I know the title of the infatuation post doesn't jive with the entry for those who know opera. But I liked the lyric. It's from Smokey Robinson's "Tears of A Clown". Sue me.
Yesterday, I had my musical jury. For those of you who don't know what that is, basically, it's when you go and sing in front of the faculty of the school of music and are judged on your performance. For many, it's a nerve-wracking experience. For my very first jury, I sang a fairly difficult piece. I'm wondering if this was a mistake, because now, the faculty will be expecting great things from me. Oh well.
The entire process involves preparing six or eight songs for your jury. You decide which song you perform first, and the judges pick the next song from the list you have provided them. The vocalists sang in Mitchell Hall Theatre, which is the main theatre for UCO. Please come and see our performances if you're in the area. *shameless plug*
I sang, "Comfort Ye My People" from Handel's Messiah. If you haven't heard this song, you haven't lived. It's very difficult vocally. I've been trying to sing it for years, and have only recently reached a level of vocal maturity where I can do so. I'm very proud to say that I rocked it. I rocked it hard. As soon as I opened my mouth, and I heard the acoustics, I just started milking the song for all it was worth, and any nervousness I previously had melted away. Instead of being in a room with four professors, I was in a hall filled with adoring fans waiting to hear me sing. I got to the last part, "The voice of HIM that CRIETH in the wilderness! Prepare ye the way of the Lord! Make straight in the desert, a Highway for our God!"
Whenever I prepare a song, it's not enough for me to just sing it. I have to invest myself into it, as if I were the character singing the song. Comfort ye is taken from Isaiah, but one imagines Saint John the Baptist singing it. So, that's who I pretended to be, and I gave that high note all hell with the fortissimo.
When I was done, the professors decided which song I would sing next, The gentleman in the back looked at the list, and called out, "Nina!"
Nina is attributed to Giovanni Pergolesi. The song is about a man who's girl, "Nina" has died. Basically, she's been lying there for three days, and the man is calling on the drums and the timpanis to wake his Nina. It's very sad, and apparently was written for Pergolesi by one of his friends who was helping Pergolesi mourn the loss of his cat Nina. It should be sung as though you've lost something very dear to you. It's always a plus to get that sad italian song every once in a while.
I think I did well on that song except for a minor mistake at the end which I refuse to beat myself over. I did well overall, and am waiting anxiously for my scores. Today, one of the judges saw me and said she enjoyed my performance, so that was nice of her.
I hadn't intended this post to go on for this long, so it'll be a two parter I suppose. I'm happy I did well. Please pray that I do well on the rest of my tests.
