The communion service in the Episcopal Church is a beautiful service and I particularly like it if you have a good-sized group of people who participate in the hymns and responses during the liturgy. That service is designed for the congregation to respond and participate in the service at certain times. It can be like an opera if it is done well.
I love tunes and music and there is some fabulous music in opera. The Marriage of Figaro is probably the one that I have heard the most. So, I get what you are writing about.
One of my favorite pieces of music is Handel's "Messiah." I have probably heard it a hundred times by various orchestras and choirs. Of course, some parts I like better than others, but I listen to it maybe once a year. But I could put on a recording of "Messiah" anytime and enjoy listening. The same with the operas that I listen to. No matter how many times I hear them, they don't get old.
I think that one characterization of our present age is "superficial." People nowadays with their computers and smart phones, get bits of information quickly. So, we are up to date with our information and data, but we spend little time really thinking about what all of that information and data means. I don't think that many of our young people could sit still and stay off the smart phone long enough to listen to and enjoy opera.
Many of the young people that I am around, seem to be either talking on the phone or texting. When do they do any work? Maybe that is what is wrong with our economy. Nobody does any work; they are just busy communicating.
Which brings me to another point. Is the world naturally elitist? I think that it generally is.
Most endeavors require practice and work for the participants to become good at it. Music requires quite a bit of practice particularly for most instruments.
Our Lord said in the scriptures "that the road to heaven is narrow and there are few people who travel thereupon. While the road to hell is wide and is heavily traveled and full of people."
I think that is true, not because of anything the Lord did. But because most people don't read and study the scriptures sufficiently to understand what he is saying. The same way many operas are beautiful, but many people won't listen and enjoy the beauty.
Indeed! Beauty is where we find it, and these days it's more often found inside and catalyzed than it is seen outside in this cold and snowy winter here in Woebegon.
Those lovely, betraying white flakes this morning are a thing of beauty, until they find a sidewalk or a road they can glaze, and our own pirouttes can spin us about like a ballet dancer. Both events can take our breath away.
It's understandable why some of us run the mask "risk" now and then, mask and all. There used to be solitary confinement in prison. Perhaps there still is. Solitude can drive us mad, loving companion or no, and if we are offered a chance to risk a promising outing of joy, we may grab it, our masks secured. Church is also a wonderful place to visit, on occasion. It gives us an onsite chance pray for our betterment, or, perhaps, ask forgiveness for our own many failings.
For the less risky among us, and count me there, we've mostly gotten by with the new streaming video. Our church now has a daily video Mass and spiritual communion that we can share without ever leaving the house. Equally uplifting and safe is our local public television which often carries music to our ears: Christmas choirs from our local colleges can bring choral tears to our eyes. Osmo Vänskä, the conductor of the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra, and those fine musicians bring tears to our eyes through our ears....even if we aren't Finns or present at Orchestra Hall, all masked up.
Video-streaming saves us again. As it did at the funeral of a dear friend whose service was made available to all of us at greater viral risk. No, it's nott the same, of course, but let us be glad for the gifts we have, while we pray for the ones we still need.
The Countess is the broken heart beneath all the foolery; this is what makes "The Marriage of Figaro" the masterpiece it is. That, and its declaration that broken hearts can be mended as well.
I do not understand the all-American aversion to opera. If you think about it, country music sings about the same kind of thing -- broken hearts, betrayal. And some of the country/western ladies wear outfits as bodacious as you'll find in opera.
For years, I listened to opera in the car. I'd pick a straight road, turn the sound up and listen to singers sing loud about secret feelings. At the apartment, if I played "Ode to Joy" at a volume where I could actually hear it, the pounding on the ceiling would commence. I once attempted to listen to the Sextet from "Lucia di Lammermoor" at one of my office jobs, as sublime a piece of music as you'll ever hear -- and you would have thought that I was sticking red hot needles into my coworkers. "Ew! Ew! NOT OPERAAAAAAAAA...." Being raised to be considerate (Translation: doormat) I turned it off. That was the early 1980s and Mister Keillor, I AM STILL MAD. The rage of the liberal who politely listens to sugarpop music on her coworker's radio stations ... I TOLERATE YOUR CRAP, WHY CAN'T YOU TOLERATE DONIZETTI for ten minutes out of your precious lives????"
(deep breath.)
Is it all that bawling, naked emotion that makes people curl up in a knot with their fists pressed against their ears?
I don't know. I'm just grateful for the technology that lets me listen to the music without someone whining in the background.
And I must attend a Met performance before I die or it dies.
I have only been to an opera at the Met once and loved it, but I agree that in some ways it is preferable to watch them on TV (with the audio coming from a surround sound receiver with 11 speakers.) My couch is more comfortable than any theater seat and my husband keeps quiet most of the time because he is an opera lover, too. He had 4 years of classical voice training at our local university after he retired, so he appreciates the singers' abilities more than most people do. He has perfect pitch, so he sometimes comments when a note is sharp or flat.
Several years ago there was a summary of an interview of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the AARP magazine in which she discussed her love of opera. She was asked what her favorite opera was and she responded that it was either "Le nozze di Figaro" or "Don Giovanni", whichever she had seen more recently. I agreed with her then and I still do now. I have only been to an opera at the Met once, but have been to many in Europe on opera-oriented tours.
Several years ago, 2011, my band was performing at Penn's Peak near Jim Thorpe, PA. It was a cold and snowy January day, there must have been 18" of snow on the ground but all the roads were clear, the show must go on. My John Mellencamp tribute band was opening for a Bob Segar Tribute band to a crowd of over 1800 people. It was an amazing night
What was more amazing is that 4 of the 6 band members of my band all had a cold of some sort. Our bass player and drummer both had some sort of chest cold, our female back up singer had a sinus infection and sore throat and I as the lead singer was battling post-nasal drip and a sore throat, my head felt like a bowling ball. Our 72 year old agent who booked the gig was there and he too was suffering from a cold of some sort. That was the first time I met him and we shook hands when we met and talked about the whole business in close quarters prior to the show and after sound check. Up in the green room I downed 4 cups of throat-coat tea as did pretty much everyone who was sick that lounge, including 3 members from the other band. After dinner and before doors, as I usually do, I met with the sound crew and the guys at the board, of the three at the board, two were sick. We all shook hands and commiserated about the show for a few minutes and then we all went back to our perspective corners. The show must go on.
Between coughs and sniffles, our agent kept asking both bands if we were going to be okay to do the show, if not they would call it off, airing concerns from staff and management of the venue. "Don't worry", we assured him, we would still do the show, we weren't about to let the masses of people pouring in from the cold be disappointed. The show must go on.
Through out the whole evening, despite the sniffles, coughing, nose-blowing, sneezing and snot filled tissues in nearly every trash can back stage, band members, crew and staff were all shaking hands with everyone, sick or not and enjoying the evening.
Show time and out on stage, we fired up and blasted through 60 minutes of music. Everyone in the band did their parts as best they could and where one couldn't sing another would fill it in, we've rehearsed this. I on the other hand, had no fill-in, I had to do it regardless of how I felt and I pushed through. Singing through the parts that I knew would test the limits of my current throat condition. People danced in the isles, in front of the stage and anywhere they could. We got a standing ovation and left the stage. Backstage, dripping with sweat, we were greeted with handshakes and pats on the back by the other band offering up kind words of an impressive show and "you're a tough act to follow". I returned kind "thank you's" with sweat dripping from my face.
Though there was no official count, it was estimated that there was close to 2000 people in the venue that night, the venue unusually allowed standing room so I was told. I would venture to say that of the 1800+ people, most likely 25% of the audience probably had a cold or the flu. Maybe even some of those in the audience had gotten their flu shot as well and were likely still sniffling, coughing and shaking hands with fellow concert goers. The show must go on.
From 2009 through 2011 the H1N1 Influenza "pandemic" ran through the world, a subtype of H1N1 that ravaged the world in 1917. Yet we thought nothing of going out, having a good time, shaking hands and being close to each other in public places. There was a vaccine available as of the end of 2009 but there was no pressure to get it and we all went on with our lives. The symptoms of H1N1 are, oddly enough, the same as those of the flu, and dare I say, the common cold. In that venue that night, 50% of the people that would be on that stage singing into the same microphones could have been infected with H1N1 and not even have known it. We all healed went on to do more shows none the wiser. As did our audience.
If one were to look at the symptoms that H1N1 one would see the symptoms were that of the flu and dare I say the common cold. If you were to compare the symptoms of the current strain of virus, you would find pretty much the same thing. The severity of the current strain is in the method in which it is perceived, described and impressed upon us by our fellow man. In 2011, not one person wore a mask, no one social distanced, shows and events weren't cancelled. We just went on with life. From 1968 through 1970 the H3N2 virus circled the globe, and killed nearly 1 million people worldwide with 100K of those being the United States. And how did we handle that pandemic? We held Woodstock. And by the way, the H3N2 virus is still out there today with a vaccine available for it.
I implore everyone to think for themselves, be their own person and live their lives through their own judgement. The "you do you and I'll do me" mentality. I promise to respect, not to belittle, despise or shake a finger at you for your decisions and I expect everyone to do the same towards me. I have never in my life gotten a flu shot while I see friends and family rush out to get it every year and still get sick. But that's their choice and, I respect that, but now I have those shaking fingers pointed at me while they are sniffling, coughing and filling waste baskets with snotty tissues. And should I start to feel like I'm coming down with something, like what I just got over, I take off the shelf products like Dayquil, Nyquil, lather up with Vicks and do all those things you do when you have a cold and kick it in a week. What I don't do is run to the doctor or hospital screaming in a panic for a test to determine if I have something they can't do anything about. The bottom line is to treat the symptoms, not the name and don't panic.
I'm not a fan of opera, I appreciate the talent and I do appreciate the writing and perhaps the story line. The singing bothers me, mostly because I don't understand what they are singing. I was taught as vocalist that diction is paramount in the delivery of the song. Opera vocalist, while extremely talented, seem to be just warbling sounds at various octaves that imply they are singing actual words. Like I said I don't get it. And I applaud them for their persistence in continuing to perform despite restrictions and fear of whatever. Because, like life, the show must go on.
Again, you don't have to agree, no one does and I'm not suggesting or demanding you or anyone do. Think for yourself, believe what you will, live your life as you wish and I will always respect that, as we all should.
By the way, I just finished listening to the audiobook "Wobegon Boy". Absolutely brilliant. I found myself chuckling quite often. I love your work Mr. Keilor, thank you for sharing it with us. God Bless and best wishes to you and yours.
I am equally ignorant of opera, but am moved to near tears by words I don't understand simply through the score, standing by itself. I have a CD (imagine that) of the Marriage of Figaro which I play on my truck sound system, at high volume and the windows open, on construction job sites. The most common response is someone recognizing it from Shawshank Redemption, indicating there is hope for the mass line.
I'm glued to my radio eagerly waiting for Saturday at the Met and between you and Jenny in the audience and Matthew Aucoin in the Dec. Atlantic I feel well prepared, especially for the final scene, "the miraculous sound of forgiveness," which we simply can't have too much of in this dangerous time. Thank you as ever for giving us your take on it all.
Sadly, the heart and passion in his entreaty "for god's sake get vaccinated" will be "a tinkling cymbal" to the anti-vaxxers. More deaf to kindness, common sense, and basic humanity than they are to the glories of opera.
Beautiful, as always.
Eloquent, pithy and perfectly GK. Thank you!
Excellent column, Garrison.
The communion service in the Episcopal Church is a beautiful service and I particularly like it if you have a good-sized group of people who participate in the hymns and responses during the liturgy. That service is designed for the congregation to respond and participate in the service at certain times. It can be like an opera if it is done well.
I love tunes and music and there is some fabulous music in opera. The Marriage of Figaro is probably the one that I have heard the most. So, I get what you are writing about.
One of my favorite pieces of music is Handel's "Messiah." I have probably heard it a hundred times by various orchestras and choirs. Of course, some parts I like better than others, but I listen to it maybe once a year. But I could put on a recording of "Messiah" anytime and enjoy listening. The same with the operas that I listen to. No matter how many times I hear them, they don't get old.
I think that one characterization of our present age is "superficial." People nowadays with their computers and smart phones, get bits of information quickly. So, we are up to date with our information and data, but we spend little time really thinking about what all of that information and data means. I don't think that many of our young people could sit still and stay off the smart phone long enough to listen to and enjoy opera.
Many of the young people that I am around, seem to be either talking on the phone or texting. When do they do any work? Maybe that is what is wrong with our economy. Nobody does any work; they are just busy communicating.
Which brings me to another point. Is the world naturally elitist? I think that it generally is.
Most endeavors require practice and work for the participants to become good at it. Music requires quite a bit of practice particularly for most instruments.
Our Lord said in the scriptures "that the road to heaven is narrow and there are few people who travel thereupon. While the road to hell is wide and is heavily traveled and full of people."
I think that is true, not because of anything the Lord did. But because most people don't read and study the scriptures sufficiently to understand what he is saying. The same way many operas are beautiful, but many people won't listen and enjoy the beauty.
Best wishes and a happy life to all.
Thank you so much…we Opera singers and teachers of the next generation really appreciate this!
"...the home of emotional withdrawal..." made me smile. Thanks!
Indeed! Beauty is where we find it, and these days it's more often found inside and catalyzed than it is seen outside in this cold and snowy winter here in Woebegon.
Those lovely, betraying white flakes this morning are a thing of beauty, until they find a sidewalk or a road they can glaze, and our own pirouttes can spin us about like a ballet dancer. Both events can take our breath away.
It's understandable why some of us run the mask "risk" now and then, mask and all. There used to be solitary confinement in prison. Perhaps there still is. Solitude can drive us mad, loving companion or no, and if we are offered a chance to risk a promising outing of joy, we may grab it, our masks secured. Church is also a wonderful place to visit, on occasion. It gives us an onsite chance pray for our betterment, or, perhaps, ask forgiveness for our own many failings.
For the less risky among us, and count me there, we've mostly gotten by with the new streaming video. Our church now has a daily video Mass and spiritual communion that we can share without ever leaving the house. Equally uplifting and safe is our local public television which often carries music to our ears: Christmas choirs from our local colleges can bring choral tears to our eyes. Osmo Vänskä, the conductor of the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra, and those fine musicians bring tears to our eyes through our ears....even if we aren't Finns or present at Orchestra Hall, all masked up.
Video-streaming saves us again. As it did at the funeral of a dear friend whose service was made available to all of us at greater viral risk. No, it's nott the same, of course, but let us be glad for the gifts we have, while we pray for the ones we still need.
The Countess is the broken heart beneath all the foolery; this is what makes "The Marriage of Figaro" the masterpiece it is. That, and its declaration that broken hearts can be mended as well.
I do not understand the all-American aversion to opera. If you think about it, country music sings about the same kind of thing -- broken hearts, betrayal. And some of the country/western ladies wear outfits as bodacious as you'll find in opera.
For years, I listened to opera in the car. I'd pick a straight road, turn the sound up and listen to singers sing loud about secret feelings. At the apartment, if I played "Ode to Joy" at a volume where I could actually hear it, the pounding on the ceiling would commence. I once attempted to listen to the Sextet from "Lucia di Lammermoor" at one of my office jobs, as sublime a piece of music as you'll ever hear -- and you would have thought that I was sticking red hot needles into my coworkers. "Ew! Ew! NOT OPERAAAAAAAAA...." Being raised to be considerate (Translation: doormat) I turned it off. That was the early 1980s and Mister Keillor, I AM STILL MAD. The rage of the liberal who politely listens to sugarpop music on her coworker's radio stations ... I TOLERATE YOUR CRAP, WHY CAN'T YOU TOLERATE DONIZETTI for ten minutes out of your precious lives????"
(deep breath.)
Is it all that bawling, naked emotion that makes people curl up in a knot with their fists pressed against their ears?
I don't know. I'm just grateful for the technology that lets me listen to the music without someone whining in the background.
And I must attend a Met performance before I die or it dies.
Thanks, Mister Keillor, for your words.
I have only been to an opera at the Met once and loved it, but I agree that in some ways it is preferable to watch them on TV (with the audio coming from a surround sound receiver with 11 speakers.) My couch is more comfortable than any theater seat and my husband keeps quiet most of the time because he is an opera lover, too. He had 4 years of classical voice training at our local university after he retired, so he appreciates the singers' abilities more than most people do. He has perfect pitch, so he sometimes comments when a note is sharp or flat.
A good pair of headphones is a small blessing to all concerned.
Yea, verily.
Several years ago there was a summary of an interview of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the AARP magazine in which she discussed her love of opera. She was asked what her favorite opera was and she responded that it was either "Le nozze di Figaro" or "Don Giovanni", whichever she had seen more recently. I agreed with her then and I still do now. I have only been to an opera at the Met once, but have been to many in Europe on opera-oriented tours.
Several years ago, 2011, my band was performing at Penn's Peak near Jim Thorpe, PA. It was a cold and snowy January day, there must have been 18" of snow on the ground but all the roads were clear, the show must go on. My John Mellencamp tribute band was opening for a Bob Segar Tribute band to a crowd of over 1800 people. It was an amazing night
What was more amazing is that 4 of the 6 band members of my band all had a cold of some sort. Our bass player and drummer both had some sort of chest cold, our female back up singer had a sinus infection and sore throat and I as the lead singer was battling post-nasal drip and a sore throat, my head felt like a bowling ball. Our 72 year old agent who booked the gig was there and he too was suffering from a cold of some sort. That was the first time I met him and we shook hands when we met and talked about the whole business in close quarters prior to the show and after sound check. Up in the green room I downed 4 cups of throat-coat tea as did pretty much everyone who was sick that lounge, including 3 members from the other band. After dinner and before doors, as I usually do, I met with the sound crew and the guys at the board, of the three at the board, two were sick. We all shook hands and commiserated about the show for a few minutes and then we all went back to our perspective corners. The show must go on.
Between coughs and sniffles, our agent kept asking both bands if we were going to be okay to do the show, if not they would call it off, airing concerns from staff and management of the venue. "Don't worry", we assured him, we would still do the show, we weren't about to let the masses of people pouring in from the cold be disappointed. The show must go on.
Through out the whole evening, despite the sniffles, coughing, nose-blowing, sneezing and snot filled tissues in nearly every trash can back stage, band members, crew and staff were all shaking hands with everyone, sick or not and enjoying the evening.
Show time and out on stage, we fired up and blasted through 60 minutes of music. Everyone in the band did their parts as best they could and where one couldn't sing another would fill it in, we've rehearsed this. I on the other hand, had no fill-in, I had to do it regardless of how I felt and I pushed through. Singing through the parts that I knew would test the limits of my current throat condition. People danced in the isles, in front of the stage and anywhere they could. We got a standing ovation and left the stage. Backstage, dripping with sweat, we were greeted with handshakes and pats on the back by the other band offering up kind words of an impressive show and "you're a tough act to follow". I returned kind "thank you's" with sweat dripping from my face.
Though there was no official count, it was estimated that there was close to 2000 people in the venue that night, the venue unusually allowed standing room so I was told. I would venture to say that of the 1800+ people, most likely 25% of the audience probably had a cold or the flu. Maybe even some of those in the audience had gotten their flu shot as well and were likely still sniffling, coughing and shaking hands with fellow concert goers. The show must go on.
From 2009 through 2011 the H1N1 Influenza "pandemic" ran through the world, a subtype of H1N1 that ravaged the world in 1917. Yet we thought nothing of going out, having a good time, shaking hands and being close to each other in public places. There was a vaccine available as of the end of 2009 but there was no pressure to get it and we all went on with our lives. The symptoms of H1N1 are, oddly enough, the same as those of the flu, and dare I say, the common cold. In that venue that night, 50% of the people that would be on that stage singing into the same microphones could have been infected with H1N1 and not even have known it. We all healed went on to do more shows none the wiser. As did our audience.
If one were to look at the symptoms that H1N1 one would see the symptoms were that of the flu and dare I say the common cold. If you were to compare the symptoms of the current strain of virus, you would find pretty much the same thing. The severity of the current strain is in the method in which it is perceived, described and impressed upon us by our fellow man. In 2011, not one person wore a mask, no one social distanced, shows and events weren't cancelled. We just went on with life. From 1968 through 1970 the H3N2 virus circled the globe, and killed nearly 1 million people worldwide with 100K of those being the United States. And how did we handle that pandemic? We held Woodstock. And by the way, the H3N2 virus is still out there today with a vaccine available for it.
I implore everyone to think for themselves, be their own person and live their lives through their own judgement. The "you do you and I'll do me" mentality. I promise to respect, not to belittle, despise or shake a finger at you for your decisions and I expect everyone to do the same towards me. I have never in my life gotten a flu shot while I see friends and family rush out to get it every year and still get sick. But that's their choice and, I respect that, but now I have those shaking fingers pointed at me while they are sniffling, coughing and filling waste baskets with snotty tissues. And should I start to feel like I'm coming down with something, like what I just got over, I take off the shelf products like Dayquil, Nyquil, lather up with Vicks and do all those things you do when you have a cold and kick it in a week. What I don't do is run to the doctor or hospital screaming in a panic for a test to determine if I have something they can't do anything about. The bottom line is to treat the symptoms, not the name and don't panic.
I'm not a fan of opera, I appreciate the talent and I do appreciate the writing and perhaps the story line. The singing bothers me, mostly because I don't understand what they are singing. I was taught as vocalist that diction is paramount in the delivery of the song. Opera vocalist, while extremely talented, seem to be just warbling sounds at various octaves that imply they are singing actual words. Like I said I don't get it. And I applaud them for their persistence in continuing to perform despite restrictions and fear of whatever. Because, like life, the show must go on.
Again, you don't have to agree, no one does and I'm not suggesting or demanding you or anyone do. Think for yourself, believe what you will, live your life as you wish and I will always respect that, as we all should.
By the way, I just finished listening to the audiobook "Wobegon Boy". Absolutely brilliant. I found myself chuckling quite often. I love your work Mr. Keilor, thank you for sharing it with us. God Bless and best wishes to you and yours.
Just what I needed today! Bravo! Thank you as always!
How beautiful, but we’ve come to know your words will lift us each time you write.
Garrison, you are a wonderful inspiration. Thank you.
I am equally ignorant of opera, but am moved to near tears by words I don't understand simply through the score, standing by itself. I have a CD (imagine that) of the Marriage of Figaro which I play on my truck sound system, at high volume and the windows open, on construction job sites. The most common response is someone recognizing it from Shawshank Redemption, indicating there is hope for the mass line.
Also, great piece today. Heartwarming, true, and lovely.
I'm glued to my radio eagerly waiting for Saturday at the Met and between you and Jenny in the audience and Matthew Aucoin in the Dec. Atlantic I feel well prepared, especially for the final scene, "the miraculous sound of forgiveness," which we simply can't have too much of in this dangerous time. Thank you as ever for giving us your take on it all.
Sadly, the heart and passion in his entreaty "for god's sake get vaccinated" will be "a tinkling cymbal" to the anti-vaxxers. More deaf to kindness, common sense, and basic humanity than they are to the glories of opera.