# Slightly OT: non-operatic music as good as operatic music



## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

OK, folks, what about a little variety exercise?
Let's post YouTubes of gorgeous vocal music that would not be ashamed of being sung side by side with operatic music?
I don't mean lieder, cantata, oratorio...
I mean traditional, folk, even pop music that can reach similar peaks of beauty as those we came to expect from operatic music.

Is it possible? I think it is. It depends on you guys being able to find it and post it.

I'll start. Listen to this great, beautiful, classy diva of traditional Portuguese Fado:


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

In continuation, I could of course post Torna a Surriento... it would fill the concept, but it's a bit overused. Instead, listen to this:


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Another one:


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Haunting Greek songs from my favourite non-operatic CD.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

And the great, late Brazilian singer Elis Regina:


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Fabulous, Natalie!


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Now I'll go for a very, very oddball.
This gotta be one of the most beautiful national anthems in the world:


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

OK, now I'll risk my reputation. I'm sure you'll all laugh at me. Do prepare several pounds of sugar and get all the tacky items like a frontyard gnome or a refrigerator penguin, to go along with this. Alan will have a field day.

Oh well, what can I say? I find this utterly romantic and melodious. It's not much worse than some Puccini. It may be because my dad loved this song, but I'm a sucker for this clp.

I know, I know, I'll regret posting this, but here it goes::lol:


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

OK, back to a serious one, and I'll quit for now, we'll see if anybody else cares to join the fun.


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## rgz (Mar 6, 2010)

I find overtone / throat singing fascinating. I know throat singers have extensive training though I'm not sure how it stacks up to classical voice training in length and difficulty.











Sadly, both examples are mic'd.

One that's not


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## karenpat (Jan 16, 2009)

This is a hymn, I don't know if it counts?


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

> This is a hymn, I don't know if it counts?


It does. Post #7 contains the national anthem of Israel. If an anthem counts, then I suppose a hymn also counts.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Interesting stuff. Love the Brel, Tango and hymn. 

Would take a while to get used to the throat singing though!


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)




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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Nice, Art Rock, and she is *so* beautiful!!!!


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Lakshmi Shankar and Nirmala Devi - Thumri


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## AmericanGesamtkunstwerk (May 9, 2011)

I could run this thread with naught but Tom. He actually did some theater works with Robert Wilson (Einstein at the Beach). Woyzeck (blood money), Black Rider, Alice... (i've actually seen the word "operetta" attached to some of these, but that might've been an incorrect use)






This is actually the first thing I think of when movie-guys employ a heartful yet inaccurate use of the word "Operatic". still, I wouldn't say that the Spaghetti Western idiom isn't in some form derived from tendencies and principles found in true opera.


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)




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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)




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## CountessAdele (Aug 25, 2011)

My dad used to sing this to me when he took me to the doctors, when I was little I was very afraid of shots haha. But I loved the song so much it sort of became a security blanket, I'd always ask him to sing it. Now that I'm living on my own I listen to it whenever I feel homesick.


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## obwan (Oct 24, 2011)

Would it be worth mentioning Di Capuo? Or is he taken for granted? I mean his songs O Sole Mio and O Maria Mari, are not from any opera... they are 'operatic' in that they sound like they're from an opera, but in reality they were just popular songs from the day.


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## AmericanGesamtkunstwerk (May 9, 2011)

This is unconsolably beautiful to me. it's a band I was into when I was playing hardcore punk and thrash as an earlier teen. I apologize for the tasteless album cover and album title, most of this band's work is equally tasteless, but when they pull out the sentiment it's unbearably profound. to me anyway. its a brand of feeling and sentiment that I believe can be a part of narrative opera.





can't find the clip, but "Wait for me Sunrise" from the same movie (if anyone's even heard of it) is powerful simplistic beautifulness.









Those last three are simply American Folk songwriting. a significant dream of mine is to crossover folk music and opera, like Gershwin did with jazz.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)




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## Sieglinde (Oct 25, 2009)

This. Oh gods. The song is "Woodkid - Iron", apparently made for this trailer. Pure epic.

Also, incredible CGI. They looks like real people. AC would make a good opera, it has everything, renaissance Italy, Borgias, Savonarola, Macchiavelli, Leonardo as an ally, betrayal, hero's family executed, vengeance and a lot of stabbing.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

AmericanGesamtkunstwerk said:


> Those last three are simply American Folk songwriting. a significant dream of mine is to crossover folk music and opera, like Gershwin did with jazz.


not exactly the kind of folk you're saying but it seems there's an very recent work of the composer Jose Pepe Martinez that is a crossover of mexican folk music and opera (i've listened only to the music of this video)






http://www.allmusic.com/album/jos-pepe-martinez-cruzar-la-cara-de-la-luna-w273853/review


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## CountessAdele (Aug 25, 2011)




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## MAnna (Sep 19, 2011)

I adore Francoise Hardy. I bought many of her CD's when I was learning French. Her singing and music had an incredible way of conveying the (often bittersweet) mood of the song. First is a duet with Jacques Dutronc (her husband) singing about the same-old, same-old on Rue Corvisart






The second is a lesser known song about her putting a "crab" (pinchers) in a fishbowl to menace the fish as well as threatening to put a real crab in her lover's scaly heart. Slightly discordant but well done.


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