promero@w... wrote:
promero@w... wrote:
>
> My teacher is going to enroll me in the Spring NATS competition.
> The NATS competition requirements state you *have* to have an
> American Composer somewhere in there.
I don't know about you, but every time I have to sing in
> english or German I have to roll my eyes.
> Does anyone else have the same trouble?
Actually, I love singing in English, and it has proven to be
good for my voice. But this didn't happen overnight - I've
had to learn how to sing American English on good vowels,
which are different than the vowels I speak every day. And
I've had to learn how to make consonants my friends. But
now that I am doing well with both, American English is
working very well for my voice.
> What gets me is that you have
> to have this even if your voice is geared more towards Bel Canto or
> the Baroque repertoire. I find that bit incredibly annoying.
There is such a wide variety of repertoire and styles in
American music that I can't imagine not finding something
suitable for every voice type. If you don't like John Duke,
check out some Samuel Barber or Menotti or Bernstein or
Charles Ives (he has a wide range of musical styles in his
songs), or arias from Baby Doe, or American operetta or the
Broadway tradition. Yes, there's no baroque or renaissance
music that's American, but I would imagine most NATS
participants don't sing 100% baroque or bel canto anyway.
If I were studying in, say, Germany, you think any local
singing competition would let me get away with not singing
in German? Ditto France or Italy? Accept the inevitable and
find an American song you like, then make it your own.
There's always "Sure on This Shining Night" if you want to
wow them with your bel canto style breath management skills!
Peggy
--
Margaret Harrison, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
"Music for a While Shall All Your Cares Beguile"
mailto:peggyh@i...
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