RALUCOB@a... wrote:
> peggy,
>
> i think her choice may be; learn it off a recording or, don't learn it.
> speaking the words in rhythm first and then picking up the pitches off
> several recordings (one would be risky) is probably the only practical way
> for her to learn it. people with poor music skills tend to learn better by
> rote imitation. and singers with little experience have a tendency to have
> little ability in imagining themselves singing something they have never
> heard others do. (well, in that light, it may be a really good idea to
> learn from several recordings. i'm glad i thought of it.)
Mike, I can't disagree with what you're saying more, and we may just have to
agree to
disagree, if you feel as strongly about your view as I do about mine.
I worked on a couple of iterations of this very opera (and others even trickier
musically), and most of the singers had limited musical skills too, and did not
learn the
music from a recording. They learned their music with the help of people like
me (good
musician, fair pianist), the "real" accompanist (excellent musician, excellent
pianist),
the music director, and no doubt the individual voice teachers. Tapes were
made.
Woodshedding was done. There are no shortcuts on music this complex. The worst
experiences my director and I have had is with singers who learned their music
(especially
rhythms) wrong by copying a recording. It is SO much harder to unlearn
something drilled
in wrong, and so much wiser to learn the music accurately. It's slower at
first, but it
actually saves time and grief in the long run.
Back when I did this, there wasn't the internet, there were no opera "practice
perfect" or
"music minus one" accompaniment CDs to help learn opera parts. But the singers
managed,
and managed well, within the time period of an academic semester.
Also, I think singers should not short-shrift their musical skills by relying
on the
recordings to learn music (though I do like the ideas of using recordings for
musical
ideas once the notes and rhythms are learned). I'd bet lots of money most
singers have
much better music skills than they think they do (Not long ago a singer new to
my chorus
swore up one side and down the other that she could barely sightread, then we
started on
some brand new music and she sightread very well). And the skills can't be
developed and
improved unless the singers makes the attempt. Believe me, if a singer works
hard to
learn the music without a recording, by the time the music is learned, the
musical skills
will be at least 100% improved and available to ease the learning of the next
opera role!
Sheesh - I don't know a single instrumental musician who would even consider
for a
fleeting moment the idea of learning new music from a recording! No wonder
singers have
such a bad rep as musicians (unwarranted in most circumstances, I know, but it
only takes
one to create a bad impression of us all among non-singer musicians).
Peggy
--
Margaret Harrison, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
"Music for a While Shall All Your Cares Beguile"
mailto:peggyh@i...
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