Things For Which I Am Thankful

The national holiday of Thanksgiving, being native to the United States of America, given to us by our ancestors who sailed on the Mayflower from Holland to seek the religious freedom that the incorporation of an independent government might bestow upon them and their progeny, has given me ample reason to think of some of the various things for which I should be eternally grateful. Since I have not written a post in a while, being otherwise occupied with rehearsals and performances of Stephen Schwartz's Children of Eden and my vocation, I thought that it would be acceptable for me to devote this one to such a divinely manifested subject as this one appears to be. Therefore, I devote the immediate portion of this post to a list of such things. I must caution my readers that this may seem most mundane and boring to my readers, but, nevertheless, I shall endeavor to present these items for the interested parties.

1. I am thankful for my relationship with God and his continued providence and grace for me.


2. I possess much gratitude for my gracious acquaintances and friends who have been kind enough to profess interest in my life and my predilections. They have proven themselves to be excellently indulgent to me, and they constantly encourage me in all things.


3. I am also grateful for my loving family who have ever remained by my side in whatever circumstances in which I have found myself. It is they who have had the greatest impact upon my life, and they are supportive of all of my endeavors.


4. I should be greatly remiss if I neglected to declare something concerning my thanks for all of the freedom we, the populace of the United States, are providently granted, and my equal thanks for those of us who protect it from within our territories as well as without them.


5. What sort of wretch should I be labeled if I were to forget to mention my appreciation of the possessions I am afforded the gracious opportunity to maintain? I adore my rather expansive collection of classical music and my precious library of literature. They are these two things along with my attire that I should find it difficult to relinquish.


6. To all of those who have contributed to my education in whatever means, I am immensely indebted and thankful, for who am I without it?


7. I have lately realized what a beautiful thing it is to live in Oklahoma, and I am greatly thankful to my parents for choosing to reside in the metropolis that is our capitol city of the state. I must also thank all of the excellent classical music artists who perform here in this state from time to time, for they are more than I at first thought, and I could easily be deprived of this luxury. One luminary ensemble to whom I am anxiously looking forward to seeing perform live is Anonymous4. If you ever listen to this quartet, you may never wish to hear any other music besides theirs.
   
8. I am thankful for the vocal talent that God has chosen to bestow upon me. I pray that I forever praise Him with that endowment.


9. I am exceedingly grateful for Metropolitan Opera broadcasts and Opera News magazine.


10. I retain much gratitude for my health and vivacity of life; moreover, I cannot lose this virtuous quality of thanks since I was born with a shadow over my probable future, something I may choose to share later in my continuing blog, and I pray that I may never take it for granted.

Although I could easily name many other things for which my spirit contains gratitude, I have elected to shorten this post by proceeding to another topic of interest.

Opera News' December 2009 issue, the first of its broadcast issues for the upcoming Metropolitan Opera broadcast season, employs Joseph Calleja as its cover subject. Tenor Calleja, who is scheduled to star as Hoffmann in Bartlett Sher's new production of Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann for an ailing Rolando Villazon who is suffering from a cyst on his vocal cords, iterates some very interesting perspectives on his interpretation of how to sing and to maintain one's instrument; however, these aforementioned perspectives all seem to be excellent recommendations and prudent for all singers. If only he applied such reasoning to his driving habits, of which we are informed by the author of the interview, we might have finally found a true Renaissance man. It also begs reference that Cecilia Bartoli's latest release, which is entitled Sacrificium, made the Editor's Pick in the section reserved for reviews of new recordings. I had hoped that this release would attain such an accolade for itself, especially after Renee Fleming's Verismo did not, and, insofar as those who style themselves critics are concerned, I was elated to have finally chosen a good recording.

Finally, I thank all of you for reading my post, and I pray that you attain the enjoyment of an excellent Thanksgiving Day complete with your family and loved ones and a feast evident of the bounty with which God has blessed us.

-Tyler.