I'm just barely beginning to think of doing a live perfo romance.

Biggest immediate questions are how, except trying it out for your own ear, do you choose poems suitable for live perfornance/reading?

Second big question is deciding on timing, emphasis, even the pitch of your voice to make it work...this is proving hard. It keeps changing as I "practice."

So, hints or tips or elaborate theoretical advice would be welcome!

Hi Mindy!

I'm no expert but my humble opinion is that you can recite, read or perform anything that you understand deeply, word by word.
When the words haunt you, and you firmly believe in what you read you can recite a whole frickin' novel and it will sound right!

You probably want to start with a rhyming piece because the rhythm is clearer, though all poetry has some rhythm... But If you ask me even a simple every day non literary conversation has rhythm. And for me rhyming pieces are more difficult to do than prosaic narrative. It depends on the person...
So the best way to do it is to choose something that you really believe in.

As for the "emphasis" as you called it, my advice would be don't over-rehearse. First of all you'll hurt your throat. Always record your first take and keep it for future reference. And if that first take isn't flawless try to recapture everything you did in it. Because as you keep repeating them the words start losing their meaning. If your first take IS flawless use that!
All that when you record. For live performance I have no idea, maybe somebody else can help you there...

Good luck!?

P.S. Don't try to alter your voice, because:

a) You WON'T sound better! Rather the opposite, you'll sound ridiculous, take that from experience! ?

b) You will harm your vocal cords.

Tooddles?

Mae

Thanks, Mae.

I do know how over-reversal makes you wonder why you ever learned to read and write in the first place!

I wish I had your confidence that my take on what is interesting or significant would work for the public.

Never seems to, even here!

But the recording idea is a step I can take. And then see what's what.

Thanks again!

Being a musician I bet you do! As for the public, my advice is...screw it! Do what you believe in! Try it and get back to me! I'd like to hear about your experience!
No problem, but just to clear out...I'm not an expert, ok?!
Here whatever you need though?
Mae

I have an article somewhere on this site about exactly this question. Trouble is, I'm not sure where.

Good advice, Mae. But, I do find it hard to imagine 'over-rehearsal' to be honest. The best part about 'rehearsing' is that speaking it aloud will point out glaringly those words,lines etc. which need to be improved. If it can't be 'recited', is it really 'poetry'?

I'm presuming the young lady is just 'gone'.

Pasternak used to raise his voice slightly when reciting, so the words, his voice, could be heard in another room. The words had a life outside a chosen space. That space possessed no horizon.

As Fitzgerald said... 'It is taking the eternal from the desperately fleeting.'

Words once placed into the air are forever on a journey. They cannot be called back. The journey has no end.

The word Farsi, actually means... Listen.

Listening is inherent in each word as it is written. Initially, in writing, we're listening to ourselves.

The first law of free standing sculpture is that it should dominate the space around itself. That's what a word, a voice, should do.

Totally brilliant, Mr. Pascoe. I'm now almost certain to 'take a chance' and post an article on WOL.

Any brilliance one possesses has probably been learnt from you Cynthia.