Good day

I had a fantastic day yesterday, partly because I finally had a day mostly in one spot instead of running about from appointment to appointment. What made even more of a difference was that my day was focused on music - gasp! what a shock for a conservatory student. The conference and job hunt went on hold, and I spent my day singing my recital music, taking a voice lesson, signing up for a coaching, and researching my recital music in the library. Ok, there was a theory class in there as well, but theory is still a class, a place where I can kick back, take some notes, and think about music.

I think getting actual sleep the last two nights probably helped a bit as well.

Much of my work yesterday dealt with Desdemona, the wife of Othello whom he falsely accuses of adultery and then murders. Right after he's accused her but before he comes to their bedroom to strangle her, she is sitting with her only friend, Emilia. Desdemona tells Emilia that her mother had a maid who sang this folk song called The Willow Song right the night she died. And Desdemona feels like singing it then.

The Willow Song was a popular ballad in Shakespeare's day. We know it today because of Othello, but he actually lifted the lyrics from the popular cannon. The original was actually sung by a man about his faithless female lover, but the refrain, "Sing willow, willow, willow", was still there. Shakespeare transformed it, and later composers have taken Shakespeare's version, transformed it a bit, and added all sorts of music. Kilpinen created a Swedish version. Loewe did one in German. Khatchaturian - Russian. Gilbert & Sullivan - "Tit willow, tit willow, tit willow". Jean-Jacques Rousseau - the philosopher - wrote one in French. And several composers like Baber and Korngold set it in English. It's really interesting to hear the different takes. Some are major, some minor. The various languages give the text a different flavor as well. But all are filled with the same aching grief.

Today, lots of practice, a coaching, a couple meetings, and a rehearsal for Manon (I'm playing the maid who gets to say "C'est l'heure du souper, Monsieur."/"It's time for dinner, sir.") If I'm really good, I'll also knock out Monday's theory assignment. The weekly theory work due Mondays usually takes me about 5-10 hours, so it would be great to pull that off my to-do list today!

~Hope