AY. DIOS. MÍO. Me he enamorado...¡de la música sacra de nuevo!! Hoy fui a un ensayo del Réquiem de Mozart en la iglesia, pero era un ensayo completamente diferente que normal. Esta vez cantamos en el santuario (no en la salita arriba), que es hermosísimo en primer lugar...pero también cantábamos con ¡LA ORQUESTA!
I was quite literally singing in a HUGE choir amongst a sea of violins, cellos, oboes, piano, trumpet, etc. all filling the church, with a super intense conductor leading the whole thing. You just HAD to be there. I wanted to take photos but all I had with me was my crappy Spanish phone whose camera is horrendous. Anywho, I literally felt goosebumps! The whole thing was amazing. There were four incredible soloists, all my age or younger, and my heart yearned to be one of them, to have an opportunity as a soloist in a piece this important.
I looked up at the altar, at the beautiful, colorful and immense paintings, sculptures of Christ and the holy family, ornate golden furnishings, a bright-patterned carpet covering the steps, the high, stone ceiling of this old church (the oldest in Madrid), and I listened to the music we were making. This all feels so royal, I thought. But why "royal"? Well, I realized, we were singing a Mass for the dead, and Jesus Christ is King. It's only fitting that His music be powerful enough to evoke a sense of royalty.
I sang every piece in the Requiem, even though it was my first time with the score. When we got to "Lacrimosa" my heart was in Heaven. It is such a moving piece, and it's the one that originally made me fall in love with Mozart. I am so happy that I get to sing it again! I first learned "Lacrimosa" during my freshman year of high school, in the chorus directed by Sue Thorpe. That was a magical year for me, musically speaking. I was challenged but I really blossomed as a result.
Ms. Thorpe taught me how to read music, which changed my life. She encouraged me to switch from singing alto to soprano. I had started as an alto because I didn't know anything about music (except that I loved to sing), and I can still remember Ms. Thorpe's words when we discussed my moving to the soprano section: "Go for the gold!" she said fervently. I had always been very uncomfortable and timid in chorus class, partly because I couldn't read music, and partly because Ms. Thorpe herself was pretty strict and demanding (although an excellent choral director). But that moment struck the right chord in me. I was thrilled at being encouraged in such a way. It meant that someone actually believed in me, and saw the potential in me as a singer.
I wish I were still in contact with Sue Thorpe. I wish I could tell her how much her instruction influenced me and changed my life. She left my high school for another job after that one year, and my choral experience was never the same again. But if I could tell Sue Thorpe today what her class did for me, I would tell her that she was the one who planted the seed of desire in me to continue studying music. Because of her, I knew that I would pick music as my major in college. And I did. (Well, it was one of my majors.) The music major was extremely difficult, in both colleges that I attended, and although in the end I decided studying music was not my jam, I'm still grateful for the experiences and the lessons. I'm still grateful that Ms. Thorpe made me realize that music is a legitimate and vital discipline of the arts, and that my voice is an instrument I must not forsake in life.
Thank you, Ms. Thorpe for what you contributed to my life. Had I not continued studying music, I may not have continued participating in choirs. And without my musical literacy, I would not be able to sing in two choirs here in Madrid, Spain, like I am. Thank you for your knowledge, your insistence on making good music, and the inspiration you were to me. I wish you could only know.
"Lacrimosa" is a lament sung in a Mass for the dead, but when I sing it, my heart rejoices and my soul rises in nostalgia.
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