top of page
Search
  • Writer's pictureladiesvoices

Diva / Mensch pair for 7/25/18

Diva: "The Star-Spangled Banner"

Mensch: "America the Beautiful"

I remember a lot of talk during the Clinton years about "America the Beautiful" becoming the national anthem. Wouldn't we all prefer that? So much easier to sing, so full of wonderful imagery. Who doesn't love amber waves of grain?

Here's Leontyne Price singing it at a Richard Tucker gala in 1992, in a hilariously overdone arrangement. Funny that I see "America the Beautiful" as the Mensch this week, and here it is being sung by the ultimate diva.

Yes, Miss Price sounded better twenty years before, her voice is a little thick, her rhythm is rather willful, and she does a fair amount of swooping. But I love every second of it! She is a national treasure.

I love her spoken intro best of all, her reh-zoh-LYOOT-lee old school diction.

6 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

The Best Actress winner for 2000 was Julia Roberts for Erin Brockovich. That performance was a beguiling mixture of diva and mensch so instead I'm going to focus on two other Best Acrtess nominees tha

The Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for 1998 went to Bill Condon for Gods and Monsters, a quiet and thought-provoking movie about James Whale, who directed Frankenstein. One of the other nominees that y

This one made me sad. The Carters were the first Presidential couple who I really connected with - - I admired their sincerity and authenticity. Rosalynn Carter died the other day at the age of 96. Th

bottom of page