Johns Observations

Talk about singing from the heart…Wow.

No one sings from the heart anymore. At least in Christian music.
With the rise of CCM, the heart element has been replaced with clever guitar riffs, and wristbands and such….However, Jason has it. For those of you who arent in the know… Jason Crabb anchored one of the most successful southern gospel groups of all time…the Crabb Family. They had hit after hit on the charts, and were influential within the genre.

Within the last few years, they have disbanded and started new ministries. This is one of their last performances as a family.

Jason is quoted as saying “I made a deal with the Lord….keep my voice healthy, and I will give you 110 percent every time out.” Id say they both made good on their deal.

What I want you to notice is how he sells this lyric. He totally believes everything he is singing….Its as if this lyric is an original—spontaneous thought of his. He combines this reality with a strong vocal, and abra cadabra…. You have a powerful moment. This guy is the real deal….. No fakeness here. This isnt radio friendly–fake worship music….This is a true moment of anointing and praise. He couldn’t care less about radio at this point.

I hope you have the priveledge of seeing Jason Crabb one day. What an anointed singer.

Without a doubt, one of W.A Mozart’s greatest works is his comic opera, Le Nozze de Figaro. Figaro boasts some of the greatest music ever written. With several highlights including Non piu Andrai, the Act II Finale, and Cherubino and the Countess’ moments, one overlooked moment is the Act III aria sung by the count….Hai gia vinta la causa.

This aria is a showstopper within itself. The opera is very simple…Figaro and Susanna, who are both servants…are set to be married…However, the Count, who is a member of the upper-class, intends to have a romantic encounter with Susanna before she is wed to his servant Figaro. Through some schemish plotting and double crossing, the Count is set up by Susanna, Figaro, and the Countess……….. In this aria….He overhears Susanna bragging to Figaro that they have won…and that the Count has been duped………. In the aria, the Count reassures himself that he is in charge and that no one can get the best of him.

For the lyric baritone…. the Counts Aria is one of the first major pieces in his rep. It demands both a commanding presence, and a connected, substantial sound. At times, the orchesta sustains quite a large texture, demanding the singer to produce a tone that can carry. The aria is fairly lengthy, and has several key components. The recitative is a standard classical Italian operatic recitative…. Once the aria proper begins, the vocal line is very connective, yet authoritative at the same time. The aria concludes with a string of melismatic passages, and a daunting F# to test the singers stamina. This aria will prove a singers technique either strong or weak, depending on the F#.

I hope you enjoy this aria…….. Many baritones tend to gravitate toward the character whom the opera is named after….Figaro…However, the Count is so much more complex and sensitive a character…. I am personally drawn to the Count… I hope you enjoy Rodney Gilfry and his interpretation of Hai Gia Vinta la Causa!

Learn these….they can help you singing and speaking quite a bit…..

If yuo can replace each instance in speech that calls for these vowles….with properly resonated vowels….. you will be able to sing or speak in a huge room….with no amplification

e i a o u

1.  e—-hey, say, play, vacation, they\

2.  i—-see, tree, bee, thee, key, idole(not american idol)

3.  a—- caught, father, daughter, slaughter, ball, gras

4.  o—- so, go, show, coke, choke, flow

5.  u—  New, do, shoe, Jew

Well… I must share this… Sunday Night, August 17th, I had the joy of taking our FBCDFS Celebration Choir down to FBCPC to perform in a combined gospel performance called “A Summer Night of Gospel Music.”  This was a collection of old and new songs from the Southern Gospel genre….

The conducting was split between myself, Manuel Garcia, and Donnie Smith. 

The soloists for the night came from FBCPC…however, when we repeat this performance on August 24th, the FBCDFS soloists will sing—Diane, Andrea……. with the exception of the song “I Know.”  DIane P will also be playing the Organ which I am looking forward to.. I heard her rehearsing today and it was awesome!!

Musically, things went very well.  I have to say things worked out better than I was anticipating..,considering the way things went at the dress rehearsal a few weeks ago.  I was for the most part impressed with the orchestra, soloists, and choir.  I truly felt that throughout this choir of about 120…there were about 24 or 25 singers who really KNEW thier stuff……… I dont mean that to knock anyone else…. I just know for a fact that FBCDFS was prepared.  I remember a quote that one of my Recon Seargents would say….”dont just know your job…know it well enough you could teach it to your buddy.”  Same applies with choir…and I think our tenors could have taught their parts to their neigbor, and  etc…with each voice part….

Artistically—I was most impressed here…..I had the privledge of directing a few songs….The choir did some very nice things…….One highlight was Love Grew Where the Blood Fell…… I used some very descriptive gestures, and some vowel type gestures….and WOW..what a sound…….. I am spoiled though…. I come from a choir in Dfs that does things almost inatley… without me even saying anything……..  Musically, our choir is a very talented bunch…. 

However…most important….  I truly felt that the message being sung by the choirs….was true.  This is a part of singing that many people never get……   it isnt enough to sing the right notes….. It isnt enough to say the right words…… Yes, those things are important….However, it has to start within….. In the heart……. If you dont believe those lyrics, and those stories you are singing about…….. it will fall flat…….This night, it was clear….the choirs beleived what they sang!!

now for the funny part………

I had a small solo during the program…on a tune called “4th Man.”  It is pretty much a rap song… I have to say alot of words very quickly and very rhythmically…….  Well in the middle of the first verse, I went blank….. I started making up sounds……. I couldnt make up words fast enough….all I could get was sounds…….so….. I just gave up, and sang in rhythm–” I forgot my words!!!’

So there you go…the picky–perfectionist choir director messing things up………..  Hey, no one ever accused me of not being humble…..cause I know I mess up ALOT….its only by HIS grace that I am not a total mess all the time!

FBDFS.. i am proud of you all…Great Job… you guys are awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy to be a part of you.

I hope you enjoy this GORGEOUS aria from Faust by Gounod. The scenario surrounding this aria basically involves, the character Valentine singing about his upcoming battles… He talks about the glory of the battlefield….but then introspectively reflects on what the fate of his sisterwould be if he were killed gloriously in battle…he prays that God will watch over his sister……… in the opera…he clutches a medallion given to him by his siter…Margerite.

This is Dmitri Hvorostovsky…the famous Russian baritone known for his performances of Verdi andTchaiskovsky.. He sounds brilliant on this particular aria… capturing the French style well.. However, At times, he tries to darken the sound a bit much for my ear…None the less, his interpretation is uncanny. He certainly does a good job at the beginning talking about the prayer—–he asks the King of the Heavens to look after his sister…………… If he were to die in battle……

Then…he breaks into a military like declamation…….singing about his future conquests in battle, and the glory that awaits him in war. I think he particulary captures this mood well. You can hear a marked change in his voice as well as his body language.–right about 2:30

This was one of the first arias my voice teacher gave me when I started exploring into Lyric Baritone rep. Not an easy piece by any means…. Melodically, it is fairly simple, but requires a long line…..Among baritones….this aria is thought of as the “Baritone National Anthem..” haha… every baritone must sing this one at some point…..!

Listen at the end…….

Perhaps my favorite artistic choice..is the return of the Avant de quitter line at the end…He doenst take a breath!! What an emphasis on this line……. “As I leave this place—knowing I may die”

By the way…the high Ab is acceptable in French opera…however, I feel that Hvorostovsky is tying to Verdi this aria a bit much…….

This is a great clip of the GVB from the late eighties. The lineup here is Bill, Mark Lowry, Jimmy Murray, and drum roll….Mike English… He is only a few years removed here from the Singing Americans. For those of you who arent familiar with Michael and his tenure with the SA’s…He was the lead singer that really brought them to national acclaim. His renderings of “I wouldnt miss Heaven for the world” and “I Bowed on my Knees” became immortalized on the 1983 recording “Live and Alive.”

Michael went on to sing with the Goodmans, another stint with the S. Americans, and later the Gaither Vocal Band. After his time with the Gaithers, he hit the road to pursue a solo career. He has really gone through some horrific experiences and strayed away a few times. However, he, like the Prodigal Son returned home and the Lord welcomed him.

I point this excerpt out for a few reasons. Michael displays here his classic QT style of singing. No screaming, no serious vowel modification…just good signing that balances out the rest of the group. Listen to his phrasing and the way in which the other singers pattern their production after his.

I notice alot of lead singers today in the SG world tend to push their sound foward creating a very tinny, bright sound that is not aesthetically pleasing to me. English doesnt do that. Instead he sings with his voice, but uses a good techique and placement to achieve a great “blendable” sound.

Many singers have ruined their voices by trying to emulate this man….However, emulating singers can kill a vocalist…..

BTW, Mark dont sound to bad either……….