Page 11 - Book Eleven Havelock

SING Written March 8 2010 Page 9
My Mother played the piano very well mostly by ear. She often played at church services and at any function around Havelock that required somebody to play O Canada or God Save the King. At home we would stand around the piano at very young ages and sing with Dad as Mother sang Alto. I got to enjoy singing with Mother harmonizing or accompanying us on the Hawaiian guitar.
At our church, the Havelock Gospel Mission, I participated in many duets, trios and groups. I remember once Allan and I were scheduled to sing 􏰀Rock of Ages􏰁􏰂 Allan􏰃s 􏰄oice 􏰅as 􏰅ell along in the 􏰄oice change but m􏰆 􏰄oice still had a high pitch􏰂 The harmony sounded okay because Allan would sing the melody and I would sing alto so our voices were not that far apart in pitch. So we started to sing. Unfortunately Allan got started on the wrong note and we both began to sing an alto duet an octave apart. After a couple of words I realized that there was no melody so I went up a third to provide it. We finished the verse quite a way apart in pitch so before the second verse started I got Allan straightened out. Of course everybody in the small audience heard me accuse Allan of singing my part.
Allan and I performed another duet once. There 􏰅as an 􏰀Amateur Contest􏰁 at Ha􏰄elock town hall and Dad, always up to a challenge, was our director. He had heard a rendition of the tale of 􏰀Romeo and Juliet􏰁 and figured we could sing it as a duet. The down side was that I had to dress up like a girl to sing Juliet􏰃s part􏰂 Allan had a lo􏰅er 􏰄oice and he 􏰅as taller
so there was no discussion about who had to be the Juliet􏰇 􏰀the fat one􏰁􏰂 The song was to the tune of 􏰀Long Long Ago􏰁 which lent itself to fine duet harmony on the 1st and 4th verses. We each had a solo for the 2nd and 3rd verses. We each fell to the floor and died during our solo verse. If you are familiar with
Shakespeare􏰃s Romeo and Juliet 􏰆ou 􏰅ill kno􏰅 􏰅hether I
died in the second verse and Allan died in the third verse or
􏰄ice 􏰄ersa􏰂 I forget 􏰅hich it 􏰅as􏰂 Allan sang 􏰀I took cold poison and I suicided􏰁 and fell to the floor as he reminded the audience that 􏰀I􏰃m Romeo, I􏰃m Romeo􏰁􏰂 M􏰆 􏰄erse 􏰅as e􏰄er􏰆 bit as heart-wrenching: 􏰀Locked in a cell 􏰅ithout cro􏰅-bar to force it, And without any room to stand or sit, I up and stabbed m􏰆self right in the corset􏰇 I􏰃m Juliet􏰇 I􏰃m Juliet􏰁􏰂 Then I dropped dead too􏰂 We came back to life just in time to sing the last 􏰄erse􏰈 􏰀All 􏰆ou 􏰆oung lo􏰄ers and s􏰅eethearts be 􏰅ar􏰆􏰇 Don􏰃t bu􏰆 􏰆our drinks from an apothecar􏰆􏰇 Don􏰃t stab 􏰆ourself in the left pulmonar􏰆􏰇 Like Romeo and Juliet􏰂􏰁 Shakespeare 􏰅ould
have been proud. We were proud too because we won first prize.
After my voice changed I never sang solos, just harmonized. My voice has no vibrato/tremolo and since I thought that was a prerequisite for solos, I shied away from any solos. Maybe I had sung too loud earlier and lost my solo touch. I can only remember twice being asked to sing a solo part after my voice changed. I was a very bad Bedouin in the Normal School operetta and I sank even lower to be Judas, Pontius Pilate, and even Satan in an Easter Cantata in Hammond Indiana. I always seemed to get cast as the bad guy.
But hey, at least I never had to sing as a girl again!
Our church, the HAVELOCK GOSPEL MISSION was located on Highway 7 at the place where HAVELOCK-BELMONT LEGION Hall Branch #389 now stands