We all have to remember that Violetta, Carmen and Dalila weren't exactly Sunday School Teachers...As for scantily clad classical singers, very few would actually be able to pull that off.
We all have to admit that "sex sells"! The music learning center where I worked (until 1/7/03) closed and the CEO shut down the webpage. You guessed it! The very next day there was a porno site there with celebrity nudes (Britney Spears, but no Charlotte Church, YET! HAHA!!) and links for oral and interracial sex. It was undoubtedly one of those "Kodak Moments" for my memoirs! My bio page had a dozen DVD covers that left little to the imagination!
A friend once asked me if I was aware that the women in the coffee shop that I enjoyed were prostitutes. My response was "Of course!"! I figure that one day when I'm coaching "Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix" I'll be able to draw on those experiences!
My "favorite" prostitute of all time would have to be Lexington, KY's Belle Brezing, who was used by Margaret Mitchell as the prototype of Belle Watling in her "Gone With The Wind". Ms. Brezing was most generous. One Christmas, in the 1910s before she was forced out of business by the US Army, Belle asked John Jacob Niles to come over with three other singers and perform Christmas Carols for her girls. Mr. Niles was a struggling young musician at the time. He failed to locate three other singers to complete the requested quartet, but put in the scheduled appearance at Madam Breezing's "Palace of Pleasure" and sang his carols accompanying himself with his guitar. "I Wonder As I Wander" and "Jesus, Jesus, Rest Your Head" are among his most haunting melodies and come to mind. The Madam and her girls were beautifully dressed and Mr. Niles enjoyed breakfast after singing for them. Madam Brezing engaged him in polite conversation during the meal and, when it was time for him to go, presented him with an envelope. To his delight, he found that Belle Brezing had paid him for the ENTIRE quartet of singers and he was then able to purchase a winter coat. Like her literary and motion picture counterparts, Belle Brezing truly had a heart of gold!
I would say that if the accompanist can transpose, "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" would be successful. Evita Peron was also no Sunday School Teacher!
Ed
Pure vowels, long phrases and elaborate embellishments are the three principles of "bel canto"...Tone supports breath and not breath the tone!
---------------------------------
|