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roanoke_Col…
Roanoke Island. the only evidence left behind was the word Croatan carved in a tree.
What is the name of the Pilgrim Colony that mysteriously vanished in the span of a year?
13 Jul 2010
by in Uncategorized Tags: comic strip, monopoly, wikipedia
No one has a monopoly on Truth. Not you or me. Not the politicians. Not members of the clergy. However, bits and pieces of Truth can be discovered, if we look in the right places. they should include:
1. Pogo (1948 – 1975). according to Wikipedia, “Pogo was the title and central character of a long-running daily comic strip created by Walt Kelly. Set in the Georgia section of the Okefenokee Swamp, Pogo often engaged in social and political satire through the adventures of the strip’s funny animals.” Pogo ran for president in 1952, 1956 and 1960; however, he didn’t care that he never received more than a few thousand write-in votes. His goal was to encourage everyone to vote, with this polite admonition: “If you can’t vote my way, vote anyway, but VOTE!” of course, we remember Pogo most for his observation on Earth Day, 1971, that “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” seems truthful, doesn’t it?
2. Yogi Berra. (1925 – present). this beloved baseball player, now 83, is able to make statements that both affirm and conflict with a point of view, but which we intuitively understand. when giving directions to his New Jersey home, he once told visitors “when you come to a fork in the road, take it.” On another occasion, he said “you can observe a lot just by watching.” once, when asked if he wanted a personal pizza cut into four or eight pieces, he said, “Just cut it into four; I don’t think I can eat eight.” and in 1973, commenting on a baseball game, he remarked, “It ain’t over until it’s over.” All of his statements are, of course, compellingly truthful.
3. H. L. Mencken (1880 – 1956). this Baltimore journalist wrote for the Baltimore Sun and also edited the American Mercury magazine. he is known for many satirical, sometimes biting observations about politics and society. On the subject of religion, he wrote in 1916 that “Puritanism is the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.” three years later, in a magazine called the Smart Set, Mencken observed “The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out for himself, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos.” that is as true today as it was 89 years ago.
4. Dr. Seuss (1904 – 1991). Seuss is actually the middle name of Theodor S. Geisel, an American writer and cartoonist who wrote and illustrated 44 children’s books with such strange titles as The Cat in the Hat and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Dr. Seuss was always respectful of children, saying on one occasion that “a person is a person, no matter how small.” he was also pragmatic: “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” His grasp of Truth is further illustrated with this quote: “Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.”
5. Dr. Gregory House. this is the name of a television character, reputed to be a medical genius, who works as the head of diagnostic medicine at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. he is known for his quirky behavior and also for thought-provoking comments, including these:
“If you believe in Eternity, life is irrelevant.” “I know there is no ‘I’ in team; there is a ‘me’ though, if you jumble it up.” “I was never good at math, but next to nothing is greater than nothing.” “Just because it’s inexplicated doesn’t mean it’s inexplicable.” “The eyes can mislead, the smile can lie, but the shoes always tell the truth.”
The five sources I have cited in this article may or may not aid you in your quest for Truth, but at least they are a start. Do you know of better sources?
Readers should consider this article in the same lighthearted manner in which it was written.
The Pursuit of Truth
05 Jul 2010
by in Uncategorized Tags: meta, wikipedia
At about 11:00 Eastern Time Wikipedia is down. the reason is the power outage in Florida.
While the public encyclopedia was down, a message on its website read that the reason is related to Meta. another sentence read that it could not connect to the Database. Now the reason is known. @Wikipedia just tweeted ad thanked the site’s visitors for being patient. “We’ve figured out the problem: power outage in our Florida data center. Slowly coming back online,” read @wikipedia tweet.
“Meta has a problem. Sorry! this site is experiencing technical difficulties. Try waiting a few minute and reloading,” read the message on Wikipedia’s website while it was down.
Then one line lower in parenthesis a short sentence read the following. “Can’t contact the database server. Unkonw error (10.0.6.27).
The logo on the down page was of Wikimedia Meta-Wiki’s, which offered a search box, but warned that Google’s indexes “of our content may be out of date.”
Currently Wikipedia is up, but looks like one of the world’s largest websites has been done for more tan 30 minutes.
Written by Armen HareyanHULIQ.com
Wikipedia Goes Down Because of FL Power Outage
05 Jul 2010
by in Uncategorized Tags: fritz, wikipedia
I haven't been able to access it for a while.
nope, working fine for me
http://www.wikipedia.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
I was able to connect to the English site just this minute.
Wikipedia is working okay –
It's working for me.
Me too!!
and also yahoo answers has been on the fritz!!
Is Wikipedia down for everyone else?
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