Shrilling - uneven tone in upper resgister

Excellent vocal version of the Webber PIE JESU. I like the way you go from the classical soprano head tones, to the popular vocal, more "breathy", chest tones. Very effective and very smoothly done.

I do find the piano accompaniment a bit "plodding" for my personal taste, and if I had been producing the session I would probably have used a more flowing instrumental arrangement. This is a movement from a requiem, which means it's CHURCH MUSIC. I have never felt that the piano works very well accompanying works of this kind and it forces the singer into a "pocket" that a smoother more orchestral accompaniment does not impose. Don't forget, the piano is essentially a percussion instrument. This is not a criticism, just a personal thing....

Julian Lloyd Webber, the composer of the piece, uses a harp and orchestra to accompany his solo cello, and plays with FAR MORE "rubato" than either you or I.

That being said, I think YOU did splendidly.

Julian Lloyd Webber (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLov-oUKm7U)

There is a funny version of this piece sung by a Czech soprano who makes a face every time she fucks up a note! She is singing with a young boy soprano who is decidedly and consistently sharp. Also the poster of this video seems to have mixed up Andrew (A.L. Webber) with his brother Julian.

Dvorak Hall (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Lj001sjG20)

Oh So Beautiful, it is that late hour again…

Coalport said:
[i]This is a movement from a requiem, which means it's CHURCH MUSIC.[/i]

Do we have Roman Catholic influence here? Amethyste always hold tight to the Spirit that guides you, as you and I both know there are angels truly among us.

Day debbos too!

Coalport -

I just watched the woman soprano - she does make funny faces. One thing I noticed, she seems to be tense in her shoulders. When she goes up in her register, the shoulders go up, it constricts the throat and it is not helping you o sing better :) Kudos to her though, I'd be a puddle of sweat and goo in her place. I have such a fear of performance! It's getting better, but it's taking a lot of time...

as far as a Requiem goes - I though that a requiem is a solemn chant for the repose of the dead. I didn't really associate this with being a Church song. The only "church" connection I made with the piece, is that this beautiful piece was written for the purpose to honor the ones who passed, with the gifts that were given to us from above. My friend Doug's gift is his amazing piano abilities and me, with my voice. I know most purists like to hear a song in the way it was originally written, and I totally understand why. But for Doug and I we did it the best way we both could with what we had :) Music is very chameleon like, it changes shapes and forms depending on everyone's hands that it passes through :) Very cool!

Touchless -
You are such a sweet person... I think you know me very well!!! ;)

A "REQUIEM" is a Mass for the dead, and like most masses it is usually (although not necessarily) performed in a church. The words to a requiem are taken from the Roman Catholic Latin liturgy. That's why it's important to say whose PIE JESU you are performing. There are many PIE JESU's written by many different composers using exactly the same traditional religious text.

Here is a performance of the PIE JESU from the REQUIEM by Gabriel Faure, played by thereminist Dalit Warshaw on Clara Rockmore's custom instrument.

Faure PIE JESU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wCQxIBqa8M)


Dalit plays with a very different technique from the late Mrs. Rockmore, and consequently the theremin has a different sound. You can give "Lucille" to some other guitar player and she won't sound like she does when B.B. King plays her. So it is with Clara's theremin. The above performance is "a cappella" and although the intonation is very good, and there is no appreciable drifting of the pitch (Dalit may have perfect pitch), liberties are taken with the note values of the melody that are - IN MY HUMBLE OPINION - inappropriate and musically misguided. I am at a disadvantage, however, because I have known this piece for much longer than Ms Warshaw has been alive! Someone who has never heard it before and is unfamiliar with it would probably not have my particular prejudices and preconceptions.

When performing "a cappella" (i.e. with no accompaniment) it is a good idea to "hear" the accompaniment in your musical imagination (and if there are words, hear those as well) so that the phrasing and expression correspond to the dynamics and intentions of the composer. Of course, if what you're performing is an improvisation that's a whole different kettle o' fish.