This Day in History December 2, 1923

By Houston Rogers [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Today's feature centers around an iconic opera singer, and indeed she was.  On this date in 1923, Maria Callas was born.  Interestingly enough, she hated to sing as a child since her mother insisted that she do so.  She had quite a colorful life and career, and she was known for her weight issues and temperamental outbursts.  She died September 16, 1977, from heart failure.  Her most well-known song, and the reason I know of her, is below, so enjoy!


For more information:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006568/bio
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Callas
http://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/maria-callas.html

Rockford's Rock Opera Website Review

A couple of months ago, I discovered a fantastic educational website for children.  And since I am a music teacher, I knew right away that I wanted to review this website.  It sounded exactly what I wished I could have had when I was an elementary music teacher.

The site is Rockford's Rock Opera.  It is subtitled "The Creatures Have a Secret."  I am enthralled by it!  It has an interactive portion of the site where students age 11 and under (and possibly even older--it depends on the child) can play the story, read along, read the songs/lyrics, and so much more.  I think what intrigues me even more is that it has an ecological message.  "Being Green" is all the rage now, and I am thrilled that the site uses music and so much more to get the idea of responsible living across.

As a music teacher, I thoroughly enjoyed the educational area.  There are lesson plans that cover each area of the story and opera.  They are perfect for cross-curricular teaching.  There are lessons for music, reading, art, science, and so much more.  I only wish I had a class right now so I could teach these fantastic lessons!

This site is free to a certain point, and after that, one has to become a member.  If I were a full-time teacher, i think I would investigate more of the paid areas.  I love pre-made lesson plans and interactive sites like this.  Not only does it inspire the students when a teacher brings technology like this into the classroom, but it is ideal for "filler" time.  There are always those students who finish early, and this is the ideal thing to keep those students on task and under control.  And for making up absences?  Fantastically easy!

What I am most happy about is that it uses the term "opera," and makes this genre of music less scary for children.  If you ask just about any school-age child (my daughter included) to tell their thoughts about opera, you will hear all sorts of things.  Some students confuse "opera" and "Oprah."  Others have the concept of opera where "the fat lady" sings a song at the top of her voice.  It was my perception as I grew up as well.

I cannot recommend this fantastic website enough.  In fact, I would say this would be ideal for homeschool as well as public/private schools.  It is appropriate for almost any subject, and I would highly recommend the full area of the site--you will not regret it!

I was given a complimentary subscription to Rock Opera in exchange for my honest review.  I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.

This Day in History December 24, 1920

Time for a little culture today. It was on this date in 1920 that Enrico Caruso gave his last performance.  It was at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in the opera La Juive.  It was his 607th performance there.


Now, some of you may not be familiar with Caruso, but know that he was one of the greatest operatic tenors who lived.  He was the original "tenor," in my opinion.  He was also one of the first musicians to record his voice on a gramophone. 


His physical demise began to wreak havoc on his career just a couple weeks before this final performance.  On December 11, 1920, he suffered a throat hemorrhage during a performance, and his performance was cancelled after Act 1.  Even though he was unwell, he did give three more performances, finishing with his final performance--this date in 1920.


He died August 2, 1921 in Italy after complications due to purulent pleurisy and emphysema.  I will leave a definition of this medical connection with the other links.


Here are some informational links for more information:
http://blog.thebuttonmonger.com/2011/09/enrico-caruso.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/97583/Enrico-Caruso
http://medicaldb.blogspot.com/2011/01/purulent-pleurisy-pleural-empyema.html

This Day in History October 22, 1883

I was a music major in college, and I studied opera (and sang it too!). So what I will be sharing tonight kind of brings back those college memories.  On this day in 1883, the Metropolitan Opera opened.  It was then located at Broadway and 39th in New York City.  It opened with a performance of Charles Gounod's Faust.  Although originally written in French, it is sometimes performed in Italian (and the Met management favored that version).

The Metropolitan Opera (and I had a chance to see it in person when I toured Lincoln Center in high school) has seen its share of performances throughout the years.  I know that opera is not everyone's cup of tea.  I do not normally make a conscious decision to go see and opera, but there are some operas that I feel are worthwhile and integral part of our culture.

As I think back on opera, I have to say my favorite opera is Carmen.  I think that the story has always drawn me in.  I have never seen it live, but I saw a version on video starring Jose Carreras, and I was blown away.  On a lighter side, I like The Magic Flute.  I did get to see this live in high school.  They sang it in English--which was nice.  But I also saw it on video in German, and I enjoyed it just as much.

I tried for years to teach my students to appreciate opera, but I have to admit I was not very successful.  Most people are not willing to sit through an opera when it is completely sung in a different language.  I really do understand, but there is something really stirring about seeing a good opera.  I can't quite explain it.  When an opera is performed in a language that is not its original, I have to say that it loses something.  I think it is very much a lost art in this day and age, and I really do understand.  People are not interested in my voice since I am classically trained.

Oh well, enough rambling.  If you are interested, here are a couple sites to check out for more information.

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/oct22.html
http://timelines.com/1883/10/22/the-metropolitan-opera-house-opens