The Ultimate Music Survey

I answered this survey on MySpace and thought it would be fun to post it here.

FAVORITES

What is your favorite genre of music?
Classical Music, most specifically Western European music of the Baroque, Classical and early Romantic periods.

I also like Big Band Jazz and 1930's Swing Jazz.

Why?
Because of its symmetry and balance, grace and emotionalism.

Name your favorite band(s):
I don't really have a favorite Band. I do enjoy some of the old Big Band Jazz era groups, most specifically the Nelson Riddle Orchestra.

Name your favorite solo artist(s):
Renee Fleming, Bryn Terfel, Arleen Auger, Elly Ameling, Alison Hagley, Patrice Michaels, Cecilia Bartoli

What is your favorite album?
Probably Patrice Michaels' Divas of Mozart's Day

What is your favorite album cover?
I haven't really thought about it.

Name your favorite song(s):
Mozart's Lied, Abendempfindung, and Shubert's Du bist die Ruh

Favorite CD you own:
Wow! That's a difficult one, but I would probably have to say the Deutsche Grammaphon recording of Mozart's Great Mass in C minor, K 427, with Arleen Auger, Frederica von Stade, Frank Lopardo, Cornelius Hauptmann, and conducted by Leonard Bernstein.

Favorite song on your computer:
I couldn't really say.

Favorite song you DON'T have:
How can one "have" a song?

Favorite lyrics:

Du bist die ruh (You are peace)
English translation

Thou art rest and gentle peace,
Thou art longing, and that which stills it.
I consecrate to thee, with my joys and griefs,
As thy dwelling-place, my eyes and heart.

Enter into me and close thou
The gates softly behind thee:
Drive other griefs from this breast,
Let this heart be filled with thy joys.

My world of sight thy radiance
Alone can illuminate.
O, fill it to the full!

Favorite vocalist:
Arleen Auger.

Favorite guitarist:
Christopher Parkening.

Favorite bassist:
None.

Favorite drummer:
None.

Favorite instrumentalist (any instrument not mentioned above):
YoYo Ma

Favorite classical / jazz composer:
Classical: Mozart.
Jazz: George Gershwin.

Favorite rapper:
None. I do not consider it music.

Favorite theatrical score:
Le Nozze di Figaro, by Mozart.

Favorite of anything not mentioned:
My favorite instrument is the human voice.


THE BAD STUFF

What's your least favorite genre of music?
Rap and Thrash Metal.

Who's your least favorite band?:
I don't have a favorite so how can I have a least favorite?

Who's your least favorite solo artist?
I really couldn't say.

Who do you think is the most annoying musician?
I think most all Rap "musicians", ( I can't even call them musicians), are annoying.

Who do you think is the least talented?
Too many to say.

Least favorite song:
I have a lot of those...

Most annoying song:
"Ra la ra" by Salieri. It gets itself stuck in my head every time I hear it!

Most repetative song:
See above.

Last song to be stuck in your head:
See above.

Did this survey just get that song stuck in your head again? (sorry):
Of course.

Worst band that used to be good?
I have no idea.


YOUR MUSICAL BACKGROUND

What was the first music you remember listening to?
An old gospel singer by the name of George Beverly Shea.

What type of music do your parents listen to?
My Dad likes classical/Christian music.

Do you play any musical instruments, or sing?
I am a professionally trained mezzo soprano. I play the piano and used to play the flute & bassoon.

Do you take lessons for instruments or voice? If so, for how long?
I teach lessons.

Do you plan to / have you gone to college for music?
I have a master's degree in vocal performance & pedagogy.

Who are your musical inspirations?
Anna Storace, Beverly Sills, Julie Andrews.

Who was your first favorite band or artist?
Julie Andrews.

Who is your most recent favorite band or artist?
Pink Martini.

What styles of music are you interested in learning about?
1930's Swing Jazz.

What styles of music do you already know a lot about?
The Baroque & Classical eras.

Do you know much about musical theory?
Uh...yeah. Quite a bit.

If you take lessons, do you like your teacher(s)?:
I still study privately on occasion. I like my instructor very much.

How many different music teachers do you have, or have you had?
1. Steve Maison
2. Jim Brown
3. Stanley Warren
4. Julie McCoy
5. Joseph Wiggett
6. Kate Butler



THIS OR THAT

Classical or Jazz?
Both.

Classic rock or modern rock?
Classic rock.

Rock or Rap?
Rock.

Emo or Punk?
Neither.

Funk or Blues?
Blues.

Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin?
Pink Floyd.

Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera?
Christina Aguilera.

Backstreet Boys or N'SYNC?
Neither.

The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?
The Beatles.

Beethoven or Mozart?
Mozart.

Rachmaninoff or Debussy?
Rachmaninoff.

Duke Ellington or Count Basie?
Count Basie.

Electric or acoustic?
Acoustic.

Mandolin or ukulele?
Mandolin.

Saxophone or trumpet?
Saxophone.


MISCELANEOUS

Why do you like music?
It is the very essence of who and what I am.

When you're angry, what type of music do you listen to?
I usually listen to something calming like Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus.

Has music ever made you cry? When?
I remember one occasion in particular when I was rehearsing the John Rutter Gloria with my college choral group. We came upon a passage where we sang a great "Rex celestis", and it moved us all to tears, including our conductor. It was an incredible moment that I will never forget.

Has music ever made you laugh? When?
I'll never forget the time Steph and I went to see the Tulsa Opera perform Le Nozze di Figaro . The man who played the old gardener, Antonio, had us almost literally rolling on the floor with laughter!

Do you like local music?
Some of the best choral music around is performed by the Stillwater Chamber Singers, (of which I am a member).

What is the best show you have ever been to?
By all means, the best live performance I have ever attended of anything was the Tulsa Opera performance of Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro.

If so, what type of music was it?
Comic opera.

Do you enjoy being on stage?
I live to be on stage!

Do you like to sing, even if you don't consider yourself a singer?
I am a singer, and I live to sing.

If you could meet any musician and ask them for advice, who would it be?
I would love to meet Nancy Storace, who was Mozart's original Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro.

If you could just chill with any musician, who would it be?
By all means, it would be Mozart.

What instrument that you don't play now would you like to learn next?
The guitar.

Do you like foreign types of music? If so, what types?
I love music of the Middle East and India.