No Color Line at the Met
Dear CS: As most of you already know, MTV took the unusual step of holding the annual awards at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. You may have heard that one performer offended many in the opera world at the ceremony when he said, “I’m probably the first black person to stand on this stage without a mop.”
I was aware of this rather offensive and ignorant comment by a comedian I usually enjoy. What I recently learned, that perhaps is not common knowledge, is Robert McFerrin (Bobby M.’s father) not only sang roles at the Met, but was the first black singer to have a long-term contract with them. Now if this info is incorrect, I hope someone will correct me (and I’ll correct the publishers of the book from which I gleaned this knowledge). But if it is true, then Mr. “shall go nameless” comedian owes the Met an apology—not that I expect he would ever concede such a thing. At least, not in public.
—Name Withheld
Whether Mr. McFerrin, Sr. (who is perhaps best-known for providing the voice for Sidney Portier’s Porgy in the Otto Preminger film of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess) was the first black singer to hold a long-term contract at the Met is irrelevant, because the distinguished black singers who trod that great stage nightly are more than able to speak — and sing — for themselves. This thoughtless comment from the “nameless comedian,” says as much about his ignorance of what happens on the Met stage (his loss!) as it does about his eagerness to see himself as a victim.
—Editor
Taking Christ out of Christmas
Dear CS: This morning was the first of a series of caroling gigs my quartet [was] scheduled to sing throughout the month of December at the World Trade Center in New York City. Imagine our surprise when, five minutes before we were scheduled to go on, we were told that we couldn’t sing anything mentioning Christ, Jesus, Mary, God, Heaven, Angels, etc.
Well, that eliminated about half of our program! No “What Child is This,” “Away in a Manger,” “Go Tell it On the Mountain,” “O Holy Night,” “Ding Dong Merrily on High,” “Little Drummer Boy,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “Good Christian Men Rejoice,” “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” etc. etc.
We were told that Radio City Music Hall’s “Christmas Carol” performed there, and someone objected to the religious content; now everyone is checking contracts and contacting attorneys.
The moral: Find out beforehand what carols you may or may not sing at these gigs, and get it in writing. It will eliminate the chance of the nasty surprise we were treated to this morning!
Fortunately we had plenty of music and we were able to fill up the time. But who knows what will happen when we do the two-hour lunches starting next week!
For songs with minimal religious reference, we left out verses or sang “La la la,” as ridiculous as that sounds!
Here is the playlist, should anyone else find themselves in a similar quandary: “Deck the Halls,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “Sleigh Ride,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Coventry Carol” (shh!), “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “Let It Snow!,” “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” “Little Saint Nick,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Here We Come a ‘Wassailing,” “I Saw Three Ships,” “Jingle Bells,” “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas,” “O Christmas Tree,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Silver Bells,” “Pat-a-Pan,” “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” “Toyland,” “White Christmas,” and “Here Comes Santa Claus.”
—Ben Venga
Who would ever have believed that singing Christmas carols would become a subversive activity? What is left of Christmas when you remove Christ and the angels? Just a bunch of snow, and one can only shovel that! We at CS thought we had heard everything, but guess not! The Political Correctness Police don’t make it easy to spread good cheer, do they?
—Editor
The Gift that Goes On Giving
Dear CS: A holiday suggestion: Those wishing to stage special performances at Christmastime will get very good response from malls and the reason, I believe, is that there are very few willing to perform against the onrush of onpressing people, kids yelling and the hustle-bustle of a holiday season. Unless you are well miked or have a large group, forget it. On the other hand, if you keep your performances short, say 15-20 minutes, and your selection of songs is varied, most shoppers will stand around and listen. To reserve a space contact the Mall Manager. If you call prior to September you will be asked to call later. So don’t rush it.
Usually, for Christmas, I call in October to set dates. One other thought: One year I booked my children’s chorus for four performances over two weeks in a mall. The first performance I just had the kids and even though they were cute, most people didn’t linger. For the next performance I had each kid bring a stuffed animal. That did it! The crowd stayed for the whole show. Same kids, but this time with toys. A gimmick, and it worked! Break a leg!
— Dean FH Macy, Mus.D.
