I know I've posted this before some time ago, but it bears asking again cuz the faces change. How many of you had a Ward Diva? You know, that one woman that warbled far beyond the warblings of mortal men and women. The one that sang solos, was in the choir and was so loud you couldn't even hear the organ, sang every song without looking at the hymnal and if you were too close, would cause your ears to bleed.

Remember those gals? Man, they were into it BIG time.

And of course there we some Ward Divo dudes, but I digress.

Ron

Oh, we had a few of those. They were in big demand...every special occasion, there they were, belting their lungs out.

We had one when I was growing up. She was the loudest singer in the choir, not blending in at all. Problem was, she couldn't carry a tune and was off pitch ALL the time. Poor choir director couldn't bring herself to tell the woman to pipe down. Whenever the choir performed in meetings, we knew it would be awful!

Not only does Mormonism supply ready-made "friends," it also supplies a captive audience.

I've said this before and I'll say it again. Your talking about my Mother!

Their voices blend beautifully when they sing in a congregation or chorus. They know better than to try to show off individually when it's inappropriate.

The women you describe sound like silly headed attention seekers.

The wannabes were dreadful. The real one had a four octave range, near photographic memory, great pitch, and kept her ego in check. Stylistically, she could sing just about anything. She was a lounge singer in Honolulu for seven years, but could also sing the classical literature. Damn, she was good and fantastic to work with.

The sad story here is that Mormondumb probably kept her from being all she could be. She was told by one of her singing coaches she was a strong contender for an operatic career. Instead she got married young (she was hot too, I've seen pictures!), had kids, got divorced, etc.

mrtranquility Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> The sad story here is that Mormondumb probably
> kept her from being all she could be. She was told
> by one of her singing coaches she was a strong
> contender for an operatic career. Instead she got
> married young (she was hot too, I've seen
> pictures!), had kids, got divorced, etc.


We had one of those in our ward too! Great singer but her patriarchal blessing said she would never sing for a living but she would be heard all over the world. So instead of pursuing a solo career, she joined the tabernacle choir. Urgle. Her father was the bish, so I wonder if he didn't want his daughter influenced by the worldly business of music and told the patriarch to put that in there.

Here in Charlotte, NC there are 2 of these idiots who couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. Loud, off key, can be herd over the entire congregation. Carla Z. is the worst. The other is actually the freakin stake choir director whose claim to fame is her awful cookies she makes to "participate" in choir. What a joke!!!

But I've never been to church here. So how are the Charlotte Saints? Thriving? Hanging on? In decline?

We had some very talented musicians: a very young male violin player who toured the (European) continent, a young woman who sang recitals, her mother who writes music for movies and tv series, and a family led by a woman who had a bit of everything: good singer, piano player, and conductor, but not a professional. Very all round though, and her two sons, though more interested in playing rugby and waterpolo, were also familiar with classical music and performed hymns in church. But divas? Not one. Every one of those people was very humble and modest in every respect.

It was the pathetic losers who were arrogant in my ward, but they were far above doing anything so pedestrian as singing hymns with the little people.

The ward diva is my mother in law! LOL!

We have couple in a ward - Husband and wife. They have their own band, too - and sing in every single function, activity, gathering possible. It's to the extent that no one else dares volunteer for anything musical. This couple is, admittedly, very good, they certainly can sing. But no one else wants to be pitted against them so people just let them volunteer for everything.

Then there is the cronies. The ones that can't shut up about the musical duo. Even in testimony meetings we can hear how "spiritual" their music is and a true blessing, blah, blah.

Ya. We got 'em.

We had several in our previous stakes.

But the one I remember the most was an older womam who wanted to be in showbiz, just like Lucille Ball.
Of course, the church nixxed her plans and she married a businessman instead, raising a ton of kids.

By the time I was a teen she was an overweight Mormon matron - with her hair dyed a bright red.

Her heart was in the right spot I suppose, but damn, she resembled the stereotypical madam of a Nevada whorehouse more than a Mormon.

But we lived in California, so no one batted an eye at the time.

We have one of those in our non-LDS congregation. She gets on my nerves and I don't really know why.

My mother was one of those sing-as-loud-as-she-could. She wanted to sing with MoTab...even claimed to have been offered (but you know how that kind of thing is).

But she wasn't diva-ish about it. Sang strongly and mostly on-tune (maybe even always). And didn't seem to think better of herself than others.

And her second husband couldn't carry a tune if it were doped up, tied down and in a briefcase.