The Voice

I lost a musician today I loved. He was my favorite living musician. It's no secret because I was always writing about him. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau died today. He was 86. I have written about him so many times on this Web log and though I did not know him personally, and though I know he had a long life, I feel kind of socked in the gut.

It is horrible because if you say you lost a singer you loved everyone thinks you mean Donna Summer! Earlier today writing on the Buffalo News' Web log I said that right away to head all the jokes off at the pass.

Somewhere I have two autographed pictures of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau that he sent me when I was a teenager. I wrote to him and he wrote me back. Am I a lucky gal or what? He has just figured so much in my life. I discovered so much in music because of him.

Reading his obituaries today I was mad at how the writers put negative stuff people had said about him not only in the obit, but up near the top. Then I thought: they did that with Leonard Pennario too. This is how our greatest musicians are treated. I guess the greatest ones, they figure they can take it.

Losing Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is terrible because you cannot do or say anything. With Leonard, I was there and I could help and reporters were calling me and it was cathartic to talk.

Now I just suffer in silence. And the classical music station is not even paying tribute to him. Grrrr. I tuned in after work but no, they were just toiling through some long baroque instrumental piece.

It was even worse than when Johnny Cash died and the country station was not bothering to play his songs.

Smite them, O Lord!

Back to Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, this was a wonderful man with a wonderful voice, a voice that touched you personally. They let me write something for the paper tomorrow and I did but I do not do my best work when I am bummed out, plus I was rushed and I am not sure I said what I wanted to say.

A lot of people on the Internet are posting this song by Gustav Mahler. Some people are pointing out that Fischer-Dieskau died on the date that Mahler died. Mahler died 101 years ago today.

In any case ... exquisite.

The Voice.