Carolyn Thompson Lee (1928-2011) When I went off to college at age 17, I had no idea how spoiled I had been. The main reason I knew I was spoiled is because I had a fabulous accompanist at my beck and call, any time, any where. My mother. Suddenly, I had no one to play the piano for me to sing. For a singer starting off in a Vocal Performance degree path I suddenly found myself in dire straits. (It took a while, but finally I found an accompanist, a good one, too, Sue Neimoyer.) I'm not really complaining, but it did take time to find someone I could work as closely with like I was used to with my mother.
For example, it came as a shock that if I needed a song "jazzed up" a bit or transposed quickly, my mother just did it. Other pianists couldn't just instantly make arrangements that suited me or the situation. My mother could also write songs. I still remember parts of a song she wrote for me late one night for a Roadshow that was set to perform the next day. My part in the mini-show, she said, needed character development and a song would do just that. It was a nice little short song and gave my character the needed development.
She could play the piano, sure, and sing like a nightingale. The amazing bit, though, is that she could do those things and also carry on six different conversations while sitting at the piano entertaining for parties. She was, and still is, the only person I ever knew who could enter a room and within minutes know every person's name and their life stories ----- and also get invitations to stay at their houses should the need ever arise.
My mother was a terrific cook, too. Seems like she could make something special out of the basest of ingredients in the fridge before the Saturday shopping day. For most of my early life, Mom only had the use of a car on the weekends. It wasn't until I was in Middle School that my parents got a second car. It took good planning to be able to feed our tribe of six kids with only shopping once a week. She made even common days holidays.
My mother loved people. And people loved her. She had friends everywhere, including the many places we lived --- the schools, the neighborhood, at church, the grocery stores --- and she kept track of and remembered them. People were always begging her to teach their children piano or voice lessons. She taught students at very inconvenient times --- at 6:00 in the morning until school started and then after school until suppertime. She had to teach me a few recipes to get dinner started on lessons days. (Poor family! They had to endure my poor attempts at cooking.)
I only wish I had more recordings of her beautiful voice. This is an arrangement she entrusted to me now. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from the Wizard of Oz.
Love you, Mom.
For example, it came as a shock that if I needed a song "jazzed up" a bit or transposed quickly, my mother just did it. Other pianists couldn't just instantly make arrangements that suited me or the situation. My mother could also write songs. I still remember parts of a song she wrote for me late one night for a Roadshow that was set to perform the next day. My part in the mini-show, she said, needed character development and a song would do just that. It was a nice little short song and gave my character the needed development.
She could play the piano, sure, and sing like a nightingale. The amazing bit, though, is that she could do those things and also carry on six different conversations while sitting at the piano entertaining for parties. She was, and still is, the only person I ever knew who could enter a room and within minutes know every person's name and their life stories ----- and also get invitations to stay at their houses should the need ever arise.
My mother was a terrific cook, too. Seems like she could make something special out of the basest of ingredients in the fridge before the Saturday shopping day. For most of my early life, Mom only had the use of a car on the weekends. It wasn't until I was in Middle School that my parents got a second car. It took good planning to be able to feed our tribe of six kids with only shopping once a week. She made even common days holidays.
My mother loved people. And people loved her. She had friends everywhere, including the many places we lived --- the schools, the neighborhood, at church, the grocery stores --- and she kept track of and remembered them. People were always begging her to teach their children piano or voice lessons. She taught students at very inconvenient times --- at 6:00 in the morning until school started and then after school until suppertime. She had to teach me a few recipes to get dinner started on lessons days. (Poor family! They had to endure my poor attempts at cooking.)
I only wish I had more recordings of her beautiful voice. This is an arrangement she entrusted to me now. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from the Wizard of Oz.
Love you, Mom.
RSS Feed