For the record:
Paul An, the singer in question, has considerable experience in a
variety of musical idioms, not only operatic singing. Just want to
make that clear. What he does not do, in my limited experience with
hearing him, is include gratuitous melismatic embellishment above and
beyond the call of beauty. Of all the characteristics of Idol
contestants, that seems to me to be the most egregious. Oh for the
subtlety and restraint of Aretha!
Chuck
On Jul 10, 2006, at 11:55 AM, dhbailey wrote:
Dean M. Estabrook wrote:
This anecdote is more than telling inre American attitude towards
quality in our lives. It is no surprise to me that what America
most idolizes is the lowest common denominator.
Now let's be fair -- "America" as some monolithic attitude never
got a shot to even hear that Juilliard-trained voice. The
producers of the show were the ones who made that decision, and
they (all, what, 4 or 5 of them?) should not be considered to have
any clue as to what "America most idolizes."
The fact that millions of Americans (and others from around the
world) watch American Idol also can't be construed as determining
anything other than that in that time slot, amongst Television
Viewers, American Idol is the least disgusting of the choices.
It is only the pundits who then write in journals and in newspapers
and on supposedly intelligent talk shows on TV and radio that
America most idolizes the lowest common denominator. That then
gives legitimacy to American Idol as some sort of icon and emblem
of American attitudes and taste.
Only if that person with the Juilliard-trained voice had been
allowed to compete in a fair and open competition with the others
who actually made it onto the show and that Juilliard-trained voice
had been voted off the planet (or whatever they say these days),
THEN we could say that for many Americans, there is no room for
quality.
But not to be allowed on the air at all and then use that as some
yardstick for all Americans is to be grossly unfair.
--
David H. Bailey
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