From: Karena Aslanian
Subject: Care Selve (was Re: Celebrating 78)
To: VOCALIST <vocalist>
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

"DIANE M. CLARK (MUSIC DEPARTMENT)" wrote:
> The CD opens with that killer piece, Handel's
> "Care Selve," sung as beautifully as I have ever heard it.

I had a voice teacher about 7 years ago, when I was in the very VERY
embryonic stages of moving into classical music from pop, and she
assigned this to me as my first aria to learn. This teacher sent me to
audition for our local college's opera workshop. Me -- with no operatic
training nor repertoire to speak of. The director of the opera
department said I needed an aria, and my teacher had given me the sheet
music to Care Selve, and told me it was an aria, so I brought it. We
had gone over it about one time. I didn't think I was ready to audition
or sing opera, but I was known for underestimating my abilities, I was
ignorant about classical training, and ultimately I figured my teacher
wouldn't send me to an audition I wasn't prepared for, right? WRONG! Of
course I was horrible, didn't know the song and sang like Debbie
Gibson. Luckily he wasn't too hard on me, but obviously I had wasted
his time!

Needless to say, I didn't stay with her long. But I ran across that
music for Care Selve recently and it looks like a really pretty one. I
am curious as to why it is considered a "killer piece"? And what type
of voice is it considered appropriate for?

Thanks!
Karena