A run-through is a satisfying thing; To hear where your part fits within the whole, And learn the proper place to stand and sing, And feel as though all share common goal. But when the final notes have dissipated, There's hardy time to celebrate success; Our egos will be presently deflated, As little bits of … Continue reading February 7: Little Bits
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February 5: Murphy’s Law of Choral Masterworks
The first time Maestro runs us through the score There rises an impending sense of dread As details we've rehearsed go out the door, And what we've practiced ends up on its head. Pronunciations and dynamics shift; We drill refinements 'til our minds our numb. Our pencils fly, lest we be left adrift, Our folders … Continue reading February 5: Murphy’s Law of Choral Masterworks
January 28: To Kazoos
From ritual and dance that strove to hide Identities from watchers' ears and eyes, Descended the kazoo, for years supplied By parents in response to children's cries. But when that cheerful buzzing banishes The woeful din, it substitutes a sound At which all satisfaction vanishes; Faust would admit the quandary profound. But kitschy and obnoxious … Continue reading January 28: To Kazoos
January 25: On Working Mendelssohn’s “Lobgesang”
When working on a project of some length We are advised to take it bit by bit, To gently test endurance and one's strength, But living with the fear one might omit A necessary passage or to find That when a crucial section is rehearsed, You find yourself in something of a bind And panic, … Continue reading January 25: On Working Mendelssohn’s “Lobgesang”
January 18: An Italian-ish Sonnet Inspired by Austrian Music
I breakfasted with Mozart Saturday: Fantasia on Là ci darem la mano, For clarinet, not baritone/soprano, So gone was the seductive interplay Between the ingeneue, whose fiance Would disapprove, and Count, whose andiamo Is more than just a dance, comprendiamo, The dainty steps of being led astray. But seated also here, my own Massetto Engrossed … Continue reading January 18: An Italian-ish Sonnet Inspired by Austrian Music
Libby Weber 