What’s a diva?

Richard D. Russell — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:36:29 +0000

You hear the word diva bounced around all the time. We know what we mean by it, but what’s a good working definition? I rather like this one, that Jon Pareles wrote in the New Times on 31 Aug 2009. Although this blog is not one for singers, I think with a little effort you can see how this applies to composition:

Without adversity, a diva is just a singer. It‚Äôs the back story,¬†the tale of struggle and tenacity, that draws audiences to read¬†more than musicianship into her performances. The singer touches on¬†something personal so the listener can feel like a witness, a¬†confidant, a judge, a voyeur, or perhaps all at once.

Interestingly, this was a review of a new Whitney Houston album.

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Prince Shows the Way?

Richard D. Russell — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 18:43:00 +0000

I’ve been a fan of Prince since back in 1982, when his album 1999 came out. It’s no secret that pop music has suffered commercially in the last few years in the age of the digital download. But here, with Prince, we have a musician who has somehow managed to stay ahead of the curve commercially. In the July 22, 2007 New York Times there is an article by Jon Pareles called “The Once and Future Prince” which does a good job of explaining how Prince has adapted over the years to the changing realities of getting music to his audience. For instance,

Prince gravitated early to the Internet. Even in the days of dial-up, he sought to make his music available online, first as a way of ordering albums and then through digital distribution.

and

Prince’s priorities are obvious. The main one is getting his music to an audience.

Whatever kind of musician you are, classical, pop, jazz, the internet has completely revolutionized your career — whether you do something about it or not. Prince’s example serves as a great object lesson, and the article is worth reading here.

Prince

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Richard D. Russell » Jon Pareles

What’s a diva?

Prince Shows the Way?