Sunday’s Music – Purcell – Dido & Aeneas – With drooping wings
From act III of Henrik Purcell‘s opera Dido and Aeneas, one of the earliest known English operas.
The Power of Music
I recently read a blogpost by composer Bernard Kane which made me think about the power of music. Most people, whether we like it or not, associate our memories with music. My grandfather loved Frank Sinatra so whenever I hear his music it always has a special place in my heart. Whenever me and my …
Introducing the mezzo soprano voice
Mezzo soprano is the second highest female voice type and “jokingly” is known for singing the roles of witches, bitches and britches in opera. The mezzo soprano repertoire sits overall lower than the soprano. Some lyric mezzos are able to sing very high and fast, versus the dramatic mezzo soprano voice which has a darker …
Sunday’s Music – Verdi Requiem – Dies irae
The text from Verdi’s Dies irae comes from one of the most famous melodies of the Gregorian Chant and means Day of Wrath. Recommended reading: What are the lyrics and translation of Verdi’s ‘Dies Irae’ – and which films have I heard it in?
What is my voice fach?
Have you ever met a mezzo who is able to sing a high C amazingly and assumed that she must be a soprano, or have heard a soprano who have strong and colorful low notes and therefore thought that she must be a mezzo? A lot of the times when people determine what voice fach …
Sunday’s Music – Mozart Requiem – Lacrimosa
Lacrimosa – from Mozart’s Requiem in D minor. Mozart composed part of the requiem before his death. I highly recommend watching the movie Amadeus which shows a fictionalized story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
You like musicals? How about Operetta?
Most people have heard about operas and musicals, but did you know there is an art form called operetta? Operetta is something in between an opera and a musical, and for all the musical theatre lovers out there – it might be a great option when exploring classical music since it was the precursor of …
Introducing the bass voice
The lowest range possible for the human voice. I decided to introduce this voice type first since it is usually one of the least known voices for a person unknown to opera, but as you will hear it has some of the most profound music. Some basses have lower resonances and qualities and are called …
Sunday’s Music – Puccini – Manon Lescaut Intermezzo
Manon Lescaut premiered in 1893 and was Puccini’s first real success. Set in the 1700s France, Manon Lescaut is about to be sent to a convent by order from her father, but meets a student and decides to run away with him and create her own destiny.