A Wise Man Speaks Again

I am sitting here drained and exhausted, but I want to write about how much I love my voice teacher. He emailed me back this morning to say that he thought the new mp3 file of "O Mio Fernando" was "quite good", not just that I sounded better than I had two years ago, which he said a propos of all the files.

He said my highest notes are still not "what they should be" but that they are much better. He said that the problem with those notes and even ones a little below (e.g., an F) is that I don't yet know how to make enough "space" in the back of my throat. He said there are muscles that keep the larynx down, the pharynx open, and the palate raised that are much harder to train in an older person. He said when I sang in the 70s I didn't really have the correct position - that I sang falsetto a lot of the time. He said, unlike abdominal muscles (which are also used for singing) these muscles in the throat, etc. are not used in that way except when singing so in most people they are weak. He said some singers use those muscles when they speak in the same way they do when they sing (the stereotypical "opera singer speaking voice") but that I don't. I remember having a "discussion" online with a respected coach about how it is important to keep that kind of space when speaking but of course it is hard to remember to do that!

He said I should not post sound files "in the blogosphere" because a lot of "knownothings" then feel free to make all kinds of comments. (I will keep "Amour Viens Aider" on my profile here until I find something better). If someone reading this blog wants to take a listen to something I will email them a file from the file sharing site.

I am also heartened that a nice commenter, LiSop, wrote and said some nice things about my singing. I know my singing is not perfect and that there are flaws that need to be fixed. But neither is it so dreadful that there is nothing nice anyone can say first, prior to making some critical comments afterwards which, as I explained in this post is how one does things.

At my lesson we worked on the Verdi Requiem. I sang through Liber Scriptus and now have decided that it is better not to take a breath before the word "judicetur" on the high A flat. I really don't need one and the note is more in line if I don't.

Then we began work on the beautiful "Lux Aeterna". If I can't use the church for free on a Saturday afternoon in March I will see if at least I can find two people to sing that trio with during Holy Week.

I really hope I can do this, though (it means getting three other people, and learning the music) because it would be a magnificent program during Lent and would serve numerous purposes.

Now I am getting into bed and watching a rerun of a Miss Marple mystery. I am just exhausted.