Saturday, May 16, 2020



AN OPEN LETTER TO MY STUDENTS
June 2020


Dear Alice, Easton, Elizabeth, Julissa, Leah, Marjorie and Nickolas:

I’ve left for sabbaticals in the past and that was difficult enough, but this is a very permanent sabbatical since I’m retiring in a few weeks from the University of Oregon.  But I leave knowing you all have great tools to be your own teachers in the future. 

Over this crazy term, I have heard some of the most beautiful singing from all of you ( in spite of the pandemic challenges!).  I’ve witnessed you taking huge leaps forward with your your technical, musical and interpretive skills. But most importantly, you've made wonderful strides in your learning processes and as a result, have emerged as more creative and self-reliant musicians! 

I was so sad when we had to cancel our Bouquet of Voices concert in March due to the pandemic.  And I could kick myself for not having recorded your absolutely fabulous dress rehearsal. 

This post and movie of excerpts of your singing throughout the year is my parting gift to you! You are all amazing and I love you all!  

Milagro 

Below is the statement that was to appear in the program of our concert, which explains the title "Bouquet of Voices", written by Marjorie Sheiman.

"This evening’s concert theme, Bouquet of Voices was chosen by our class. For those who don't know, this is Professor Vargas' last studio recital before she retires in June. If you've ever had a lesson with Professor Vargas, you've probably heard the flower metaphor. She never has a favorite student or voice type, because each student is talented in his or her own way. In her words, "how could you compare a rose to a violet? Both are beautiful, but both are incredibly different." At the end of her 25+ years as a professor here at the University of Oregon, we're proud to be the final flowers in her bouquet of voice students.           
                            …the students of Milagro Vargas"


BOUQUET OF VOICES IN OUR STUDIO 

MARJORIE:  DAHLIA
Some meanings of dahlias are:
  • Staying graceful under pressure, especially in challenging situations
  • Drawing upon inner strength to succeed
  • Traveling and making a major life change in a positive way
  • Standing out from the crowd and following your own unique path
  • Staying kind despite being tested by certain life events
  • Commitment to another person or a certain ideal

Marjorie, like the dahlia with its multi-layered petals, you are in possession of so many wonderful attributes as a human being and artist. You are kind. You are funny. You are generous.  You are fearless, smart and loving!  When you perform, we believe you! Your natural talent for creating a character has provided a model for your colleagues and everyone has learned from watching you perform. You have the strength of your convictions with the ability to sing with passion, abandon and artistry.  When you allow your special instrument to reveal all of these qualities with its beauty and sense of purpose, you are capable of taking us on the most wonderful journeys. It has been such a privilege and honor to be your teacher.  Promise me you will never lose sight of these and the many other gifts you possess and that you will continue to treasure them! Congratulations on your graduating with the highest distinction of summa cum laude and on receiving this year's Undergraduate Outstanding Performer in Voice Award. 


JULISSA:  LOTUS FLOWER
The lotus flower grows in the deep mud, far away from the sun. And after a night submerged in the murky water, it re-blooms the next morning without any residue on it petals. For this reason, it’s regarded in many different cultures, as a symbol of purity, enlightenment, self-regeneration and rebirth. 

Julissa, like the lotus flower, you constantly astound me with your ability to go to the heart of anything you touch. You are able to penetrate ideas, poetry, and music with deep meaning; meaning derived from the depths of those "murky waters" and emerges with clarity, beauty and insight.  You have shown us how to be courageous and meet our challenges by embracing our fears! You did that for yourself and for us when you decided to conquer your performance anxieties by choosing to sing in class as much as possible even though it was so scary.  You trusted  (difficult as it was) that if you put yourself in that position week after week, you would eventually emerge stronger, braver and even more radiant. And you did!  Please nurture all these gifts for the rest of your life! 

LEAH:   WILD IRIS

When looking up the iris, I encountered two possible meanings. In Greek, the name “Iris” translates as “rainbow,” which is one iris definition. There’s another Greek word, “eiris,” which means, “messenger,”  having to do with words.

“Eloquence” is a quality associated with the iris flower because it relates to the messages a Greek goddess carried for the gods from the Underworld.  The messages, containing well-chosen words embodied “eloquence” and communication. And along the way, the Goddess would travel encountering “rainbows” as she moved between heaven and earth, which explains the other iris definition. 

Leah, like the iris, you have impressed me with your unique gift of eloquence.  Your love of ideas and words, your curiosity and convictions about the world around you are a few of the many special gifts you possess.  Your ability to excavate a poem in order to arrive at its ultimate meaning and interpretation is such an important quality for any musician. Trust your special gift of eloquence and that your desire to communicate will always guide you in everything you do.  Your voice has blossomed in so many ways these past months.  And you are learning that the best way to achieve your goals is to allow your instrument to be the messenger. When you do, you become that Greek goddess and you take your audience on the most wonderful voyage to unknown lands, using your beautiful voice so expressively to explore the most exquisite colors of your rainbow of sound What a pleasure it's been to witness! Please hold this and your many gifts close to your heart! 
EASTON:   MOONFLOWER
The moonflower is a symbol for the growth potential of the soul and personality when we are faced with challenging and difficult periods in our lives. The moonflower is a night flower that needs the night to grow and blossom.  The darkness of night provides transformation.  

Like the moonflower, Easton you have shown me how capable you are of deep transformation. You possess such sensitivity, such depth of emotion and such insight and honesty with yourself and others. These traits have allowed you to grow and transform yourself into the musician you are!   Having watched you develop over the past two years has been such a privilege. Your ability to understand sophisticated musical concepts and be able to express those concepts with your beautiful voice has been such a source of satisfaction for me as your teacher. You use these gifts when you sing the music of  Schubert, Wolf, Mozart and others.  I love watching you react to a great composition for the first time. It's pure joy!  Like the moonflower, I know you will continue to use the many moments of quiet and solitude ahead of you to allow yourself to imagine, learn and grow for the rest of your life! 

ELIZABETH: VIOLET









Violets are associated with love, healing, transition, intuition and spiritual connection. In Native American culture, the violet is also associated with a concept called the “liminal”. It’s a state of being that is neither this nor that just as twilight is neither day nor night. The “liminal” is a magical transitional space.  

A Native American legend claims the violet is a child born from both earth and sky.  And as such, it’s considered symbolic of balance and harmony, the mediator between heaven and earth.

Elizabeth, you are one of those people who doesn't always show (in standard ways) what’s going on inside of you.  And I’ve learned that it doesn’t mean you aren’t feeling or experiencing.  In fact, over the years, I’ve watched you grow and be able to communicate and share your love of poetry and music in your songs.  You understand phrasing and harmony at a very advanced level.   And like the "liminal" association with the violet, you too, inhabit two "spaces" at the same time.  I think when you sing, you are in that magical “liminal space” and you exist in a realm that is both deeply personal and also reaching out to share and communicate with your audience.  When you allow yourself to be this vessel of communication, it’s a wonderful thing.  The beauty of your voice rings in harmony with the world.  What a special gift it's been for me to watch you grow as a musician and human being. Congratulations on your graduation!  


NICK: CHRISTMAS CACTUS
Nick, I wasn’t able to find any official symbolic meaning attached to the Christmas cactus.  But because the plant is capable of such endurance, sometimes 20-30 years, an apt association is considered to be  “loyalty.” And when I think of you, I get the feeling you are a very loyal person indeed. 
The Christmas cactus has sturdy flat leaves with curved spikes that are strung together, finishing with the flower buds. At the end of autumn or the start of winter the buds unfold and surprise you with purple, red, white, orange or pink flowers. 
We’ve only worked for three terms. But in those three terms, you have gained more solidity with your technique and learning process. I am beginning to hear a wonderful stability in your sound and its natural beauty is emerging like those wonderful flower buds on the Christmas cactus. 

You taught me how to care for my Christmas cactus, how not to over water it by recognizing when it’s had enough water. Thank you! You are learning how to do that for yourself as a singer/musician.  You are learning how to listen to your body and voice to recognize what it feels like when you are singing freely!  You are learning how to properly study a piece of music from the beginning and not skip steps and "over-water" like I was doing with my Christmas cactus!  So, stay loyal and patient and follow your instincts and you will reap those rewards and so will we all! 


ALICE: PEONY

With their lush, full, rounded bloom, peonies embody romance, prosperity and compassion. They are regarded as an omen of good fortune and a happy marriage. Peonies can also symbolize bashfulness.  

Alice, like the beautiful peony, with its many layers and petals you possess so much talent and beauty.  And until recently, your shyness has also been a quality you possess.  But the Peony can’t help that we all admire its beauty. It just IS!  And you are beginning to really own and accept the talent you possess! In these last voice lessons, I have been so thrilled to observe you deliver performances that tell me your love of music is the strongest quality and that your shyness is secondary to your need to share your knowledge and love of music with us.  You understand music at a sophisticated level. Your voice, your intellect, your musicianship need to be shared and not held captive. So, please continue to love the music, composers and poets above all else and allow your talent and love of music to continually grow and stand out because the world needs it. Cherish these gifts and nurture them so they can continue to grow so that others can enjoy them as well! 


"BOUQUET OF VOICES"  VIDEO WITH EXCERPTS OF PAST PERFORMANCES 
(in order of appearance)
Marjorie Sheiman
Alice Somerville
Leah Burian
Easton Marks 
Elizabeth Reynaud
Julissa Martinez
Nickolas Perini
  


Thursday, April 30, 2020

Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé Duet- Barcelona


I discovered this video last year when I became obsessed with Freddie Mercury after the movie Bohemian Rhapsody came out. I watched every Freddie Mercury video I could get my hands on.  I came across this one, a performance that is the result of a collaboration between two extraordinary artists-- the amazing Montserrat Caballé and the equally amazing Freddie Mercury.  They made an album together in 1987.  This is one of the songs from that album. Later, after his death, it was featured at the 1992 Summer Olympics, held in Barcelona, Spain.

I think the music, the artists and the performances speak for themselves. What do you think?





Saturday, May 18, 2019

Yvette Guilbert -French cabaret singer of the Belle Époque



This is the one and only Yvette Gilbert (1865-1944)  singing Madame Arthur as only she can.   Yvette Guilbert was a French cabaret singer and actress of the Belle Époque and her raunchy, audacious style fascinated audiences. Madame Arthur  is one of her signature pieces written by her and Paul de Kock.  This recording is from 1934.   Listen to her beautifully sung speech! In France she was called a "diseuse",  a "sayer" for the way she sang and said the text. Her delivery is perfection!  Be sure to watch the interesting footage at the end of the video, where you will see as well as hear Yvette Guilbert speaking at a meeting and then sing part of a song she made popular. 

We get a real sense here of the force of her personality and her ability to command and direct all in her presence.


Each verse discusses some aspect of Madame Arthur's extraordinary personality, followed by a chorus:

Madame Arthur est une femme

Qui fit parler, parler, parler, parler d'elle longtemps,

Sans journaux, sans rien, sans réclame
Elle eut une foule d'amants,

Chacun voulait être aimé d'elle,

Chacun la courtisait, pourquoi ?

C'est que sans être vraiment belle,

Elle avait un je ne sais quoi !

Madame Arthur is a such woman 

Whom others talk, and talk, and talk about her forever,

Without newspapers, without anything, without calling 

She has a crowd of lovers, 

Everyone wants to be loved by her, 
Everyone courts her, why? 

It’s that without being really beautiful, 

She has that “ je ne sais quoi!”  / “I don’t know what!”

 


Tuesday, May 14, 2019

"Spirituals in Concert," Jessye Norman & Kathleen Battle, Carnegie Hall ...



Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle Spirituals in Concert

Two phenomenal singers. If you've never heard this concert before, you are in for the most fabulous treat. James Levine, conducts.

Below are the timings of individual pieces. I've bolded some of my absolute favorites.
Enjoy!

In That Great Getting Up Morning  
04:34 Great Day 
07:23 Sinner,Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass
11:54 Over My Head 
14:36Lil' David 
17:20  Over My Head  !
19:04 Oh, What A Beautiful City
  21:55 Lord, How Come Me Here  
26:59 Believe I'll Go Back Home
28:44 Lord, Won't You Help Me
31:55 Witness 
35:12 Give Me Jesus
40:04 Swing Low, Sweet chariot
43:21Ride Up In The Chariot
45:18 Deep River 
49:59 Certainly, Lord
52:26 Ride On, King Jesus  
55:33 Oh, Glory
59:59 Scandalize My Name  
1:04:21 Talk about a Child
1:07:02Ain'-a That Good News
1:08:30 You Can Tell the World (Joy
 To My Soul)
1:11:23 Calvary / They Crucified My Lord
1:16:56 My God Is So High
1:19:22. There Is A Balm In Gilead
1:24:13  He's Got The Whole World In His Hands


Saturday, April 2, 2016

Finding Josephine Lang's Grave


Above is a short video taken at Josephine Lang's Grave with Josephine Lang's Lied "Scheideblick" (Parting Glance) heard in the background, sung by mezzo-soprano Milagro Vargas

Joesephine Lang's grave, surprisingly, was difficult to find. I had assumed it must be in Tübingen,where she lived with her husband, who was a professor at the University of Tübingen.

After several years of searching, I located Josephine’s gravesite. It is maintained financially by her offspring. The grave itself shows the only known image of Josephine with her husband, joining them as an emblem of her family and musical life. Lang’s undeserved obscurity is once again shown in the lack of any signs or directions to her grave at the cemetery, while other figures from Tübingen are singled out with signs and directions, among them the Schwäbish poet Uhland.

Interestingly though, there is a well traveled path to her grave showing that many have visited the grave drawn by perhaps the growing realization about her and/or the rather prominent and beautiful grave marker at the grave.

Most people of Tübingen and Stuttgart have never heard of Josephine with the exception of a handful of feminist musicologists who have tracked her down.

As I walked through the cemetery looking for Josephine Lang’s grave, I was reminded of a haunting text from Brahms’ Auf dem Kirchhofe to text by Liliencron.   This Lied, which I had sung so many times before, now had such a vibrant context.   

The lines from the first verse,  "The day was heavy with rain and disturbed by storms; I was walking among many forgotten graves with weathered stones and crosses, the wreaths old, the names washed away, hardly to be read.”   seemed written for this moment.

Looking for Josephine’s grave was made more difficult because it was raining so heavily.  We had taken a few wrong turns and still couldn’t quite find the cemetery. 

The search to find where she was buried had lasted over several years.  Why was it so difficult to find?  Years before when I had tried to find it, there were no plaques or signs or literature that pointed me in the right direction.

My husband was tenacious and together with him, we were able to make some headway until finally he found it without me.  But I needed to see it for myself. 

When I finally did, I was happy to see her name had now been added to the list of luminaries buried at this cemetery.  Seven years ago, it had not been the case.

A woman composer in Biedermaier Germany was a rare occurrence.  Joesphine Lang grew up in a time when women didn’t attend universities, and as a result didn’t have professional careers.  The only exception was teaching,  and a woman could only teach if she were unmarried.  Women and men were unequal. 

Whatever the reasons, her grave seemed quite  “forgotten.”

Josephine Lang (1815-1880)

Scheideblick- Parting Glance   (Niembsch Lenau)  Op. 10 #5 
Als ein unergründlich Wonnemeer strahlte mir dein seelenvoller Blick!
Scheiden musst ich ohne Wiederkehr, und ich habe scheidend all mein Glück still versenkt in dieses tiefe Meer, still versenkt in dieses tiefe Meer.

As an unexplainably blissful sea showed me your soulful gaze!
I had to take leave and not return.  And parting, I quietly sank all my happiness into this deep sea.
(Translation: Milagro Vargas) 


Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Pete Seeger 1919-2014










Voice of Freedom
Voice of the Unions
Voice of Civil Rights 
Voice of the Rivers
Voice of Justice
Voice of the People
Voice of Humanity
Voice of a Generation
Voice of Hope 
Voice of America 
Voice of the Earth

His voice was the piercing sound of humanity and struggle coupled with raw beauty and hope. 

New York Times Obituary




Monday, April 15, 2013

ALFRED DELLER 1912- 1979



The wonderful English counter-tenor Alfred Deller, occupies a unique place in music of the 20th century.  He not only was an exquisite musician with a beautiful and expressive instrument, but he was a major figure in the early years of bringing attention to early music performance practice and was largely responsible for its growth and popularization in the 50's, 60's and beyond.

He was largely self taught and in 1950, he formed his own vocal and instrumental ensemble, the Deller Consort.  He sang the premiere in Britten's A Mid Summer Night's Dream at the Alderborough Festival.

Listen to this brilliant musician's technique, the imagination of sound and colors, phrasing, diction and extraordinary ability to communicate!



HAVE YOU SEEN BUT A WHITE LILLY GROW (Anonymous)
Text by Ben Johnson 1572-1637

Have you seen but a white lily grow before rude hands have touched it?
Have you marked  but the fall of the snow
Before the soil hath smutched it?
Have you felt the wool of beaver, 
Or swans' down ever?
Or have smelt o' the bud o' the brier,
Or the nard of the fire?
Or have tasted the bag of the bee?
O so white, O so soft, O so sweet is she!






Below are snippets of a performance of MUSIC FOR A WHILE (Purcell) with a wonderful interview with Michael Tippett who helped launch Deller's career.  


FROM ROSY BOWERS (Purcell)

SWEETER THAN ROSES (Purcell)


I ATTEMPT FROM LOVE'S SICKNESS (Purcell)



The Three Ravens:  This is one of my most favorite performances of a strophic song!



Saturday, April 13, 2013

RUSSIAN SONG

Mark Reizen, at 79  sings:

Tchaikovsky, In the midst of the ball

In the midst of the noisy ball,
amid the anxious bustle of life,
I caught sight of you,
your face, an enigma.

Only your eyes gazed sadly.
Your divine voice
Sounded like pipes from afar,
Like the dancing waves of the sea.
Your delicate form entranced me,
and your pensiveness,
your sad yet merry laughter,
has permeated my heart since then.

And in the lonely hours of the night,
when I do lie down to rest,
I see your pensive eyes,
hear your merry laugh...
And wistfully drifting
into mysterious reveries,
I wonder if I love you,
but it seems that I do!





Two performances of Rachmanioff's:


In the silence of the mysterious night

In the silence of the mysterious night,
your alluring babble, smiles and glances,
your fleeting glances, the locks of your rich hair, locks pliant under your fingertips -
I will long be trying to get rid of the images only to call them back again;

I will be repeating and correcting in a whisper
the words I've told you, the words full of awkwardness,
and, drunk with love, contrary to reason,
I will be awakening the night's darkness with a cherished name.





Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Beatrice Rippy 1930-2012







I first met Beatrice Rippy in 1969 at the Third Street Music Settlement in New York City.  I was 14 years old and she was my first voice teacher.  Together with her husband, the noted pianist Carroll Hollister, she gave me weekly lessons that would shape my musical life.  Miss Rippy not only gave me the best vocal instruction a young singer could wish for, she influenced my life as a young woman.  
She was a captivating performer, with a rich voice and a powerful stage presence.  See this article written in January 31, 1963 describing Miss Beatrice Rippy's peformance in a recital where she offers a "Musical Fusion of Negro and Jewish People."  She was a winner of the 1959 Concert Artist Guild Award and had a distinguished career as a concert artist.  She had the rare gift of being able to teach a young singer technique without taking away the "naturalness" of singing.  She took a special interest in me and I was invited to take extra lessons at her apartment on the upper west side.   I would come on Saturdays and spend an entire afternoon there vocalizing, singing through songs, and then coaching with Mr. Hollister. I would sometimes look after their two young children, Freddie and Elizabeth, in exchange for the many extra hours Miss Rippy and Mr. Hollister so generously spent with me.  
During those wonderful early years of my training, Beatrice Rippy taught me how to sing a beautiful even scale, how to commit to the drama in a song and how to bake bread!   I remember how shocked she was that I didn't know the first thing about kneading bread and how she took it upon herself to rectify it. What a time we had!  She also made me aware of how artists could play a vital role in examining and addressing social issues. Once, she brought me along to a political demonstration in Central Park with her friend and colleague, mezzo-soprano, Betty Allen.  At the rally, she introduced me to Ozzie Davis and Ruby Dee.  Studying voice with Miss Rippy was not only about singing, I also learned about life, life's struggles and political activism, and how music was tied to all of these.  
Composer, author, and music critic Tom Manoff, who was head of theory, composition, the teacher training program and community based efforts at the Third Music School Settlement when Rippy and Hollister taught there, remembers them both with great affection and had this to say:
"Carroll was a first-rate musician whose depth of musical understanding complimented Beatrice Rippy's radiant voice.  Together, they represented both decency and professionalism in a time when society expected musicians to take stands on issues of the day."  
I recently came across this beautiful recording of Robert Merrill and Carroll Hollister performing Handel's Ombra mai fu. It was a piece I had studied with Mr. Hollister and Miss Rippy.  I can remember everything they taught me to this day.  I include it here in honor of a rare and beautiful artist and human being.  
Handel: Ombra mai fu, Robert Merrill, baritone, Carroll Hollister, piano  
                                                                                                                                                            
May you rest in peace, Miss Rippy. 
Love, 
Milagro