When in Rome enjoy the rain…. Sorry to complain, but I had to get the weather report out of the way first. The weather has been really unusual in Italy, and with reports from home sounding similar to local conditions, I’m beginning to fear that the Earth may drown before Al Gore can realize his dream of watching the World burn up. When I discovered the alternate shelter choice, in the photograph, on the Tiber river, I was inspired to ask if I could rent space. But, then it started to rain. I began to believe that the river might just get higher than I would find comfortable.
I am on day 4 of my second Roman Master Class with more students than a tenor should be asked to count. I am having so much fun watching surprise spread across singers’ faces who improve their results by following Garcia’s advice and then find that the singing process gets easier on the throat. The messed up way most of these students go about singing is often so easy to unravel that it feels like child’s play. That’s good for a tenor like me who would love to have a life full of play. The old days of stage-play have now changed to teach-play and I cherish the moments when a student breaks out in a big smile because of the joy felt at overcoming difficulties.
So where is the count? “We” includes me, so I guess I’ll start with my mess making.
I am still learning…… No, that is not included in the “mess up” list! I messed up when I came back to Italy…… HOLD ON!! That’s not a “mess up” either. It has to do with the way I organized my return to Italy. There is a very good adage that goes something like this: Every Army is prepared to fight the last war they fought. They almost never keep up with the times and anticipate the attack that will come tomorrow. History is full of proof of the value of this little saying. Let’s just say: I’m a tenor, and am no more intelligent than any army around. Coming back to Italy with the same basic program as last year plus added activity was not a big mistake, but I now recognize that I should have been much more involved in helping my friends in Montisi organize the Florence/Montisi portion of my work. I was happy to meet some really nice people and discover some promising talent, but the structural difficulties presented by the school in Florence proved more than I could anticipate. I’m happy to say my time was not wasted, but I know I should have been able to help more young people than was possible under the circumstances. Unlike an unprepared army that gets destroyed, a tenor usually gets, at least, a second chance to get it right. Next time, it will be different.
OK! I should talk about at least one mess not made by the writer of this blog. My most frequent complaint this trip has been singer’s ignorance of and misuse of Vocal Function because I find it to be incredibly common in the singers who came to me for help.
The use of breathy Falsetto as a stand in for, or reinforcement for Dark Timber is the strongest and #1 impediment to good singing I have seen this year. Indiscriminant, chaotic vacillation between the Falsetto and Chest Voice that the men showed me runs a close second place, with the suppression of the Head Voice in the upper register that all the ladies engage in contends strongly for that second place.
It is wonderful to find that almost every Functional Error sufferer I encountered in Florence, Montisi and Rome was vulnerable to suggestion, and came to at least some understanding of the issue with which they were confused. Most of these were able to put these vocal functional attributes to better use. When I left Barcelona back in January, I was worried about these very issues. This trip restores my hope that the use of Chest Voice and Falsetto can still be brought back to Garcia standards, even in the face of the apparently universal taste for the Dark Side of Vocal Pedagogy.
About second chances: I will be coming back to Italy to try again. The first part of the story is that on 16 September I will be in Torino to collaborate in a Master Class with:
Accademia della Voce del Piemonte
Via Piazzi n. 27
10129 TORINO
We will start on 16 September and work every day until 21 September. It marks my second opportunity to work with my friend Armando Caruso. It will be a pleasure to again be at the service of Armando and his collaborators. We all want to see the same thing. The best singing possible from every singer we meet.
The rest of the story will come later. The world of singing offers us “interesting times” these days, and I am fascinated by the future, for which, the present may be a fitting introduction. I find myself being called Don Quixote, and I know that there are apt similarities even though I refuse to put on armor and ride a horse. I also have no interest in wind energy. I do have interest in helping young singers discover the best qualities in the giftwrapped talent they received at birth, and it can be an uphill battle in these “interesting times”. My experience in Florence and Montisi testified to this fact.
If you have the time, are awake and want to hear a retired American tenor mangle the Italian language on an Italian Radio Show listen at 13:00 Rome time. That would be, for the tenors in my readership, 7:00 am New York time, 6:00 am Chicago time, 5:00 am Denver time and 4:00 am Los Angeles time….. Wait, I guess I’m a tenor too. To what location am I inviting everyone?
La Barcacia
Click the program name, and you will be whisked directly to Rome where you will be able to laugh with us.
Sorry that the tenors in London, Tokyo and Honolulu will have to fend for themselves to discover the correct time of transmission. I didn’t forget you all…… You know……. I’m a tenor too. I got tired of compiling the list.