Why does one suffer so for other people, even sometimes for people one doesn't know, has never met? The other night we went to a concert outdoors under a tent at Caramoor, the summer music venue near Katonah, NY. On stage, one after the other, appeared eleven young singers no one had ever heard of, some of them fresh out of Julliard, singing songs by Verdi that hardly anyone knew the master had ever composed. It was lovely music and lovely singing but I looked up at so much talent, hope and hard work and suffered for those young people. How many of them would make careers? The answer is, very few, maybe none. I know this because in the past I got exceedingly close to a number of famous singers, followed several of them to far corners of America and Europe. I wrote articles and a book about singers. Twice I was in their dressing rooms during intermission when the impresario came in with their money. I served as master of ceremonies from the stage at Alice Tully Hall at Tenor James McCracken's memorial service. All the singers I came to know had faced hard times starting out. McCracken's career at the Met and the other great houses lasted 27 years but at the start he went two years and two months of auditioning before landing a contract. Listening to those young singers onstage I knew what they were in for. Then as now there are ten, or maybe a hundred times more singers coming up every year than there are contracts. And so I suffered for them in advance. But why? Perhaps because in recognizing their struggle, their disappointments to come, I saw myself. Singing is no different from the other arts. It was hard for me to get started as a writer. That was 29 books ago, but I haven't forgotten. There were whole years of wondering if anyone would ever publish me. Well, most other fields are similar, of course. More journalism graduates come out every year than, in this shrinking market, there are jobs to be filled. New lawyers too, I'm told. So on the subject of suffering for other people, I don't deserve any praise. It's probably myself I am suffering for. It's as simple as that.
1 Comment
6/18/2023 07:25:45 am
I wanted to express my gratitude for your insightful and engaging article. Your writing is clear and easy to follow, and I appreciated the way you presented your ideas in a thoughtful and organized manner. Your analysis was both thought-provoking and well-researched, and I enjoyed the real-life examples you used to illustrate your points. Your article has provided me with a fresh perspective on the subject matter and has inspired me to think more deeply about this topic.
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