Sad News and a Day Off

Yesterday, during a routine vet visit, my beloved 13 year old cat Branwell Bronte, died (apparently of a heart attack).

I am still in shock and very sad. I had gotten Branwell from a shelter as company for my tiny Siamese Charlotte Bronte.

As years went by he did not get along with my tiny miniature wire dachshund Chester

and finally they had a showdown in which Chester was the loser and had to have stitches.

So I sent Chester to live with my partner. They bonded together like glue, and I know one of the reasons she is dragging her feet about moving into assisted living is that she wouldn't want to take Chester with her (you are allowed to have a pet there - a cat or small dog - but Chester is old and cranky and might bite someone). Now the coast is clear - Chester and Charlotte love each other and so I could bring him home, and get my partner her own cat once she settles in.

Yesterday I was sad and in shock, but as I have no paid leave, I had to get back to my laptop and back to work.

I did however, take the day off from singing. To sing properly requires buoyant energy and I didn't have any.

I must sing today, though, so I can continue to overcome my terror of the B flat in "Condotta", polish the recits, and also work on a solo from a Bach cantata that I am singing in church on September 4.

It's funny, opera is my challege, because no matter how much I love it, and no matter how ideally my temperament and voice type are suited to it, I know that my extreme upper register, and my stamina, are both iffy. (Great if all the stars are in alignment, if not, not.)

But Bach is my joy. Pure joy. No high notes to scare me, and lots of runs, trills, and ornaments, which, for me, for some reason, come so easily and naturally, that I just enjoy myself. I never run out of breath, apparently, and can sing every note without fudging.

I was reading an article about Anna Netrebko in which she is quoted as saying that she sings Mozart and Handel to massage her voice after singing too much Puccini. I suppose I do the same thing with Bach, although I never would have thought of it that way. Maybe that's why my voice sounds young and fresh, even at 61 (if I stay away from the extreme top and bottom) and stays agile. And like all choir singers, I have always had perfect intonation.

Today I plan to work until about 4 or 4:30, then practice, and then settle down, score in hand, and listen to the greatest singer in my fach, Dolora Zajick sing Azucena. I hope I can learn something. I saw her in the role live, but there's nothing like being so close I can watch her breathe.