The Accord, Cue

The Accord, Cue

“The woman literally can’t carry a tune across the street. I don’t know why she keeps forcing this. It is so sad. She shows for voice lessons twice a week. Singing is not this little bird’s gift,” Ms. Adele said in frustration to her husband and confidant.

“Why does she keep forcing it? That doesn’t make sense to me.” He tried soothing his wife’s frustrations.

“I don’t know. I don’t think she can hear her own voice. In her mind, she believes she sounds great. But Lordt, try being me and having to listen to her, to guide her through notes. It is the worst.

“I have provided training for Denise and her brothers and sisters for a very long time. Here’s the thing, she’s the one that loves music the most.

“One of the saddest things ever, is knowing that someone has a love of something such as singing but that voice can’t be cultivated no matter how many seeds are planted; how many lessons are taken. It’s not there for Denise.”

“Then honey, you need to tell her. Why keep putting yourself through this?”

“Yeah I know. I just don’t have the heart to tell her to have several seats.”

Ms. Adele was frustrated. She tried with all her might to help Denise Tilly find her voice. It may be tucked away somewhere. But Ms. Adele had not found it. It could be in a past life that Denise was a singer. But surely not in this one.

The Tilly’s were a musically gifted family. Each of the five children were engaged very early in music by their parents. They were big fans of the arts and invested heavily into each of their children to help them cultivate their gifts.

Denise Tilly was the oldest of five. She had two younger sisters and two younger brothers. All of them showed musical prodigious abilities very early. All of them received training on the piano first and foremost. By the age of about 7, if anyone of them showed interest outside of the piano, the Tilly’s fostered their interests as much as possible. The younger Tillys trained on the piano, violin, trumpet, drums at a very early age too. All of them took voice lessons too.

Denise’s voice training started while she was in elementary school, after school and after homework. She met with Ms. Adele after school three school days per week and again on Saturday. Chores were not an issue.

Denise had a complete understanding of highpoints of symphonic, concertante, chamber, operatic, and choral music. She was familiar with classical composers Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and others.

She absolutely loved music. It was prolific and influenced her a lot. Music allowed her as an adult to feel mostly all the emotions that people experience in life. It allowed her to get excited, be calm, and relax. She listened to music on the way to work, while she washed dishes, cleaned her home, drove her car. Music was very much a part of her daily life. It was soothing and most enjoyable.

Her favorite thing was clear, Denise Tilly loved to sing. It was her passion. She enjoyed the operatic music that she played in her home. She could be heard mimicking her favorite, Kathleen Battle.

Ms. Battle was almost fairytale like for Denise. She was a petite woman with a powerful soprano voice that had range beyond words. There was power and magic for her whenever she heard Ms. Battle sing.

 She had the pleasure of seeing Ms. Battle perform operas from the works of master classical composers such as Mozart and Strauss. Denise was mesmerized when she heard her sing Ave Maria. Denise Tilly often thought, how could such range come from such a petite woman?

Denise also loved full range singers like Ms. Audra McDonald. She was a soprano who had a wide musical repertoire from classical to musical theater to jazz and popular songs. She was an accomplished actress on screen and in Broadway plays. When she saw her in Henry the IV, Denise Tilly was awe struck.

Ms. Adele always was the one person that understood Denise Tilly’s love of opera music. She had worked with her since she was a little girl. Never one to hurt a child’s feelings, she did not have the heart to ever tell Denise that singing was not her gift even though she came from a musically gifted family. She was not one of the 95% to 98% of the population that could sing passably. Some people inherit the ability to sing well. Denise Tilly did not.

Ms. Adele knew that singing could be a learned trait. Voice lessons, practice and dedication from a young age, and anyone can be trained to be a talented singer. This was not the case for Denise Tilly. She was unable to recognize pitch, rhythm, and chords. She could not judge tonality. However, Ms. Adele, vocal and music coach extraordinaire understood, Denise Tilly was without this gift.

As an adult, she grew to be one of the most likable people Ms. Adele had known. She was warm, friendly, and engaging. She had a successful career in technology. She built computers and understood the intricacies of technology like no one Ms. Adele had known. She had a fire in her and a determination that made Ms. Adele want to continue working with her. She was a free spirit that lived and loved her life as she saw fit.

Denise Tilly’s family knew that she could not sing. She had no accord and no cue. But that never stopped her from participating in family sing-a-longs. In fact, her family never told her she could not sing with them. Her voice in a choir of many was loud and nasally. It would be obvious who made the mistake. But they always kept singing.

Denise was a newlywed. She had married Allan a few months back. They were still in the honeymoon phase. She had the glow and was excited about her new life.

One Saturday, there was a family dinner being held at her sister Mary’s home. Everyone was there. Her parents, brothers and their wives and children. Her sisters with their husbands and children. Even Ms. Adele came. It was a full home, a full day with lots of food, fun and family. There was loud laughter and banter.

“Excuse me everyone, excuse me.”

After the third excuse me, the family stopped talking. Denise stood in the middle of the living room to everyone’s surprise. The tall, slender woman was glowing. Her brown skin was smooth. Her eyes were bright. The family wanted to know what was radiant and going on with Denise.

Denise said, “Hey everyone, I want to sing for you all today. Can I have everyone’s attention?”

The family stopped. It was drop dead quiet. After this announcement, you could hear a church mouse run across the floor. It stunned and animated everyone in the room.

The Tilly’s tried to give Denise their undivided quiet attention. But everyone, from the oldest members there, her beloved parents, to her youngest 7-year old nephew, laughed at her announcement. Denise Tilly was the only member that did not get the joke.

“Excuse me, excuse me. I want to sing for y’all today. Please, may I do that.”

When her family noticed that she was serious, they quieted. Again. Not a peep from anyone in the room. They sat stark still.

This was about the time that Whitney Houston sung her live version of the Stars Spangled Banner at the Super Bowl. It was a performance that garnered the highest acclaim. It was a benchmark, faultless, one of a kind performance that set the tone for future Super Bowl half-time shows.

Denise Tilly was somewhere in her zone. Mary’s living room was her stage; the family her audience. The world was her oyster. She quieted her family so she would have her moment. In her highest opera voice, she sung . . .

“Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,

O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?

And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, . . .

The family gave Denise the first five lines. They snickered. Hands covered mouths to stifle the laughs. Allan stood next to his wife. He offered her his full support.

The accord, cue was not heard anywhere at any time as Denise sung. Her eyes were closed. She was where Ms. Adele said was some place in her own heart where she sounded great. But for those around her, this was a comedic performance.

When the Tilly’s could no longer contain their laughter, the room exploded. They laughed, hugged and leaned on each other for support. The little ones even laughed at Denise.

Denise fell into her husband’s arms. He consoled her as best he could. She was visibly upset because everyone thought her performance was so funny.

But what was most surprising was that this was not her first attempt. She had flooded them with her performances their whole lives at family gatherings. So why was she so sensitive suddenly? Denise Tilly left the room crying. Husband in tow. Mary, her sister, followed.

After she gathered herself, she returned to the living room holding hands with Allan and Mary. She was in much better spirits. She smiled and glowed. There was something different about Denise. Everyone noticed it.

Mary whispered to her family, “We really need to let Denise sing. Just let her get it out without all the giggling.”

Many looked at Mary and laughed. But Mary did not relent. She encouraged her family to sit and enjoy Denise’s performance without all the laughing.

Mary led Denise back to the living room. She ushered Allan to a seat on the couch. She hushed the room. Everyone was to give Denise their undivided attention.

No one ever understood Denise’s fascination with singing the Star-Spangled Banner in an opera voice. It was a hard song to sing even for accomplished singers. It required practice, practice and more practice. It demanded the singer’s whole self.

Denise Tilly started off slow. Everyone noticed, she did not sound nasally. Her posture was on point. She breathed from her diaphragm. That cute chin of hers was parallel to the floor. She knew exactly where to transition between areas. Lastly, she sung in her own voice, alto.

She was grounded, comfortable and relaxed. This made her family relax and receive her. Even Ms. Adele beamed with pride as her student belted out her favorite song. Denise could sing.

Her voice, it was there all along. She needed to focus on her voice and not try to sing in a tone that was not hers. No amount of practice or money gave Denise Tilly a soprano voice.

She was in her own element. Ms. Adele, the family music and voice coach quietly stood next to Denise. She guided her through the last three lines. Denise Tilly hit that last line perfectly and carried that note beautifully. It was amazing.

“Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.

Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave”

Her family stood and clapped. They hugged her tightly. They all cried. It was a moment of all moments.

Denise still had the floor. She said, “Thank you, thank you, and thank you! I’m glad you all liked it. I found my accord and my cue!”