A TENOR'S VOICE

GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE . RUSH LIMBAUGH, THE NUMBER 1 RADIO TALK SHOW HOST AND I SHARE AN APPRECIATION FOR. AS HE SAID, "EXCELLENCE ON DISPLAY." RUSH GUSHED OVER JUDGE SAM ALITO'S PERFORMANCE AT THE SENATE HEARINGS FOR HIS NOMINATION AS SUPREME COURT JUSTICE. I FIND PURE PLEASURE IN WITNESSING TENORS WHO HAVE MASTERED THEIR CRAFT. RUSH LIMBAUGH CREDITS MR. ALITO'S LEGAL MIND; I CREDIT A TENOR'S VOCAL CRAFT.

ENVY OF THE TRUTH OF SUCH BEAUTY IS JUSTIFIABLE, BUT A GUILT TRIP IS UNNECESSARY TO APPRECIATE A GREAT, HIGH, MALE VOICE. JOHN KEATS PENNED IN HIS "ODE ON A GRECIAN URN", THAT "BEAUTY IS TRUTH, TRUTH BEAUTY - THAT IS ALL YE KNOW ON EARTH, AND ALL YE NEED TO KNOW." MODERN TENORS IN THEIR PRIME VOICES STIR ME UP LIKE A MICK JAGGER GROUPIE HOPING FOR SOME 'SATISFACTION' BUT , IN MY CASE, THERE IS ARTISTIC JUSTIFICATION. MODERN TENORS LIKE ANDREA BOCELLI, LUCIANO PAVAROTTI, JOSE CARRERAS, PLACIDO DOMINGO, MICHAEL CRAWFORD, JOHN MCDERMOTT, RONAN TYNAN, FINBAR WRIGHT OR ANTHONY KEARNS, OR PAST TENORS LIKE ENRICO CARUSO, JOHN MCCORMACK OR ROBERT WHITE, OR A NEW, POPULAR, YOUNG TENOR LIKE JOSH GROBAN, AS WELL AS A LESSER KNOWN ARTIST, CAN FILL ME WITH AWE. LILTING, SOULFUL OR PONDEROUS SCORES RENDERED WITH CONTROL AND CLARITY AT BOOMING, HIGH DECIBELS, TRANSFIX ME. I ASK MYSELF, "HOW DO THEY DO THAT? " THE BRILLIANCE THEY DELIVER I RECEIVE. LYRICS ARE UNNECESSARY BECAUSE A TENOR'S CONTROLLED INSTRUMENT IS VESSEL ENOUGH TO FILL ME WITH AURAL PLEASURE OR PAIN. MY FORMERLY RATIONAL BEING IS ENVELOPED WITH IRRATIONAL FEELINGS OR REFLECTIONS, AT TIMES ACCOMPANIED BY TEARS OR TREMORS. FOR ME - AND OTHER LISTENERS LIKE ME - ENCHANTING MUSICAL STRAINS EVOKE UNIVERSAL THEMES OF SUFFERING, LOSS, DEATH, REGRET, HOPE FOUND, A LOVE TREASURED, WHATEVER. A WAVE OF BEAUTY OFTEN WASHES OVER ME.

THE PASSING OF A GREAT VOICE IN A SWEET MAN LIKE FRANK PATTERSON, AN IRISH TENOR, A FEW YEARS AGO, GAVE ME PAUSE. THOUGH SAD, I REALIZED THAT FOLLOWING THE LOSS OF SOMEONE'S MUSIC OR THE VERBAL POETRY OF AN EDGAR ALLAN POE OR A WALT WHITMAN OR A WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, WHOSE LIKES WILL OBVIOUSLY NOT COME AGAIN, SOME NEW, INSPIRED VOICE WILL RISE TO FILLTHE VOID OF THE FALLEN.

NEVERTHELESS, WE HAVE RECORDS, TAPES AND CD'S FOR RECALL. IF I COULD BUT TURN MARIO LANZA'S HEAVENLY VOICE SEDUCING ME WITH 'ONE NIGHT OF LOVE' INTO ONE PERPETUALLY, PLEASURABLE DAY ON EARTH, WHAT WOULD HEAVEN BE FOR?