First Rehearsal Debriefing

I should be working (I have a mountain of work here) but I wanted to write something about how the first rehearsal went.

I was extremely nervous about "Liber Scriptus" but it went well (not that I can take that for granted - I will have to psych myself up for it every time!)

Everything, in fact, went well, until I totally imploded on "Lux Aeterna".  In simple English, I got tired and this not only affected my singing (I really had to push that G out) but I lost my place in the syncopated ending.

In fact I was so tired I literally felt like a limp dishrag that had been wrung out.  Like there wasn't enough glucose getting to either my brain or my muscles.

The tenor, who is also a voice teacher, said some nice things.  He said my singing was "clear" (yes, that is one of my strong suits....I have perfect intonation and don't "muddy" the voice like a lot of mezzos).  He also asked me about being tired, asked where I was tired, and I said mostly around the midsection, certainly not my voice, so he said that that meant I was singing correctly.

So why do I get so tired?  It's  not age.  I actually get less tired than I did singing in my 20s or even when I began again in my 50s.  When I go to a doctor for a physical I always get a mostly clean bill of health and I don't have any vitamin deficiencies.  I eat a healthy diet and get a lot of sleep.

I don't "exercise" other than going to Pilates class once a week (although like all New Yorkers I walk a lot, including up and down subway stairs).  

Now I never was a night person, which is probably one issue here.  I eat my last substantial meal of the day usually by 6 (earlier if I have an early rehearsal) and after that there's really no fuel left for me to run on, although I did bring a carton of "muscle milk" to the rehearsal.  I mean historically I have always done my socializing in the afternoon: lunch, matinees, etc.

Even though the problem is with my whole body, not my vocal cords, once the support conks out it is harder to sing correctly, to spin the voice out with that  light buzz.  And I rely more on "push".

Again, it's the question of not having the "something extra".  If I weren't doing something like singing that requires superhuman stamina, I probably would never notice that I was tired, although if given a choice, I would opt for the 3:00 not the 8:00 curtain if I want to see a performance.