{"id":2705,"date":"2013-05-18T04:42:05","date_gmt":"2013-05-18T08:42:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rockwellblake.com\/blog\/?p=2705"},"modified":"2014-11-27T18:40:27","modified_gmt":"2014-11-27T22:40:27","slug":"montisi-morning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/2013\/05\/18\/montisi-morning\/","title":{"rendered":"Montisi Morning"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>It\u2019s great to be back in Montisi. Rural life is my favorite, and a quick stop in this little hill top town is just what I need between big town visits.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I just finished a Master Class in Rome\u00a0exclusive to all but\u00a0Santa Cecilia students and am on my way to Florence for a similar encounter with young people engaged in educating themselves in the vocal arts. Today marks the first morning of diminished cold virus symptoms that attached me as soon as I hit terra firma this trip. It is such good planning to give oneself<a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180032-1280x960.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"2709\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/2013\/05\/18\/montisi-morning\/olympus-digital-camera-11\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180032-1280x960.jpg?fit=1280%2C960&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1280,960\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5.9&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;VR320,D725&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1368841923&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;52.5&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;80&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180032-1280x960.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2709 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180032-1280x960.jpg?resize=300%2C225&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180032-1280x960.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180032-1280x960.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180032-1280x960.jpg?resize=1280%2C960&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a> time to acclimate before having to go to work, but this cold gave me fits in Rome notwithstanding the three day recuperation period I built into my schedule. My first day in Europe\u00a0I dedicated to my pillow. Yes I bring it with me. And it served me well. Sleeping would seem a great battle plan since I was able to meet my commitments in Rome even on the edge of losing my voice to laryngitis. My pillow was my destination when not engaged in my<a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180010-1280x960.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"2711\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/2013\/05\/18\/montisi-morning\/olympus-digital-camera-13\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180010-1280x960.jpg?fit=1280%2C960&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1280,960\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;VR320,D725&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1368841064&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;12.29&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;80&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.003125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180010-1280x960.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2711 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180010-1280x960.jpg?resize=300%2C225&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180010-1280x960.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180010-1280x960.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180010-1280x960.jpg?resize=1280%2C960&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a> employment.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Anyway I had every intention of writing new blogs about singing and voice and Rome and and\u2026. Well, let\u2019s just say I wanted to dispel any mistaken impression that I had lost interest in this blog site after putting it on line over a year ago. And here I am enjoying small town Italy in the company of Opera loving friends getting things ready for the Montisi Master Class.<a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180016-1280x960.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"2712\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/2013\/05\/18\/montisi-morning\/olympus-digital-camera-14\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180016-1280x960.jpg?fit=1280%2C960&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1280,960\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;VR320,D725&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1368841303&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;12.29&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;80&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.003125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180016-1280x960.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2712 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180016-1280x960.jpg?resize=300%2C225&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180016-1280x960.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180016-1280x960.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180016-1280x960.jpg?resize=1280%2C960&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Yesterday Silvia and I had fun working in the little jewel box theatre where the Montisi Class will take place. The piano on loan from Silvia\u2019s friend had to be placed appropriately for the space, and I was there to watch the expert from Siena direct three local strong men as they helped him maneuver the baby grand piano down a set of stairs and into the theatre. After it was well situated in the mini-orchestra space between the front row<a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180028-1280x960.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"2714\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/2013\/05\/18\/montisi-morning\/olympus-digital-camera-16\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180028-1280x960.jpg?fit=1280%2C960&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1280,960\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5.9&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;VR320,D725&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1368841858&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;29.44&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;80&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180028-1280x960.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2714 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180028-1280x960.jpg?resize=300%2C225&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180028-1280x960.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180028-1280x960.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180028-1280x960.jpg?resize=1280%2C960&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a> seats and the stage, the Montisi muscle men departed as did the expert from Siena, Silvia and I walked her dogs and back we came to do a little sprucing up before the main events of next week.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>My symptoms had by yesterday reached a plateau. My voice was hanging by a thread but, at least, my constant enervation had lifted. A retired tenor has no business worrying about his voice, and<a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180038-1280x960.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"2739\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/2013\/05\/18\/montisi-morning\/olympus-digital-camera-17\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180038-1280x960.jpg?fit=1280%2C960&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1280,960\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5.7&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;VR320,D725&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1368842248&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;42.54&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;125&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.01&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180038-1280x960.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-2739\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180038-1280x960.jpg?resize=300%2C225&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180038-1280x960.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180038-1280x960.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180038-1280x960.jpg?resize=1280%2C960&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a> I adhere to that policy with great joy. But, to have to push myself forward from lack of energy is something no tenor wants to do. We want to be inspired and full of motivation. Today is a day of inspiration. The sun is up, the weather is perfect and I went out to greet my favorite views from the Montisi mount.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>As you can see, spring has sprung on this part of the world and this tenor is happy to enjoy every sight and smell\u2026. Yes, I did pass this little local bakery and was drawn through the front door by the aroma of<a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180033-1280x960.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"2710\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/2013\/05\/18\/montisi-morning\/olympus-digital-camera-12\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180033-1280x960.jpg?fit=1280%2C960&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1280,960\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;3&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;VR320,D725&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1368842058&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.2&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;80&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180033-1280x960.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-2710\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180033-1280x960.jpg?resize=300%2C225&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180033-1280x960.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180033-1280x960.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180033-1280x960.jpg?resize=1280%2C960&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a> yeast and baking bread wafting through the street. I\u2019m now happily consuming my purchase.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>This afternoon I\u2019m Florence bound. I hope to have something useful to publish in the next few days, but in the mean time I want to\u00a0thank everyone for coming to read my blog.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>May good health be your constant companion. Sneezing and coughing are no fun at all.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s great to be back in Montisi. Rural life is my favorite, and a quick stop in this little hill top town is just what I need between big town visits. I just finished a Master Class in Rome\u00a0exclusive to all but\u00a0Santa Cecilia students and am on my way to Florence for a similar encounter [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2713,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,55,50],"tags":[88],"class_list":["post-2705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-living","category-teaching","tag-montisi"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/P5180020-1280x960.jpg?fit=1280%2C960&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2kj1l-HD","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2705"}],"version-history":[{"count":37,"href":"https:\/\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2705\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3563,"href":"https:\/\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2705\/revisions\/3563"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rockwellblake.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}